Arizona Spring Training Tips

If you’re coming for Arizona spring training - or if you’re just planning to visit the Phoenix area or Tucson - in the month of March, you will be visiting during one of Arizona’s busiest travel seasons.

You can't just arrive in town and hope to find a room or rent a car. You really do need to be prepared ahead of time.

Hardcore spring training fans often stay near their favorite baseball team for the entire month, filling hotel rooms and restaurants.

However, if you don’t have a month to spare, you can still come to Arizona spring training for a three- or four-day spring training vacation and still see several games.

To have a fun and stress-free visit, check out our Arizona spring training tips for lodging, rental cars and seeing a game…

• Make your hotel or resort reservations well in advance. Hotel occupancy and rates are at their highest for cities like Scottsdale and Phoenix in March. If you're having trouble finding a room, look for availability at hotels farthest away from the spring training stadiums.

Downtown Scottsdale’s Hotel Valley Ho is close to the Arizona spring training favorite, Scottsdale Stadium

• Many hotels and resorts offer themed Arizona spring training specials or deals. Check to see if the hotel you want to stay at is offering a special before making your final travel plans.
• Book your rental car before you arrive in Arizona. The spring training baseball stadiums are spread out across the Phoenix metropolitan area, so you will definitely need a car if you plan to take in a game at more than one stadium.
  Note: Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, Scottsdale and most of the other Arizona spring training cities, has a rental car tax which has helped pay for the new spring training stadiums. The total tax, including fees, is 27.75% for renting a car at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
• Purchase your spring training tickets well in advance. Certain teams, such as the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants, sell out quickly.

• Can’t get tickets to your favorite Arizona spring training teams? Watch them play at another spring training baseball stadium. Games at Maryvale and Surprise are often the easiest to get tickets for.
• Most Cactus League games start at 1:05 pm, in order to take advantage of the warm and sunny desert spring weather. Each team will occasionally have a night game, generally starting at 7:00 pm. If you'll be attending a night game, you will need to bring a jacket or sweater, as the spring nighttime temperatures in the desert can drop down into the low 50s.
• Parking at the stadiums: It’s an unfortunate fact of modern life that it’s getting hard to go anywhere without paying for parking. Spring training baseball stadiums are no exception. Most do charge for parking. Also, some stadiums, such as Scottsdale Stadium and Hi Corbett Field, have limited parking, so you will need to arrive a few hours early to get a spot.

The downtown Scottsdale trolley is a good way to get to Scottsdale Stadium

• Take a shuttle: some hotels and resorts may be running shuttles to nearby stadiums. Check with your hotel’s concierge. If you’re going to a game at Scottsdale Stadium, hop aboard the Downtown Scottsdale trolley for a quick and easy ride to the stadium.
• Protect yourself from the sun: wear a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Some stadiums have limited shaded seating. Slather on plenty of sunscreen and drink plenty of water, besides the beers.
• If you plan to eat at any of Phoenix, Scottsdale or Tucson’s hot restaurants spots after a game, make dining reservations well ahead of time. Many of the most popular restaurants fill up quickly, post-game.
• New for Spring Training Arizona 2009: the Los Angeles Dodgers will move to their new Arizona spring training facility in Glendale, which they will share with the Chicago White Sox. The Cleveland Indians will also move to the Cactus League, playing at their brand new Goodyear baseball stadium.

Looking for other things to do and places to eat? See our Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson and Glendale travel guides.

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