Spring Training Vacation Guide to Sarasota, Florida
Your Team: Baltimore Orioles
The Schedule: 35 games, with 17 home games (see schedule and buy tickets here).
The Field: Like Camden Yards, Ed Smith Stadium was built in throwback style, swapping Baltimore’s industrial brick for classic Sarasota architecture. The stadium seats were originally installed in Camden Yards, and fans can snack on Maryland crab cakes and Esskay hot dogs, making this truly “Birdland South.”
Inside Baseball: None of Baltimore's moves are in and of themselves problematic. The issue is that a team that needed to make a bold decision instead treaded water. For more on the Baltimore Orioles, go here at si.com.
To browse all 12 Grapefruit League destinations, go here.
Best Beach: Whatever your seaside pleasure, Sarasota has you covered: Kayak through the mangrove “tunnels” of South Lido Park on Lido Key, explore the shops and restaurants of Siesta Key Village, or find a secluded stretch of sand to call your own on Longboat Key, which has 10 miles of beaches accessible only by boat.
Family Outings: The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus recently announced that it would shut down, but the circus lives on at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, which delights with a circus museum, fine-art exhibits, and live performances at the historic Azolo Theater. Visitors can also stroll the lush grounds of the 66-acre Bayfront Gardens and tour Ca’ d’Zan, the Venetian Gothic home of the Ringlings. Come one, come all!
High-end Stay: The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota is 11 acres of luxury near the heart of downtown Sarasota, convenient to both Ed Smith Stadium and the Ringling complex — both about 10 minutes away. From $469 per night.
Value Stay: The Homewood Suites by Hilton Sarasota is less than a mile from Ed Smith Stadium and also convenient to downtown Sarasota, the Ringling Museum, and the Motes Marine Aquarium. Rates from $250 per night.
More Teams and Locations: To find more fun baseball and vacation information on each of Florida’s Grapefruit League teams, click on the links below:
Atlanta Braves: Lake Buena Vista
Baltimore Orioles: Sarasota
Boston Red Sox: Fort Myers
Detroit Tigers: Lakeland
Houston Astros: West Palm Beach
Miami Marlins: Jupiter
Minnesota Twins: Fort Myers
New York Mets: Port St. Lucie
New York Yankees: Tampa
Philadelphia Phillies: Clearwater
Pittsburgh Pirates: Bradenton
St. Louis Cardinals: Jupiter
Tampa Bay Rays: Port Charlotte
Toronto Blue Jays: Dunedin
Washington Nationals: West Palm Beach
