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Florida Spring Training: Your Guide To Touring The Grapefruit League |
The classier side to this theme-ing are the flagpole memorials to the Columbia and Challenger space shuttle disasters. The area was greatly affected by both of these tragedies.
When you first get to the stadium, you will feel like you are in the middle of a cow pasture. In fact, it most likely was a cow pasture not long ago. In some parts of the parking lot, you need a four-wheel drive truck to get through the mud. There's another hassle when you get your tickets. While the windows open at 11:00 a.m., as they do at other ballparks, the will-call window and the gates don't open until 11:30. This is later than at every other Spring Training park. However, there is a large practice field near the main entrance where the Nationals take turns at batting practice. If you arrive before the gates open, you can stand behind the outfield wall and pick up some extra baseballs while you wait. In past years, the stadium only opened the berm on busy days, but the park now opens up the entire berm for all games. This is a nice place to watch a game, and it also provides a great opportunity to get autographs from the visiting team's catchers and pitchers, as the visitors' bullpen is cut into the berm. While opening the berm was an improvement, the food at the stadium has declined since the Nationals took over. In the past, Space Coast Stadium had some of the best food in the Grapefruit League, but the day I went, the food was almost inedible. I got a turkey leg, took two bites, and threw it away. The chicken fingers were so-so and the fries were awful. In addition, I couldn't find the taco-in-a-helmet offering I'd loved on previous visits. If you want visitors’ autographs, this is an easy park to target. The visiting team must walk about 50 feet to get from the stadium to the bus. The area is open and roped off, giving fans an opportunity to meet the visitors. Getting Expos’ autographs is a bit tougher, but it can be done, especially if you come when the gates open at 11:30 a.m. Overall, it is easy to get tickets here and there is good food. Just don’t come expecting a traditional Spring Training experience. Didn't find what you were looking for? Try a Google search.
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