Not much in life beats a day game in the relaxed atmosphere of the Cactus League. I’ve been fortunate to head out there for years with my Dad and it is our favorite time of year. Not only is baseball the greatest social game in the world, the true fans that flock to the Cactus League are a joy to be around and the small ballparks provide a great, intimate view of the game.
So, how should you plan a trip? Using a stranger’s advice on the internet, of course! And here’s mine:
Look at the Schedule: And I don’t mean just the Angels. The real fun is experiencing different stadiums and watching games. This is a chance to see your squad, but also players you might not see in the regular season or prospects on the rise. Here is a master schedule.
Utilize technology. All of the links in this piece come from the very user friendly site cactusleague.com. One popular feature is their trip planner, which will show you the schedule for the team(s) you want to see on any given dates as well as links to other fun things to do in the area. Beyond that, sites like Yelp! can be a big help in finding where to eat and drink.
Pick a side. Phoenix is a large metropolitan area and traffic is a real thing. Maybe not 405 on a Friday bad, but getting from Goodyear back to Tempe at 4 PM on a weekday won’t be fun. Fortunately, ballparks tend to be somewhat clustered in areas both west and east of downtown. Saturdays and Sundays are a lot better, but in general if you can find a couple of games on the same side of town, that will make for a much better trip. Here’s a stadium map.
Know the two team ballparks. This helps with picking a side. Goodyear, Surprise, Camelback, and Peoria are all west of downtown and host two clubs. That means there is a game at each of those ballparks pretty much every day and occasionally two. On the east side, Salt River Fields hosts both the D’backs and Rockies. When in doubt or if you have a free day on the schedule, these are your go to parks.
In combining those three links along with some local knowledge and experience, here are some examples of great trips you could make this season.
Westside Weekend: Take off a little early on Thursday March 6th and catch the Angels in Peoria against the Mariners that evening. There’s tons of shopping and dining directly across from the ballpark and both Peoria and Glendale are great places to stay, but try to stay near the Cardinals Stadium and the Westgate area. From there you can catch the Angels in Surprise on Friday or venture out to several other games. My dad is a Giants fan and they play in Goodyear that Friday. Both are great calls. On Saturday the 8th you could make a quick jaunt to Maryvale and catch the Angels at Brewers or decide to check out yet another ballpark. If you drove, good job you are closer to home. If you flew, maybe catch part of the Angels vs. Reds game in Tempe on Sunday afternoon then go a couple of miles to the airport.
Eastside Weekend: Let’s take the same weekend and stay in Scottsdale or Tempe. Both are east of downtown and both offer great dining and nightlife. That Thursday the 6th enjoy some garlic fries at Scottsdale stadium during the day and/or catch the Brewers at A’s that evening. On Friday, you might be able to squeeze into the Angels vs. D’backs game in Tempe but if the park is packed, head down the street to HoHoKam and catch the A’s host Cleveland. You won’t be disappointed. The Rockies host the A’s on Friday night as well. You can watch the Angels at Brewers easily on Saturday then perhaps catch them again Sunday in Tempe before heading home.
Generally my crew consists of fans of various teams so we work in more games and stadiums than in the examples above. We also made it a point to visit each ballpark so some trip were geared more around that goal than seeing individual teams.
Don’t over plan. There are games that will almost certainly require tickets in advance. Dodgers, Giants, D’backs, and Cubs will sell out a lot of home and away games. But outside of that, tickets are usually available at the gate for most games. Last year my dad and I watched the Mariners and White Sox simply because Dad hadn’t seen Luis Castillo pitch live before and he was on the hill that day (and pitched a gem). If possible, leave a day or two of your trip unscripted and let the baseball gods guide you.
Games cost money. The days of $5-$10 lawn seats and $5 beers are gone. Expect to pay $20-$30 for a patch of grass and $30 to $50 for an actual seat. Food and drinks are marginally cheaper than at the Big A but not by a ton. Fortunately most ballparks have plenty of space for tailgating. My Dad and I will will usually pick up sandwiches on the way to the ballpark and eat them on the back fields before going into the game. He’ll pack a couple of cold ones on ice and enjoy them outside of the park as well.
Back fields are everything: We get to see the games on TV but we don’t get to see the training portion of Spring Training. Make sure to get to the ballpark at least an hour before game time and walk around the back fields. Watch the prospects running drills, hear the crack of the bat from the batting cages. You can get so close to the Angels bullpens you can hear fastballs buzzing through the air. There’s nothing like it.
Kid friendly. Perhaps my favorite part of Spring Training is how kid and family friendly it is. I’ve yet to run into drunk, yelling at the field guy. I have seen countless players sign autographs for kids, hand them gloves, interact with them, and take pictures. Many facilities have autograph allies or designated areas for kids to interact with players. And minor league guys on back fields are almost always great about signing for a youngster or giving a fist bump. My son has a ball signed by so many White Sox prospects we ran out of room. He got those signatures while wearing an Angels hat and shirt.
Honestly I could go on for page after page with tips for each ballpark and area but part of the joy is in exploring. Many years I won’t even see the Angels play and most years I only see them play once. It is just a different vibe and a different experience.
As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or just leave them in comments down below. Jessica is a ST vet and Rex lives in the Phoenix area. We’d love to help you and if our trips align, see you out there.
Spring Training Trip Planning Guide 2025
Not much in life beats a day game in the relaxed atmosphere of the Cactus League. I’ve been fortunate to head out there for years with my Dad and it is our favorite time of year. Not only is baseball the greatest social game in the world, the true fans that flock to the Cactus League are a joy to be around and the small ballparks provide a great, intimate view of the game.
So, how should you plan a trip? Using a stranger’s advice on the internet, of course! And here’s mine:
Look at the Schedule: And I don’t mean just the Angels. The real fun is experiencing different stadiums and watching games. This is a chance to see your squad, but also players you might not see in the regular season or prospects on the rise. Here is a master schedule.
Utilize technology. All of the links in this piece come from the very user friendly site cactusleague.com. One popular feature is their trip planner, which will show you the schedule for the team(s) you want to see on any given dates as well as links to other fun things to do in the area. Beyond that, sites like Yelp! can be a big help in finding where to eat and drink.
Pick a side. Phoenix is a large metropolitan area and traffic is a real thing. Maybe not 405 on a Friday bad, but getting from Goodyear back to Tempe at 4 PM on a weekday won’t be fun. Fortunately, ballparks tend to be somewhat clustered in areas both west and east of downtown. Saturdays and Sundays are a lot better, but in general if you can find a couple of games on the same side of town, that will make for a much better trip. Here’s a stadium map.
Know the two team ballparks. This helps with picking a side. Goodyear, Surprise, Camelback, and Peoria are all west of downtown and host two clubs. That means there is a game at each of those ballparks pretty much every day and occasionally two. On the east side, Salt River Fields hosts both the D’backs and Rockies. When in doubt or if you have a free day on the schedule, these are your go to parks.
In combining those three links along with some local knowledge and experience, here are some examples of great trips you could make this season.
Westside Weekend: Take off a little early on Thursday March 6th and catch the Angels in Peoria against the Mariners that evening. There’s tons of shopping and dining directly across from the ballpark and both Peoria and Glendale are great places to stay, but try to stay near the Cardinals Stadium and the Westgate area. From there you can catch the Angels in Surprise on Friday or venture out to several other games. My dad is a Giants fan and they play in Goodyear that Friday. Both are great calls. On Saturday the 8th you could make a quick jaunt to Maryvale and catch the Angels at Brewers or decide to check out yet another ballpark. If you drove, good job you are closer to home. If you flew, maybe catch part of the Angels vs. Reds game in Tempe on Sunday afternoon then go a couple of miles to the airport.
Eastside Weekend: Let’s take the same weekend and stay in Scottsdale or Tempe. Both are east of downtown and both offer great dining and nightlife. That Thursday the 6th enjoy some garlic fries at Scottsdale stadium during the day and/or catch the Brewers at A’s that evening. On Friday, you might be able to squeeze into the Angels vs. D’backs game in Tempe but if the park is packed, head down the street to HoHoKam and catch the A’s host Cleveland. You won’t be disappointed. The Rockies host the A’s on Friday night as well. You can watch the Angels at Brewers easily on Saturday then perhaps catch them again Sunday in Tempe before heading home.
Generally my crew consists of fans of various teams so we work in more games and stadiums than in the examples above. We also made it a point to visit each ballpark so some trip were geared more around that goal than seeing individual teams.
Don’t over plan. There are games that will almost certainly require tickets in advance. Dodgers, Giants, D’backs, and Cubs will sell out a lot of home and away games. But outside of that, tickets are usually available at the gate for most games. Last year my dad and I watched the Mariners and White Sox simply because Dad hadn’t seen Luis Castillo pitch live before and he was on the hill that day (and pitched a gem). If possible, leave a day or two of your trip unscripted and let the baseball gods guide you.
Games cost money. The days of $5-$10 lawn seats and $5 beers are gone. Expect to pay $20-$30 for a patch of grass and $30 to $50 for an actual seat. Food and drinks are marginally cheaper than at the Big A but not by a ton. Fortunately most ballparks have plenty of space for tailgating. My Dad and I will will usually pick up sandwiches on the way to the ballpark and eat them on the back fields before going into the game. He’ll pack a couple of cold ones on ice and enjoy them outside of the park as well.
Back fields are everything: We get to see the games on TV but we don’t get to see the training portion of Spring Training. Make sure to get to the ballpark at least an hour before game time and walk around the back fields. Watch the prospects running drills, hear the crack of the bat from the batting cages. You can get so close to the Angels bullpens you can hear fastballs buzzing through the air. There’s nothing like it.
Kid friendly. Perhaps my favorite part of Spring Training is how kid and family friendly it is. I’ve yet to run into drunk, yelling at the field guy. I have seen countless players sign autographs for kids, hand them gloves, interact with them, and take pictures. Many facilities have autograph allies or designated areas for kids to interact with players. And minor league guys on back fields are almost always great about signing for a youngster or giving a fist bump. My son has a ball signed by so many White Sox prospects we ran out of room. He got those signatures while wearing an Angels hat and shirt.
Honestly I could go on for page after page with tips for each ballpark and area but part of the joy is in exploring. Many years I won’t even see the Angels play and most years I only see them play once. It is just a different vibe and a different experience.
As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or just leave them in comments down below. Jessica is a ST vet and Rex lives in the Phoenix area. We’d love to help you and if our trips align, see you out there.