Astros Spring Training

2013 First Practice Dates
Pitchers & Catchers: February 12 Position Players: February 16

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Stadium | Location | Parking | Seating | Schedule

Hotels | Restaurants

Osceola County Stadium

Spring Training home of the Astros since 1985

Ballpark address:
631 Heritage Parkway
Kissimmee, FL 34744

Opened: 1985
Capacity: 5,300

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Location
Osceola County Stadium is the centerpiece of the county's Heritage Park, a 120-acre multi-purpose complex that includes a livestock arena and an exhibition building. Gateway High School is directly across the street from the entrance to the park.

Directions
Take either I-4 or the Florida Turnpike to US 192. Follow US 192, also known as Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, to Bill Beck Boulevard. Turn onto Bill Beck Boulevard, then take a left onto Heritage Parkway and the stadium is about a quarter mile away. You'll see its light towers well before you arrive.

To get to US 192 from I-4, take exit # 64. From the Turnpike, take either exit # 242 (northbound) or # 244 (southbound).

Parking
All of the parking for the general public is in a large grass field on the first base side of the stadium.
Cost: $7

Stadium Information
Osceola County Stadium is symbolic of the ballparks built to host spring training in the 1980s. It was also one of the first stadiums produced by HOK, the renowned ballpark architectural firm that became a household name after designing Camden Yards. Although an $18.3 million renovation in 2003 spruced up the place considerably, Osceola County Stadium remains a relatively uninspiring facility known for its basic design and intimacy. Its official capacity of 5,300 is the smallest of any of the 24 ballparks used for spring training. The stadium's exterior is made of concrete shaded in the Astros' team colors and, like the team's home state, the interior has plenty of wide open spaces, as roomy concourses and patios abound. The right field corner is occupied by a building that houses the USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association) headquarters and Hall of Fame. A similarly attractive building in the left field corner contains the Astros' clubhouse and offices. Pennants from eight of the nine years that the Astros have made the playoffs are on the facade of the press box. For those wondering, the 1981 team doesn't get their due because of the two-month strike that split that season into two halves and thereby negated any clear-cut division winners. The stadium is named after the county it's located in. Kissimmee is the county seat.

Fast Facts

Fans enter the ballpark through one of two gates (A and B) that are located on opposite sides of the ticket windows directly behind home plate.

The box office has eight unnumbered ticket windows. The first two on the left are the stadium's Will Call windows.

The concourse is located behind the stadium and is completely uncovered.

A fenced in playground called Astroland can be found down the right field line, between the USSSA building and grandstand.

Both bullpens are in foul territory down the outfield lines - the Astros' in left, visitors' in right.

The stadium's only scoreboard is in right-center field. It has an electronic line score and a panel that displays the name of the batter.

Just like at Minute Maid Park, Deep in the Heart of Texas is played during the 7th inning stretch.

The team store behind home plate, which is simply designated as "Team Store," sells a wide selection of Astros merchandise.

Practice Fields

The Astros' minor league complex contains five and a half practice fields, with four of them arranged in the traditional cloverleaf formation directly behind the ballpark's left field wall. The actual address for the complex is 1000 Bill Beck Boulevard.

There is no access to the practice fields on the days that the Astros have a home game.

For workouts in February you can park in the media lot, which is very near the complex's fan entrance gate. Signage will point the way to it, with a wide sidewalk taking you there. Four of the fields within the Astros' complex are fan-accessible (fields 1-4 are, field #5 isn't) and multiple sets of uncovered bleachers are set up at each of those fields.

Types of Seating
Osceola County Stadium seating diagram All seats in the ballpark have chair backs and armrests and are painted green.

Stadium seats: 5,300

Bleachers: none

Berm: none

Notes about the seating

The Astros dugout is on the third base side. To make sure you're on the home side of the stadium, buy your tickets in sections 101-109 or 201-210.

An aisle divides the seating into two sections. Box seats (100 level) are below the aisle and Reserved seats (200 level) are above it.

All seats have cup holders.

Handicap accessible seating is made up of rows of wheelchair spaces and companion seats that are found above a handful of sections. In box seats, handicapped seating comprises row 6 of sections 104, 108, 112 & 116. In reserved seats, handicapped seating is above sections 201, 204-205, 216-217 & 220 in row 20.

The protective netting behind home plate extends from sections 108-112 and attaches to the roof, which makes people sitting behind the screen feel like they are in a cage.

The ballpark has plenty of standing room, which enables it to hold far more fans than its listed capacity. Fans can stand behind sections 201-205 and 216-220, plus in open patios down the left and right field line.

The deck behind sections 216-220 has over a dozen plastic picnic tables on it.

Sections and rows

Rows for stadium sections range as follows:
2 to 8 in sections 101-103; 2 to 5 in section 104; 6 to 8 in sections 105-107; 1 to 5 in section 108; 1 to 8 in sections 109-111; 1 to 5 in section 112; 6 to 8 in sections 113-115; 2 to 5 in section 116; 2 to 8 in sections 117-119; 9 to 19 in section 201; 9 to 22 in sections 202-203; 9 to 19 in sections 204-205; 9 to 22 in section 206; 9 to 16 in sections 209-212; 9 to 22 in section 215; 9 to 19 in sections 216-217; 9 to 22 in sections 218-219; 9 to 19 in section 220

Sections 207, 208, 213 & 214 are made up of two rows of outdoor balcony seating that are reserved for suite holders.

Tickets

Sections 101-104 and 116-119 are sold as Outfield Box.

Sections 105-115 are sold as Dugout Box.

Sections 201-203 and 218-220 are sold as Outfield Reserve.

Sections 204-217 are sold as Upper Reserve.

Children ages 2 & under get in free if they can sit on the lap of an adult.

Seats to avoid
Some seats in sections 108 and 112 are angled poorly due to the design of the stadium behind home plate. If the volume is turned up -- and it often is -- fans sitting in row 16 of sections 202-206 and 215-219 are directly below the stadium's speakers, which are attached to the roofline and produce noise that is way too loud for the folks sitting in their vicinity because announcements and music must be blared at a decibel level to ensure that they can be heard throughout the stadium. While the problem is limited to brief bursts, like a batter's theme music, the thundering speakers make it especially difficult to carry on a conversation while they're being used for those sitting in rows that trace the roofline.

Seats in the shade
A roof providers cover for rows 16 & up in reserved sections 202-206 and 215-219. Because the sun is behind the first base grandstand, rows 12 & up of sections 215-219 will be shaded at the beginning of afternoon games while only rows 18 & up are blocked from the sun in sections 202-206 at first pitch. Those wanting to sit behind home plate and enjoy all game shade are limited to the last two rows (15 & 16) of sections 209-212. Over the course of the afternoon, more seats in sections 202-206 (about 4 rows, down to row 14) and 209-212 (down to at least row 13) become shaded.

VIP seating
A small number of suites are located on both sides of the press box and have outdoor balconies with stadium seating. A party deck atop the USSSA building can accommodate up to 80 people.

Game Day
Gates open 2 hours before game time.

Food, drink and bag policy

Only plastic bottles of water can be brought into the stadium. No food is allowed.

Bags are allowed up to a maximum size of 16" x 16" x 8".

Getting autographs
This is the best stadium for autographs in the Grapefruit League. The Autograph Alleys - patios down each outfield line - are great places to get autographs before, after and even during the game. The patios are adjacent to each team's clubhouse - the Astros' in left and visitors' in right. Fans have pretty good access to both team's bullpens, where pitchers sign before and after games. Players also sign for fans along the fences from each dugout to the foul poles both before and after the game. All in all, the stadium provides plenty of opportunities to get autographs, which is a break from what has become the norm elsewhere.

Unique ballpark fare
Over the years a good selection of grub has been found at various concession stands on the concourse that's behind the grandstand, where truly southern stuff, like boiled peanuts and sweet tea, compete for dining dollars with other not so traditional ballpark menu items like gyros, tacos and corn dogs. The stadium sells multiple styles of hot dogs: Texas (with shredded BBQ), Cincinnati (cheese) and Chicago dogs were featured along with the Dodger Dog, Fenway Frank and Milwaukee Brat in 2011. Elsewhere, pulled pork is put on a sandwich, fried chicken on a stick, and steak in a pita. In addition to the wide variety of food, beer on tap is well represented. Bud, Bud Light and Shock Top Belgian White have been mainstays. Most recently, they were joined by Miller Lite and Stella Artois, while Hop Hound Amber Wheat, Land Shark and Widmer Hefeweizen have been found on draft in recent spring trainings past. Fountain drinks all come from one company: Coca-Cola.

2013 Astros Spring Training Schedule (only home games at Osceola County Stadium are listed)
February	Day	Time	Visiting Team	TicketsNow
24	Sunday	1:05	Mets	Tickets
26	Tuesday	1:05	Tigers	Tickets
28	Thursday	1:05	Yankees	Tickets
March	Day	Time	Visiting Team	TicketsNow
1	Friday	1:05	Cardinals	Tickets
2	Saturday	1:05	Braves	Tickets
7	Thursday	1:05	Nationals	Tickets
8	Friday	1:05	Braves	Tickets
10	Sunday	1:05	Phillies	Tickets
13	Wednesday	1:05	Nationals	Tickets
15	Friday	1:05	Pirates	Tickets
17	Sunday	1:05	Blue Jays	Tickets
20	Wednesday	6:05	Mets	Tickets
22	Friday	1:05	Cardinals	Tickets
24	Sunday	1:05	Marlins	Tickets
25	Monday	6:05	Nationals	Tickets
28	Thursday	1:05	Tigers	Tickets
* Single game tickets went on sale Saturday, January 19. See the full 2013 Astros Spring Training schedule

Ballpark Area Info
The Astros train about 10 miles from one of the greatest tourist destinations the world has ever known - Walt Disney World. Besides that, there is lots to do in the surrounding area. From mini golf to helicopter tours, there are plenty of diversions. There's also plenty of lodging and restaurants to cater to the throngs of year-round visitors, a byproduct of which makes a visit to Kissimmee very cost efficient (meaning cheap). No other spring training destination offers so many good hotel rooms at such an affordable price (often less than $35). As such, the area is a good one to base your Florida spring training trip out of.

Travelers' notes

The Florida Turnpike is 2 miles from the stadium.

The closest Interstate, I-4, is 13 miles away.

Osceola Heritage Park, of which the stadium is a part of, is an oasis of recreation in an area awash with commercial development. Given the magnitude of that development it is surprising that almost nothing is run down. You'll feel safe, not at just the ballpark, but everywhere you go.

Hotels close to Osceola County Stadium			Become a featured advertiser
Distance	Hotel	Street Address	City/Zip	Phone
0.5 miles	Stadium Inn & Suites	2039 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-846-7814
0.6	Heritage Park Inn	2050 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-846-4545
0.8	Ramada	2145 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-846-4646
3.7	Super 8 Kissimmee Suites	1815 W Vine St	Kissimmee, FL 34741	407-847-6121
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Restaurants close to Osceola County Stadium
Distance	Restaurant	Street Address	City/Zip	Phone
0.25 miles	KFC/Taco Bell	1924 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-932-0950
0.3	Burger King	1920 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-846-2085
0.35	Mom's Pizza & Deli	1943 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-935-0300
0.55	Kissimmee Steak House	2047 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-847-8050
0.55	Denny's	2051 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-846-7523
0.6	Cinco De Mayo Mexican Kitchen	2050 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-932-2555
0.7	IHOP	2095 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-944-3355
0.75	McDonald's	2110 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-933-8007
0.9	Third Base Pub	225 Simpson Rd	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-846-4747
1.0	Nick's Subs	2312 Fortune Rd	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-962-0016
1.0	Benny Wong's Chinese	2318 Fortune Rd	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-344-7996
1.0	Olde Cuba Restaurant	2215 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-518-0510
1.1	Rodeo Diner	2235 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy	Kissimmee, FL 34744	407-846-8003
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Airports close to Osceola County Stadium
Distance	Airport		Airport Code
7.3 miles	Orlando International		MCO
47.0	Melbourne International		MLB
64.1	Daytona Beach International		DAB
74.7	Tampa International		TPA

Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee
Contact Us With Any Questions About Astros Spring Training

Osceola County Stadium

2013 Astros Spring Training Schedule

Hotels close to Osceola County Stadium

Restaurants close to Osceola County Stadium

Airports close to Osceola County Stadium