87
SPRING TRAINING GAME AT TIGERTOWN
Where?
Joker Marchant Stadium
2301 Lakeland Hills Boulevard
Lakeland, FL 33805
When?
February and March, traditional spring training time for Tigers Baseball.
Significance:
Some major league baseball teams jump to different locations, or leverage their influence to get better digs. Not the Detroit Tigers. They have made Joker Marchant Stadium their home since 1965, the longest tenure of any team. Marchant Stadium is named for the late Joker Marchant, a former Lakeland parks and recreation director. There have been modifications over the years that increased the capacity to 8,500. Lights were added in 1972, and a food and picnic court was added in 1994. Today, Marchant boasts new seats and improved seating for disabled fans, along with six luxury suites.
Tigertown is not far from Marchant. It includes a three-story dormitory that houses 190 players and coaches. Renovations in 1993 added an administrative building, a cafeteria, and a recreation center. When the Tigers are not working out the kinks of a winter layoff, the facility is the regular season home, since 1953, of the Class A Florida State League Lakeland Tigers.
Yet no matter how many alterations and additions are made to the structure or its surroundings, this is a place of baseball history. Marchant and Tigertown are where Al Kaline, Kirk Gibson, and other Tiger legends once prepared for the upcoming season.
Who attends?
Rabid and real Tiger baseball fans who simply cannot wait until Opening Day to watch their favorites take the field.
How to get there?
From Orlando:
I-4 West to Exit 33 South Lakeland. Follow the signs to the stadium, which is located 1.5 miles on the left.
From Tampa:
Exit 18, then right onto 98 North to Griffin. The stadium is located point-five miles down on the left.
From Winter Haven:
92 to Lakeland Hills Boulevard. Turn right. The stadium is located two miles down on the right.
Tickets:
For secondary ticket access, consider:
GoTickets, Inc.
2345 Waukegan Road, Suite 140
Bannockburn, IL 60015-1552
Toll-Free: 1-800-775-1617
Fax: (919) 481-9101
E-mail: sales@gotickets.com
www.gotickets.com
Accommodations:
Sleeps Inn and Suite
4321 Lakeland Park Drive
Lakeland, FL 33809
Phone: (863) 577-1170
Fax: (863) 577-1180
Toll-Free: 1-800-4-CHOICE
www.sleepinn.comNote: Located four minutes from Marchant and near other attractions, including the Florida State Fairgrounds, the Florida Strawberry Festival, and the USA International Speedway.
Crestwood Suites Lakeland
Note: Spacious rooms with great amenities, including a large LCD wall-mounted flat-panel TV and high-speed Internet service.
Hampton Inn Lakeland
4420 North Socrum Loop Road
Lakeland, FL 33809
Phone: (863) 816-2525
Fax: (863) 816-2727
Toll-Free: 1-800-426-7866
www.hamptoninnlakeland.comNote: A mere three minutes from Marchant. The seventy-three-room hotel features an exercise room and an outdoor pool.
Lakeland Terrace Hotel
329 East Main Street
Lakeland, FL 33801
Phone: (863) 688-0800
Fax: (863) 688-0664
Toll-Free: 1-888-644-8400
www.terracehotel.comNote: A full-service, luxury hotel with excellent service and accommodations. Considered the centerpiece of downtown Lakeland’s rebirth.
On-Site Hospitality:
Beyond and behind first base, you will not just find concession stands, but a concession courtyard. Enjoy all the staples of a ball game.
Travel Packages:
If you are going to travel to this event, I would recommend using a reliable company to work with you on making the necessary arrangements. The suppliers listed in this book have solid references and are by far the most trusted in the business. Below are some of the organizations to try for this Top 100 Must See Sporting Event.
Premiere Corporate Events
14 Penn Plaza, Suite 925
New York, NY 10122
Phone: (212) 695-9480
Fax: (212) 564-8098
Toll-Free: 1-877-621-5243
E-mail: requests@tseworld.com
www.tseworld.comwww.pcevents.comPremiere Sports Travel
201 Shannon Oaks Circle, Suite 205
Cary, NC 27511
Phone: (919) 481-9511
Fax: (919) 481-1337
Toll-Free: 1-800-924-9993
E-mail: sales@sportstravel.com
www.sportstravel.com
Dining:
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
4829 South Florida Avenue
Lakeland, FL 33813
Phone: (863) 646-2518
Fax: (863) 701-0564
www.carrabbas.comNote: Enjoy crispy calamari, chicken marsala, tender filet, unique pasta dishes, seafood, and handmade pizzas.
Louie Mack’s Steakhouse
5700 South Florida Avenue
Lakeland, FL 33813
Phone: (863) 619-6500
Fax: (863) 619-6511
www.lmsteakhouse.comNote: Upscale restaurant serving the finest aged USDA prime cuts of steak and the freshest fish in Polk County.
Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille
Note: With its origins as a seafood market, you know you will get the freshest fish around. Committed to quality and customer service.
Airports:
Tampa Bay Airport (forty-one miles from Lakeland)
Orlando International Airport (fifty miles from Lakeland)
Sports Travel Insider’s Edge:
Best way to watch the action:
The first three rows of seating between the dugouts are now fifteen feet closer to home plate. Essentially, you will be sitting closer to the game than the actual players residing in the dugout.
Best place to get up close:
Renovations replaced the old Tigers bullpen with 265 new seats behind first base. Those seats are so close that a screen was erected to protect fans from balls thrown over the first baseman’s head.
Best travel tip:
You may see some “dinosaurs” milling about at Marchant, but why not check out the real thing? Dinosaur World in nearby Plant City has over 150 life-sized dinosaurs displayed outdoors in a natural environment. You can participate in the Fossil Dig and uncover a skeleton in the Boneyard.
Notable Quote:
“You exit the ever-busy Interstate 4 and begin the short drive south along Lakeland Hills Boulevard, past the obligatory Waffle House and the hole-in-the-wall saloon with three pickups parked out front, toward the idyllic baseball field where, legend has it, late one evening in the spring of ’76 Mark ‘The Bird’ Fidrych jumped the fence and celebrated his making the team with an amorous young lady on the pitcher’s mound.”—JIM HAWKINS, Oakland Press
Relevant Websites: