Tue 8 Nov 2005
Posted by Travelman under Travel
No Comments | 44 views
I felt like I was dreaming. It was a sunny, postcard-perfect spring day in Arizona. No one was bickering or complaining that they wanted to be elsewhere. All five of us were happy and together in one place.
With two kids living across the country, this doesn’t happen easily or often. Last spring we paid a visit to Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona, to watch the Chicago Cubs. We may have moved from Chicago to the East Coast more than a decade ago, but we, like so many other former Chicagoans, remain loyal Cubs fans. At the game we attended, the Cubbies did us proud, winning in the 10th inning.
Spring training proved to be the ideal antidote for a busy family, giving us the opportunity to kick back for a few inexpensive days of fun in the sun. A lot of other families we met agreed. Last season, some 2.8 million fans went to spring training games to cheer on their favorite teams in Florida or in Arizona.
“This is the one vacation where no one gets bored,” said Paula Migailo of Beaumont, Colorado, who was at the same Cubs game. “We come every year, 10 of us.”
Some families opt for an inexpensive suite hotel that serves free breakfasts. Others splurge on a snazzy resort with all the bells and whistles. In Arizona, you can even bring your pet to the Caleo Resort and Spa, where the spring training package, starting at $275 a night, includes baseball snacks and a bucket of beer. In Tucson, the spring training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, and Colorado Rockies, the Westward Look Resort touts a five-night baseball package for $1,345. And in Sarasota, Florida, the spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds, the Hyatt promises an extra 10 percent off for fans. Rooms start at $165; use the special-offer code “LRBT”. Check VisitFlorida.org or the Arizona Office of Tourism website for other deals.
Combine baseball with theme parks in Orlando, where the Atlanta Braves are playing and where the city touts a “Family Spring Break” that includes many special packages. For example, rent a house with a pool for a week from All Star Vacation Homes and they’ll throw in a rental car or a $100 card for groceries. Rental houses start at less than $200 a night.
"Page 2"