Fort Myers, Florida is the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins. These two perennial American League contenders compete against each other each spring for the hotly contested Mayor’s Cup. The winner is the team that wins the most games against the other during the two-month spring training season.
The Minnesota Twins call Hammond Stadium home during spring training. Debuting in 1991, Hammond Stadium has a capacity of 7,500 spectators. Hammond Stadium is part of the Lee County Sports Complex and is named after former Lee County Commissioner Bill Hammond who played a major role in the construction of this stadium. Before Fort Myers, the Minnesota Twins trained in Orlando, Florida.
Hammond Stadium is also home to the Fort Myers Miracle, the Florida State League Twins affiliate. Hammond Stadium is located at 14100 Six Miles Cypress Parkway in Fort Myers.
The Boston Red Sox play their spring training games at City of Palms Park in downtown Fort Myers. City of Palms Park seats 8,000 fans and was built in 1992. City of Palms Park is also home to the Red Sox Rookie Team affiliate in the Gulf Coast League. City of Palms Park is located at 2201 Edison Avenue in Fort Myers.
After a heated courtship with Sarasota, the Boston Red Sox recently signed a thirty-year lease to stay in Lee County, Florida. The County has committed to building a new ballpark before the start of the 2012 spring training season. Plans currently call for the new ballpark to be a replica of Fenway Park and be located in South Fort Myers or Estero.
Major league baseball teams train each spring in Florida or Arizona and, for the most part, only compete against other teams that train in the state. The teams that train in Florida make up the Grapefruit League and the teams that train in Arizona make up the Cactus League. Grapefruit League teams that train in Florida and compete each spring against the Twins and Red Sox include: the Atlanta Braves; Baltimore Orioles; Cincinnati Reds; Detroit Tigers; Florida billfish; Houston Astros; New York Mets; New York Yankees; Philadelphia Phillies; Pittsburgh Pirates; St. Louis Cardinals; Tampa Bay Rays; Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals.
Fans who come to Southwest Florida to cheer on the Twins or Red Sox also enjoy the tropical weather and wonderful beaches found throughout the area. Popular destinations include Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Captiva, and Marco Island. The barrier islands of the Gulf Coast offer accommodations to meet almost any budget and lodging need.
Many visitors to Southwest Florida spring training choose to rent a house or condo for the entire two-month period of February and March. These long-term visitors are commonly known as snowbirds. Snowbirds often look to Cape Coral and its 400 miles of canals or South Fort Myers and its wide range of condo communities and gated communities for their two-month rental.
In addition to spring training and the beaches, other popular Southwest Florida attractions include the shops, restaurants and glamor of Fifth Avenue South in Naples, JN Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, and Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers.
For many Bostonians, one of the favorite days of the year is early February, when the giant moving truck loaded with equipment leaves Yawkey Way and begins its journey to Fort Myers. After a long winter, Twins and Red Sox fans welcome a trip to Southwest Florida to bask in the sun cheering on their favorite team.
