sporting events during August in Orlando?

[themurrayfamily]

Hi all,

Can anyone advise of sporting events during August 14th / 28th? stuff like baseball / basketball / football etc? looking to take a trip to a sporting event, but not sure what's closed season during this time?

Regards

themurrayfamily

 

[KayleeUK]

On the home page there is this thread about the The Tampa Bay Buccaneers - not sure what sport that is though

 

[Funky_dino]

Buccaners are an american football team. I remember a while back me and my parents went and watched the Florida Marlins play at Joe Robbie stadium (now the pro player stadium) in miami, was an amazing atmosphere, you have to get up and sing "lets all go to the ball game" etc, and yes they do pass the money along the row of people when you buy things like in the films!

 

[Night-train]

Pro football season doesn't begin until September 12, however, most teams will play 4-5 pre-season games to 'warm up' so to speak. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have two home pre-season games, against the Cincinnati Bengals on Aug 14 and the Miami Dolphins on Aug 28. Both games are 7.00pm starts. You will need to check their website for ticket availability.

In baseball, the Tampa Bay Devilrays play most of the last two weeks of August at home. It goes as follows:
15th, Baltimore Orioles, 6.05pm
16th, Baltimore Orioles, 12.15pm
17th, Baltimore Orioles, 6.15pm
18th, Baltimore Orioles,1.15pm
19th, New York Yankees, 7.15pm
20th, New York Yankees, 2.15pm
27th, Kansas City Royals, 7.15pm
28th, Kansas City Royals, 7.15pm
29th, Kansas City Royals, 7.15pm
30th, Toronto Blue Jays, 7.15pm
31st, Toronto Blue Jays, 6.15pm

Tickets are available for all games and prices range from $3 to $225! Depends how close you wanna be to the action! Again, check out the team website for more details.

Basketball; non-existent as far as the pro game goes. Season runs from October to April so you're too late for that I'm afraid!You might check out the college scene though, sometimes it can be a very good substitute, often drawing crowds to match the pros.

If it was my choice I'd try to get tickets for the Buccs-Dolphins game and back it up with a dose of Devilrays v Yankees/Blue Jays. Getting to those two would just make my holiday!! Enjoy, and let me know how you get on please. I love American sports, especially football and I'm extremely jealous of you!!

PS, having just read your thread again and checked your travel dates maybe the football is a non startrter too!

 

[themurrayfamily]

Thanks all!

Unfortunately the football is out of the window That's the day's we arrive & leave. The baseball is looking favourite though, is it a long journey from Orlando to Tampa? we'll have a hire car....

I'll certainly let you know how we get on, would you book it just now on the website, or just get tickets whilst you are there?

Regards

themurrayfamily

 

[themurrayfamily]

I'm going to ask a silly question here, well two

- How long does it take to drive from Orlando (Windsor Palms) --> Tampa, Tropicana Field?
- How soon before the game should you arrive, i.e. 1 hour / 1.5?

Thanks

themurrayfamily

 

[Night-train]

Orlando to Tampa takes about 1 hour on Interstate 4. If you're unsure of where you are going then certainly allow at least half that again. Most big sporting events are accompanied by 'tailgate parties' in the parking lots of the stadiums. This is where fans of both teams just throw open the backs of their cars, trucks, vans and whatever and have barbecues. Go early and join in!!

 

[themurrayfamily]

Thanks Night-train,

Just spoke with my dw, looks like we'll make Tampa a shopping day and go there early, spend all day shopping then finish the day off with a game of baseball

 

[GerryH]

Bear in mind that the "Tampa Bay" Devil Rays don't actually play in Tampa but in St. Petersburg, a little bit further away.

If you're shopping in Tampa, it will probably take another 20/30 minutes to get to the stadium. It's easy to find though, right beside the main highway.

If you want to make the most of the baseball experience I'd try to catch one of the games against the Yankees as they should draw the biggest crowd.

 

[themurrayfamily]

Thanks for the advice Gerry, a day's shopping in St. Petersburg it is then ;-) we will definitely be booking tickets for the Yankees game on the 19th I think it was, I'm going to wait until I get home though, so our ds can help with booking the tickets!

Any advice / tips on spending a day down in St. Petersburg, would be greatly appreciated...

Regards

themurrayfamily

 

[SimonV]

The Yankees will undoubtedly be a big draw, and those are the only games that are likely to be a sellout in advance, so check the Devil Rays website first:

http://devilrays.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/index.jsp?c_id=tb

As already mentioned, Tropicana Field is in St Petersburg and is a good 30 mins drive further from Tampa (especially at rush hour(s), from 4-6pm). There is plenty of easy parking at the stadium (usually $10 a car) and it is pretty easy to find off the Interstate 275. I-275 is the main interstate highway that runs north and south through Clearwater and St. Petersburg. Tampa International Airport feeds directly onto I-275. The dome is visible from the highway. I-375 and I-175 both veer off of interstate 275 and feed into Tropicana Field. Follow the signs for parking (and check out the website for a good map).

You should be there a good 45 minutes before start time to be sure of getting in and finding your seat, etc. It is a big place inside (it is a domed stadium, hence nice and cool in August!) but there are plenty of food concessions and you can also move around easily to get the feel of the place. If you arrive 2-3 hours early you can also go inside to watching batting practice, which is a lot of fun. You can get right up close to the action and often talk to the players and get autographs, etc. (Can you tell I'm a big baseball fan ).

One other sports outfit worthy of note (although of no use in August, I'm afraid) are the University of Central Florida Golden Knights, who play at the Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando. This is college football but don't try to equate it with anything in this country. It is a very serious level of sport in the US, only a step down from the pros, and is often great entertainment as college games draw some HUGE crowds and the atmosphere is superb. The Golden Knights season starts in early September and there are 5 home games before the college Bowl season in December (one of which is also played at the Citrus Bowl in the New Year).

I heartily recommend giving American sport a try while you're there to get a feel for the real local experience, especially as it is very family orientated.

Have fun at Tropicana Field!

 

[Scottish_Maleficent]

DH and my cousin's DH and their sons went to watch the Devil Rays last year - DH, who is not into baseball really enjoyed it. He said everyone in the stadium was very friendly and that the drive was fine - very straightforward.

Cath

 

[GerryH]

Any advice / tips on spending a day down in St. Petersburg, would be greatly appreciated...

I can't help you there as we usually spend the day at the beach if we go down there. St. Pete's Beach is only about 15 minutes drive from the stadium. First time we booked a hotel at the beach and spent the day there, went to the game at night and then back to the hotel. On the second trip we booked a hotel near Busch Gardens and spent the following day at Busch.

 

[themurrayfamily]

Hi Simon,

Thanks for your advice! we're definitely booking tickets this afternoon when I get home from work and for the Yankees game, looking forward to it already! Thanks for the tip about getting in early, take it there is plenty to do in the stadium once your in, or can you exit and return?

what's "food concessions"

We have your book at home and must look in there for further tips on St. Petersburg, I only thought about looking into Baseball yesterday as I already knew that Basketball was out, and never thought of anything else, is there plenty of parking, I did notice that I can't book parking with the tickets outside the U.S.

Regards

themurrayfamily

 

[themurrayfamily]

Thanks Gerry & Cath..

 

[themurrayfamily]

I just booked the tickets and then discovered what I booked was for July! what a fool.... I've had to email to see if I can re-schedule, Simon the games your showing are July's. In August it's completely different teams..

 

[themurrayfamily]

Ticketmaster were swift in sorting out my mistake, now I'll book the right month

 

[SimonV]

Food concession are the numerous and varied stalls selling food throughout the stadium. You can take your pick from the inevitable hot-dog stands to several full-service restaurants. There are other activities around the ground, especially for kids, and a number of souvenir stalls. I'm not sure if you can leave again after you enter - might be best to check on their website. But the (huge) parking lot is right outside the stadium and it is first come, first served on game day. However, there are also a whole range of private car parks around the ground, where you just pay on entry ($5-$10) and I've parked there in the past with no problems. It is a very good natured crowd and a Yankees game should be lots of fun.

 

[themurrayfamily]

Hi Simon,

Thanks for the clarification! unfortunately the Yankees play in July and we don't visit until August The only two game options in August that fit into our schedule are;

Anaheim Angels
Oakland Athletics

From a baseball fans point of view which game would you rather watch Tampa against?

Regards

themurrayfamily

 

[Night-train]

My sincerest apologies for providing you with the wrong information. I got the link from a friend who is supposed to be a baseball know-all, but I should still have checked it out more thoroughly. Rest assured I will do in future. However, there is still the prospect of a good game in store with either Oakland or Anaheim. Indeed, as things stand, there are only seven teams in the whole league with better records than Oakland at present so you will be witnessing one of the best teams around as Anaheim are only just below Oakland in the same division, so go for either, I'd be happy to do so!