New York Yankees fans can watch the Bronx Bombers during baseball’s spring training, from mid-February to the end of March, at George M. Steinbrenner Field (tel. 813/875-7753), opposite Raymond James Stadium. This scaled-down replica of Yankee Stadium is the largest spring-training facility in Florida, with a 10,000-seat capacity. Tickets are $45 to $120. Season tickets are expensive and hard to come by. The club’s minor-league team, the Tampa Tarpons, plays at Steinbrenner Field April through August.
National Football League fans can catch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the modern, 66,000-seat Raymond James Stadium, 4201 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard (tel. 813/879-2827), August through December. Single-game tickets are very hard to come by, as they are usually sold out to season-ticket holders. This is a huge football city.
The National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, winners of the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup, play in the Amalie Arena starting in October (tel. 813/301-6500). You can usually get single-game tickets ($63–$271) on game day.
The only thoroughbred racetrack on Florida’s west coast is Tampa Bay Downs, 11225 Racetrack Rd., Oldsmar (tel. 813/855-4401), home of the Tampa Bay Derby. Races are held Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from December to May (free on Wednesdays, $3 Fri-Sun), and the track presents simulcasts year-round. Call for post times.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
