Sunshine Matters

VISIT FLORIDA manages the state’s five Florida Welcome Centers located at I-10, I-95, I-75, US 231 and the Florida Capitol. As a fun way to engage with visitors, and showcase all there is to see and do in the Sunshine State, the four highway Florida Welcome Centers set up special displays that allow travelers to learn more about what’s happening around the state at certain times of the year.

Each March while the weather is still frightful up North, Major League Baseball comes South to the Sunshine State with Florida playing host to 15 teams for their annual Spring Training.  For more than a century and a quarter, the Florida Grapefruit League has attracted nearly 1.5 million fans each year who travel to the warm climate to enjoy the weather and watch their favorite teams play.

As a way to showcase Spring Training in Florida to the more than 250,000 visitors who are expected to pass through the highway Florida Welcome Centers this month, employees are decked out in Florida Grapefruit League jerseys and are handing out Spring Training brochures.  The brochures include all 15 Grapefruit League teams’ schedules, game locations, ticket prices and directions to the stadiums.

New this year, the highway Florida Welcome Centers are also distributing 20,000 Florida Baseball Cities card books.  The books are an interactive way for visitors to acquire information about Spring Training, as well as learn about activities taking place year round in each host city.  The front of each card displays unique photos of the city, while the back provides information about popular attractions, fun facts and lists the baseball teams located there.

For more information on Spring Training season, visit floridagrapefruitleague.com or check out the Florida Sports Foundation’s comprehensive online guide.  For a digital copy of the Florida Baseball Cities card book, contact Kevin McGeever, VISIT FLORIDA’s Senior Editor, at kmcgeever@visitflorida.org.