Travel Guide to Florida

A Sports Paradise for All

- BY EDWARD SCHMIDT JR.

Florida is a vacation dreamland for sports enthusiast­s. For those who love watching great sporting events, the Sunshine State has NFL teams in Miami, Tampa and Jacksonvil­le, NBA teams in Orlando and Miami, as well as NHL and MLB teams in Tampa and Miami. If you want to participat­e, the options are plentiful ranging from deep-sea fishing charters at countless marinas to snorkeling and scuba diving at state and national parks brimming with nature, biking and hiking trails and canoe/kayak-friendly waterways.

FIELDS OF DREAMS

Baseball fans flock to Florida during the month of March when 15 teams train and play exhibition games prior to the season. It’s a great way to see your favorite players when they’re more accessible for autographs and you can be closer to the action. The engaging venues include George M. Steinbrenn­er Field in Tampa, where the Yankees train and which

has a massive Yankees memorabili­a store, and JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, a Boston Red Sox training venue featuring a replica of Fenway Park’s Green Monster.

From April to October, enjoy regular season Major League Baseball in Miami with the Miami Marlins, a National League team owned by famous baseball player Derek Jeter, and with the Tampa Bay Rays, an American League team that competes at St. Petersburg’s domed Tropicana Field.

EPIC COURSES

You’ll have little difficulty teeing it up in Florida, which boasts more than 1,400 golf courses and over 50 resorts where golf is the main amenity. Many of Florida’s golf resorts are world-renowned and home to iconic courses like THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, the Blue Monster at Trump National Doral in Miami and Copperhead at Innisbrook, a Salamander Golf & Spa Resort near Tampa.

In addition, there is a plethora of superb daily fee courses to play with designer tags like Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio and Robert Trent Jones.

The PGA Tour utilizes Florida every year as sites for some of its most prestigiou­s tournament­s. You can stroll among the lush fairways and palm trees and watch some of golf’s greatest stars. The tournament lineup includes The Honda Classic at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens in February; Valspar Championsh­ip at Innisbrook's Copperhead course, a Salamander Golf & Spa Resort in Palm Harborinmi­d-March;ArnoldPalm­erInvitati­onal at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando in early March; and THE PLAYERS Championsh­ip at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach in mid-March.

HOOPS HEAVEN

You can follow the bouncing ball in Florida from October to May with the NBA’s Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. Both teams play in the hotly contested Southeast Division, which also

includes the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards. Check schedules because it’s a great chance to see the NBA’s brightest stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant play against the Florida teams. The Magic play their games at the Amway Center in downtown Orlando and the Heat play at the AmericanAi­rlines Arena.

For major college basketball, the impressive menu is led by the Florida Gators, from Gainesvill­e’s University of Florida. The University of Miami and Tallahasse­e’s Florida State University annually field strong teams.

FOOTBALL FRENZY

Gridiron icons like Don Shula, Dan Marino and Tim Tebow are synonymous with football in the Sunshine State. Pro and college football dominate the sports scene in Florida in fall and early winter.

Home to the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonvil­le Jaguars, Florida gives fans the chance to watch NFL football games in warm, sunny weather even in October and November.

College football passions run deep in Florida with highly successful programs like Gainesvill­e’s University of Florida Gators, Tallahasse­e’s Florida State Seminoles and Miami University's Hurricanes. The Gators have won three national championsh­ips, the Seminoles have won three and the Hurricanes have captured five. Other colleges with top-flight Division 1 programs where you can experience the game with all of the colorful pageantry are the University of Central Florida in Orlando, University of South Florida in Tampa and Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

At the end of each season in December and early January, Florida hosts several major college football bowl games, including the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl and Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa; Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton; Capital One Orange Bowl at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens; NFL Pro Bowl, Citrus Bowl, Cure Bowl and Camping World Bowl are all played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando; TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonvil­le; and Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

SOCCER SUPERSTARS

Florida has quietly become a haven for great profession­al soccer. Orlando City SC of the MLS, founded in 2010, plays to record-breaking crowds at Exploria Stadium in downtown Orlando. The team has a loyal fan base as well as fun tailgating parties before the games.

There are plans for the Inter Miami CF, a newly-establishe­d MLS team co-owned by David Beckham, to compete in the upcoming season beginning in March. They will play at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale until their new stadium, Miami Freedom Park, is completed.

Fortunatel­y, there are plenty of opportunit­ies to see the sport in Florida. The Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League is led by superstar Alex Morgan. And, the Boca Raton FC is a National Premier Soccer League team founded in 2015.

OWN THE ICE

With two NHL teams in the state, Florida offers fans superb opportunit­ies to see topnotch hockey on their visit. Playing their games at Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa, the Tampa Bay Lightning had top standing in the league during regular play in the 2018/2019 season. They have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs 11 times in 27 seasons and won the cherished trophy once—in 2004. Farther south, in the Miami metropolit­an area, the Florida Panthers skate at the BB&T Center in Sunrise. The Panthers are the southernmo­st team in the NHL and have qualified for post-season action four times since their debut in 1993.

TERRIFIC TENNIS

The fuzzy ball set loves to play and watch tennis in Florida. Resorts like Boca Raton

Resort & Club, Saddlebroo­k Resort near Tampa and Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort north of Jacksonvil­le have expansive, world-class tennis complexes. Spectators enjoy the Miami Open presented by Itaú, which dates back to 1985 and has featured major stars such as Martina Navratilov­a, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. In 2019, the Miami Open moved to their new home, the Hard Rock Stadium in the city of Miami Gardens, and will be staged from March 23 to April 5 this year.

POWERED TO WIN

It doesn’t get any bigger and better than the DAYTONA 500 in Daytona Beach, NASCAR’s speedy answer to the NFL’s Super Bowl. The 62nd annual race occurs on February 16, 2020.

Sebring, in Central Florida, is hosting the popular SuperSebri­ng from March 18-21. The doublehead­er weekend features the Internatio­nal Motor Sports Associatio­n's (IMSA) 68th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts on Saturday, March 21, preceded by the FIA World Endurance Championsh­ip (WEC) 1000 Miles of Sebring on Friday, March 20.

Just south of Miami in Homestead, the Homestead-Miami Speedway hosts the Ford EcoBoost 400, a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held in mid-November.

EXCITING EQUESTRIAN

Ocala, 80 miles north of Orlando, with 600 thoroughbr­ed horse farms is known as “The Horse Capital of the World.” Area farms have produced 45 national champions, six Kentucky Derby winners and 20 Breeders' Cup champions. Several of the farms offer tours and Ocala is home to national equestrian events and competitio­ns, including the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, Live Oak Internatio­nal and Ocala Breeders’ Sale.

In Northeast Florida, the Jacksonvil­le Equestrian Center features 80 acres of horse paradise complete with a giant indoor arena, outdoor show rings and over 400 stalls.

While polo matches take place in Palm Beach, Sarasota, Wellington and The Villages south of Ocala, Wellington is probably the most famous, drawing equestrian enthusiast­s and celebritie­s from all over the world during its equestrian season, which runs from January to April. Every winter, Wellington turns into a hub for the glamorous equestrian lifestyle. From the Adequan Global Dressage Festival to the Winter Equestrian Festival, there is simply no comparison to this horse-lover’s paradise. And with Wellington Insider Tours, visitors are given a behind-the-scenes peek at what the judges, competitor­s and show managers get to see—a true insider’s tour.

Florida’s high-profile horse racing tracks are Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino in Hallandale Beach, Gulfstream Park West in Miami and Tampa Bay Downs.

ANGLING ALL-STARS

You’ll be reeled in by all of Florida’s phenomenal fishing possibilit­ies. Amazingly, Florida has over 8,000 miles of shoreline if you include inlets, bays and capes. Better still, the weather is warm year-round so you can fish any day of the year.

Marinas for deep-sea charters are located in all parts of the state. Two of the most noted are Islamorada in the Keys, which is known as the “Sport Fishing Capital of the World,” and Destin in the Panhandle that’s been dubbed “The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village.” There are also numerous piers, docks and bridges where you can drop a line and make a big saltwater catch as well as reefs and wrecks offshore where fish congregate.

For freshwater enthusiast­s, Lake Okeechobee and rivers in the Everglades are great spots to fish for largemouth bass, bluegills and sunfish. Throughout the state, a network of lakes, canals and channels provides excellent places to fish for largemouth bass, catfish and crappie.

OCEAN EXPLORATIO­NS

One of the appealing aspects of snorkeling in Florida is the wide variety of “shore dives” possible. You don’t have to swim far to see amazing marine life.

The Florida Keys has dozens of intriguing spots such as Cannon Beach at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, where you can see placed remnants of an early Spanish shipwreck about 100 feet off the beach, and Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park and Beach off Key West, where you can view tropical fish and live coral. Other prime snorkeling havens throughout the state include Red Reef Park in Boca Raton, Phil Foster Snorkel Trail in Riviera Beach and Blowing Rocks in Jupiter.

For those who scuba and want to dive deeper, Florida’s thousands of miles of coastline and numerous lakes offer a plethora of opportunit­ies. Many divers flock to the natural reefs near Fort Lauderdale and Miami. There are also several artificial reefs in

different parts of the state created by sunken steel ships and structures. Freshwater divers can explore caves and caverns in various springs and lakes.

READY TO RIDE

If you like riding on two wheels instead of four, Florida has some exceptiona­l paved bike trails. Recreation­al riders absolutely revel in the temperate year-round biking weather and the flat terrain that makes cycling easier.

Some of the more popular trails include the West Orange Trail in Orlando, which stretches 22 miles and passes through quaint towns like Winter Garden and Oakland; Amelia Island Trail, a 5.7-mile trail in the picturesqu­e coastal village of Fernandina Beach; and the 22-mile Sanibel Island Bike Trail, a stunning ride that takes cyclists through the pristine J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge and past a lighthouse, beaches and Periwinkle Way, where restaurant­s and shops are easily accessible.

WORKOUT WONDERLAND

Keeping in shape is easy in Florida, which has an excellent menu of nature, hiking and running trails in both urban and wilderness settings.

Runners have a lengthy lineup of topnotch races, marathons and triathlons scheduled throughout the year. Some of the biggest are the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 13; Life Time Miami Marathon and Half Marathon on February 9; Florida Challenge Triathlon in Clermont in March; and Star Wars Rival Run Weekend at Walt Disney World Resort in mid-April.

A popular spot for serious fitness training is the National Training Center in Clermont, 20 miles west of Orlando, which has a 400-meter outdoor track, cross-country course, sports fields and 70-meter-long swimming pool.

Swimming enthusiast­s can enjoy ocean swimming and just about every hotel and resort has a swimming pool. To learn about the history of swimming, visit the Internatio­nal Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum in Fort Lauderdale.

For those who prefer canoeing and kayaking, Florida is a paddling paradise with more than 1,700 miles of rivers, streams and creeks formed by 700-plus natural springs. The area around Naples and Marco Island is an increasing­ly popular spot for paddlers. The Everglades Wilderness Waterway is a 99-mile water trail from Everglades City to Flamingo, with no developmen­t along the course, and the Paradise Coast Blueway is a system of paddling trails with GPS-marked routes from Everglades City to Marco Island.

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TIAA BANK FIELD, JACKSONVIL­LE • VISIT JACKSONVIL­LE/RYAN KETTERMAN
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PGA NATIONAL RESORT & SPA, PALM BEACH GARDENS • DISCOVER THE PALM BEACHES
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12 HOURS OF SEBRING, SEBRING INTERNATIO­NAL RACEWAY • VISIT SEBRING
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FAMILY KAYAKING, CRYSTAL RIVER • DISCOVER CRYSTAL RIVER FLORIDA

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