Gulf To Bay St. Pete Clearwater FL - Gulf To Bay 2023
SPORTS
2023-05-27 15:22:41
With near-perfect weather year- round, St. Pete/Clearwater is a haven for pro sports, recreation and some of the biggest events in the country.
Let’s start with America’s pastime. Check out some of the game’s biggest stars and dazzling newcomers during spring training, when the Philadelphia Phillies prepare for the new season at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater and the Toronto Blue Jays play at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, their southern home. You can also catch their local minor-league affiliates, the Clearwater Threshers and Dunedin Blue Jays. The spring training headquarters of the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles – in Tampa, Bradenton and Sarasota, respectively – are all easy to locate and great for catching afternoon or evening games.
The Tampa Bay area has earned the affectionate nickname “Champa Bay” since its pro sports teams have mostly dominated the fields of baseball, soccer, football and hockey for the past several years. St. Pete is home to Major League Baseball’s exciting Tampa Bay Rays, who clinched their fourth American League East championship in the 2021 postseason and advanced to the playoffs again in 2022. Catch a Rays game at the gloriously air-conditioned Tropicana Field (aka “The Trop”) to escape the heat, avoid the storms and have a (base)ball.
If you’re a soccer fan, you can’t miss a Tampa Bay Rowdies game at the picturesque Al Lang Stadium on the downtown St. Pete waterfront. The USL Championship pro soccer team recently advanced to the finals in the 2022 season, adding to the Champa Bay winner’s circle.
Hockey lovers can witness the fast-paced action of the Tampa Bay Lightning, two-time National Hockey League Stanley Cup winners since 2020, at Amalie Arena in Tampa. If American football is more your speed, take a brief drive over to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa to watch the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers play. The stadium also hosts two college bowl games each year (the Gasparilla Bowl in December and the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year’s Day).
In February, join top-ranked collegiate softball teams as they start the season at the ESPN-produced TaxAct Clearwater Invitational in Clearwater.
Changing speed (literally), the annual Firestone Grand Prix brings powerful IndyCars roaring through closed streets along the St. Pete waterfront every March. Keep that need-for-speed appetite satiated at the Baystar Clearwater Offshore Nationals in the fall, one of the top boat races in Florida. Speaking of fast boats, the P1 Offshore Grand Prix powerboat races return to St. Pete throughout Labor Day weekend.
The PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship is held at the renowned Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club in Palm Harbor for a week of great golf in the sunshine each spring, bringing with it some of the world’s top golfers and thousands of spectators. Quickly growing into another major golf tournament is the LPGA’s The Annika at Pelican Presented by Gainbridge held in Belleair in November.
One of the premiere multi-sport events in the U.S., the St. Anthony’s Triathlon celebrates its 41st year in April 2024 with great fan support, tremendous competition and a course winding in and out of beautiful downtown St. Pete.
If you’re in the mood to get out of the stands and into the action, St. Pete/Clearwater is a veritable athlete’s paradise, offering everything from golfing and hiking trails to paddleboarding and volleyball. Every spring, thousands of locals and runners from across the nation enjoy the most scenic run of the year at the Skyway 10K, which sends attendees racing over the iconic Sunshine Skyway Bridge. In the fall, the St. Pete Run Fest features three days of family-friendly festival fun that include running events, live music, craft beer and more.
Hop on a bike to cycle down the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, a linear 75-mile pathway for cyclists, runners and rollerbladers that stretches from St. Pete to Tarpon Springs. For an aerial view, Empower Adventures will send you zip lining over the Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve in Oldsmar. For a leisurely evening of classic old Florida fun, head over to the St. Pete Shuffleboard Club (founded in 1924) and enjoy some “open shuffle” at its popular weekly Friday Night Shuffle event.
Golfers rejoice: Florida offers more golf courses than any other state in the U.S. and, with nearly 50 public and private courses itself, the Tampa Bay region is certainly no exception. Play a round at the Donald Ross-designed Dunedin Golf Club, a true hidden gem on the National Register of Historic Places, or hit the links at the Mangrove Bay municipal course in St. Pete, which features well-maintained green and a straightforward design. Also in St. Pete, the par-72 course at The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club has lots of water and gorgeous natural scenery. Disc golf is offered on wooded courses like the Tocobaga Disc Golf Course in St. Pete’s Maximo and Azalea parks, the Taylor Park Disc Course in Largo and at Clearwater Disc Golf in the Ballpark at BayCare Ballpark.
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