Kara and I packed our bags and headed down to Florida for our MLB Sunshine Trip: Tampa and Miami. We took the late-night flight into St. Petersburg and stayed the night on Treasure Island. The next morning we drove to Tropicana Field to cheer on the Twins. Sadly, the Twins couldn’t complete a good comeback and lost, 4-3. We were sad, but still had a good time at the game.
If you’re wanting to catch a Rays game, here’s what you need to know…
- Tropicana is pretty much a barn with terrible turf. The field is so bad it looked like camouflage during the game. There’s not much to see at Tropicana and I feel bad that a great team, like the Rays, are stuck with such a half-hearted following and a terrible home.
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Without a doubt, one of my favorite pictures of my bride. How the heck did I get so blessed?
The highlight of visiting Tropicana Field is experiencing the Rays tank in center field. They have over 20 sting rays in a salt-water tank where you can reach into the tank and touch them. There is a limit of 50 fans at the tank at a time, so you probably will have to wait in line. I promise, it is well worth the wait.
- Since Tropicana is a dome, expect a loud game. The day we visited six elementary schools brought their summer camp kids to the game. The giveaway for the game just happened to be thundersticks. We sat in the front row of the outfield section right at the wall and had over 100 pairs of thundersticks going crazy behind us.
- Parking was very cheap ($5) about 4-5 blocks east of the stadium. There is a stadium parking lot, but it costs $15. I’m not Dutch, but I am thrifty.
- There is a good variety of food, but nothing too unique.
- Be sure to check out the Hitters Hall of Fame on the second floor. It contains showcases of MLB’s greatest hitters and is free to visit.
- Baseball in Florida hasn’t taken off yet, for whatever reason. Translation: you can get great tickets for cheap. The Rays are a great team so it’s a steal to get into a game.
- If you’re needing a place to stay, we stayed across the bay on Treasure Island. Beautiful view of the ocean and better rates than near the stadium.
The first stop on our Florida trip is officially checked off the list. Twenty-four stadiums down, that’s six, only six until we’re done!
