Florida Spring Training: Your Guide to Touring the Grapefruit League

March brings Spring Training to Florida and for the baseball fan, it is the perfect opportunity for just a few dollars to watch the game's heroes and perhaps get an autograph. However, the Spring Training experience is changing as quickly as the ball parks are remodeled, and chances to get up-close-and-personal with players are becoming fewer and fewer. That's why it's more important than ever to know exactly where to find the best Spring Training experiences. This book takes the guess work out of your Spring Training adventure by giving you the inside scoop on each of Florida's 17 Spring Training ball parks.

Our great weather has long been a factor in bringing the ritual of Spring Training to the Sunshine State. While the umpire's first call of "Play ball!" sounds strikingly familiar across Florida's seventeen Spring Training locations, the author points out that is where the similarity ends. Each stadium, whether old or new or recently remodeled, offers a different fan experience.

To measure those experiences, Alan Byrd visits every Spring Training camp across Florida and notes even the smallest details. He sets in box seats and bleachers. He notes whether there is any shade (an important factor in Florida during March), he reads the programs, he eats the food (hey, someone has to do it) and measures how easy it is to get autographs. He also sizes up the souvenirs, how close you will feel to the players, whether the beer is really cold and how long it will take you to get out of the parking lot... or in a few instances, out of town.

Just about the only thing left is what there is to do around town before and after the game... and he covers that and nearby hotels as well.

While each stadium is detailed in its own chapter, it is Chapter 19 that ranks the stadium on each of five key factors — intimacy, autographs, comfort, food and style. None of the stadiums rank a perfect score of 50, but some do better than others.

The final chapter of this great guide book is five well-thought-out Spring Training trips. While these trips center around baseball, they allow time to take in other attractions and activities. Each trip itinerary includes a handful of ballparks and the areas best attractions. Each itinerary assumes that you will be driving from park to park and each is themed:

• Tampa-St. Petersburg - You will visit five ballparks, plus some of Florida's best attractions — all without changing hotels.
• Spring Training History - As you drive from the east coast to the west, visit ballparks old and new in five different communities with the longest histories of hosting the same team.
• Baseball and Boardwalks - Visit three central Florida ballparks and combine theme park thrills with America's favorite pastime.
• The Gulf Coast - Visit five ballparks long Florida's scenic Gulf Coast.
• The East Coast - Visit the "shrine of Spring Training" and three other ballparks while you get a feel for Florida's small coastal towns and two of its largest cities.

It's not often that I pick up a guide book and can't put it down. Most are about as interesting as the legal notices in the newspaper, but Florida Spring Training Your Guide to Touring the Grapefruit League by Alan Byrd is different.

Although you get the feeling that Alan is the consummate baseball fan, he writes for the average person. He has a way of capturing the essence of each ballpark and detail in an interesting style that makes this book an easy read. Yet the information is presented in a concise enough format that it is also an easy quick reference for specifics on any ballpark in Florida.

If you're looking for a gift, this book is perfect for the serious baseball fan, whether they are setting out to take in a game or two during Florida's Spring Training or just wanting to know a little more about Florida's Grapefruit League.

Let me say that I am not a baseball fan. I have never been to a ballgame in Florida, but reading about Alan's Spring Training experiences may change that. He made it sound interesting enough that I can picture myself actually enjoying a day of baseball. My husband says it's a miracle... I say it's just a good writer that really knows his subject.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with a complimentary copy for the purpose of reviewing this book. While it has not influenced this article, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.