There are few places in the U.S. that offer professional and college football, baseball, hockey, and college basketball all in one concentrated area, and if they do, changes are, they’re crowded cities with not a palm tree or waterway in sight.
It’s why each year thousands of sports enthusiasts vacation in Tampa Bay, the metropolitan area that encompasses Tampa, St. Petersburg, and even Sarasota. Because the weather is beautiful year-round, there are always travelers visiting the area.
If you come in the spring, you can see Major League Baseball Spring Training. The Rays, Yankees, Phillies, Blue Jays, and Pirates all have Spring Training in that area, with the Rays, of course, calling the area home year-round. You can also catch a hockey game with the Tampa Bay Lightning, as well as a variety of USF sporting events.
During the summer months you can see Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp over at One Buc Place in Tampa, or catch a Rays game. If you’re staying in a St. Pete Vacation Rental or St Pete Beach Condo, you can catch a trolly ride downtown to Tropicana Field, which is about nine miles from the beach. To get to Tampa, you may need a rental car, although there are a variety of Tampa Vacation Sport Packages available through various travel agencies and resort management companies.
Fall is the best season for sports enthusiasts here, and it also happens to be a great time to travel here – you can score incredible discounts on condo rentals and hotels and the weather is just a tad bit cooler than in July and August.
Spend the day soaking up the sun and at night, you can catch a Rays game. On Saturday, head over to Raymond James Stadium to see the USF Bulls’ football team, and cap your trip off on Sunday with a visit back to Ray Jay for a Bucs game!
During the winter football will be finishing up, and hockey will just be getting started. Head over to the St. Pete Times Forum to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning, and afterwards, check out Channelside, one of the area’s hottest entertainment spots! Also, in December and January, two college football bowl games come to town – the St. Petersburg Bowl in mid-late December at Tropicana Field, and the Outback Bowl, played at Raymond James on New Years Day!
There really is something for every sports fan when you visit Tampa Bay, and typically you can purchase some sort of family package. Even better – a Vacation Rental on Treasure Island or St. Pete Beach, bundled in with a sport package. What could possibly get any better than the gorgeous Florida sunshine and sports?
