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| Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training | Area Info - Port Charlotte |
| Stadium | Location | Parking | Seating | Schedule | Hotels | Restaurants |
Charlotte Sports ParkSpring Training home of the Rays since 2009 Ballpark address: Opened: 1987 |
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Fronted by a small lake, the stadium is visible from El Jobean Road (SR 776) and is next door to the local Harley Davidson dealership.
Directions
Take I-75 to Exit 179 (Toledo Blade Blvd) and go west for approximately 6.3 miles. Turn right onto State Route 776 (El Jobean Road) and the stadium is 1.5 miles ahead on the left.
Note: Toledo Blade Boulevard has a handful of traffic lights and a 35 MPH speed limit that slows traffic.
Parking
A large grass field with gravel lanes behind the stadium can hold up to 1,500 cars. Parking is also available across the street from the stadium at the Charlotte County Fair Grounds.
Cost: $10
Stadium Information
For 15 seasons Charlotte County Stadium was the spring training home of the Texas Rangers. But the Rangers bolted for Arizona following the 2002 season and Port Charlotte had been looking for a Major League tenant ever since. They finally found one just up the road in St. Petersburg, where the Tampa Bay Rays had trained since their inception in 1998. To lure the Rays 80 miles southward the 20-year old stadium underwent a complete renovation, to the tune of $27.2 million, and what the Rays now inhibit is quite different from what the Rangers left earlier in the decade. The old stadium, which sat 5,424, was enhanced to hold 6,823, the extra capacity made possible by the addition of berms down each baseline. Although the actual grandstand is the same, the outer facade was completely rebuilt. Additionally, a two-story clubhouse was constructed just beyond right field and a playground for kids was built near it. The highlight of the extensive renovations is the Baseball Boardwalk, a 19,00 square foot wooden walkway that extends around the outfield and houses a tiki bar. And to top off all the changes, the stadium was given a new name: Charlotte Sports Park.
Fast Facts
Practice Fields
Types of Seating
All of the seats in the ballpark have chair backs, armrests and cup holders. There are two berms, with the one down the third baseline being larger than the one down the first baseline.
Notes about the seating
Sections and rows
1 to 7 in sections 101-102; 6 to 7 in section 103; 8 to 10 in sections 104-105; 1 to 7 in sections 106-107; 1 to 10 in section 108; 1 to 7 in sections 109-110; 8 to 10 in sections 111-112; 6 to 7 in section 113; 1 to 7 in sections 114-115; 1 to 16 in sections 201-206; 7 in section 207; 1 to 7 in sections 208-211; 1 to 16 in sections 212-218
Seats to avoid
The park is small enough that no seat is far away from the field, nor are any obstructed. But if you're picky, seats in the two rows that make up sections 103 and 113 are behind the television camera platforms at the end of the dugout, which doesn't make for an appealing foreground.
Seats in the shade
All but the first row of seats in the upper half of the first base grandstand (sections 201-207) are in the shade, courtesy of the roof over them and the position of the sun, which is behind that side of the grandstand. The third base grandstand has a similar roof, but only rows 10 & up in sections 212-218 are shaded due to the location of the sun, which descends enough by mid-game so that most seats in sections 208-218 become shaded.
VIP seating
A party deck is on the boardwalk adjacent to the right field foul pole. Suites with two rows of outdoor seating are beneath the press box.
Game Day
Ballpark gates open 1½ hours before game time - 11:35 a.m. for a 1:05 p.m. start and 5:35 p.m. for a 7:05 p.m. start.
Food, drink and bag policy
Getting autographs
Autographs opportunities are limited before the game starts. Rays fans should camp out in front of the small section of field-level berm down the right field line while fans of the visiting team should congregate on the area of berm closest to the tarp down the left field line. Post-game autographs are more plentiful. Clubhouses for both teams are in right field and players walk down that line to get to them. The berm and grandstand section beyond the first base dugout are good places to get a few signatures. True autograph hounds will want to exit the stadium and head over to the batting cage building in the right field corner. Rays players exiting the cages will sign for the fans at the fence next to them. That spot is also a good place to chat a player up, as few fans will be gathered there.
Unique ballpark fare
The Rays outsource two of the ballpark's more popular items from national chains: subs from Quiznos and the Chick-Fil-A sandwich, which isn't available on Sunday since the restaurant isn't open that day. BBQ pork sandwiches are available at all concession stands behind the grandstand. Local vendors set up shop under canopies behind both berms, where they have a monopoly on traditional ballpark fare. A steak and cheese stand is on the boardwalk. Pepsi is the cola of choice. Draft beer is almost exclusively available near or on the outfield concourse - Sam Adams and Presidente in right, Yuengling in left, with the largest selection of beer on tap found at the tiki hut on the Baseball Boardwalk, modeled after the tiki bar in Clearwater. Port Charlotte's version features vintage baseball cards beneath its countertops and stays open until an hour and a half (90 minutes) after the game ends, although last call occurs prior to closing time.
2010 Rays Spring Training Schedule(only home games at Charlotte Sports Park are listed) |
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| March | Day | Time | Visiting Team | StubHub |
| 4 | Thursday | 1:05 | Orioles | Tickets |
| 6 | Saturday | 1:05 | Red Sox | Tickets |
| 8 | Monday | 1:05 | Pirates | Tickets |
| 11 | Thursday | 1:05 | Blue Jays | Tickets |
| 12 | Friday | 1:05 | Phillies | Tickets |
| 13 | Saturday | 1:05 | Marlins | Tickets |
| 16 | Tuesday | 7:05 | Red Sox | Tickets |
| 17 | Wednesday | 1:05 | Twins | Tickets |
| 19 | Friday | 7:05 | Yankees | Tickets |
| 20 | Saturday | 1:05 | Twins | Tickets |
| 24 | Wednesday | 1:05 | Blue Jays | Tickets |
| 25 | Thursday | 1:05 | Twins | Tickets |
| 28 | Sunday | 1:05 | Pirates | Tickets |
| 30 | Tuesday | 1:05 | Red Sox | Tickets |
| April | Day | Time | Visiting Team | StubHub |
| 1 | Thursday | 1:05 | Orioles | Tickets |
* Single game tickets went on sale Friday, January 15.  See the full 2010 Rays Spring Training schedule |
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Ballpark Area Info
Port Charlotte is the most-populated area in Charlotte County, although it is not a chartered city. It's population was reported at 46,451 in the 2000 Census. The older you are the more you will enjoy the area, where the median age is 49. The best thing for more youthful fans (age and attitude) to do is hang at the tiki bar, which stays open until well after the game is over, as there's not a lot of activity anywhere near the ballpark.
Travelers' notes
 Restaurants close to Charlotte Sports Park |
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| Distance | Restaurant | Street Address | City/Zip | Phone |
| 1.4 miles | Doughboys | 17753 Toledo Blade Blvd | Port Charlotte, FL 33948 | 941-766-8323 |
| 2.1 | Planet Pizza & Deli | 1434 Market Cir | Port Charlotte, FL 33953 | 941-627-8808 |
| 2.1 | Hobo Jack's Grille | 320 Tamiami Trl | Port Charlotte, FL 33953 | 941-629-5225 |
| 2.1 | New England Drive In | 320 Tamiami Trl | Port Charlotte, FL 33953 | 941-255-9066 |
| 2.1 | Murdock Grill | 1489 Market Cir | Port Charlotte, FL 33953 | 941-613-3663 |
| 2.1 | Angelino's Pizzeria | 992 Tamiami Trl | Port Charlotte, FL 33953 | 941-624-0161 |
| 2.2 | Serendipity Restaurants | 1059 Tamiami Trl | Port Charlotte, FL 33953 | 941-627-0076 |
| 2.3 | Sonny's Bar-BQ | 1152 Tamiami Trl | Port Charlotte, FL 33953 | 941-613-1114 |
| 2.3 | Steak n Shake | 1080 El Jobean Rd | Port Charlotte, FL 33948 | 941-255-6990 |
| 2.3 | Looney Bin Eatery & Pub | 1182 Tamiami Trl | Port Charlotte, FL 33953 | 941-255-5999 |
| 2.4 | Bob Evans | 1050 El Jobean Rd | Port Charlotte, FL 33948 | 941-764-6111 |
| 2.4 | Joe Cracker Sports Grill | 1020 El Jobean Rd | Port Charlotte, FL 33948 | 941-258-3444 |
 List your restaurant or bar |
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 Hotels close to Charlotte Sports Park |
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| Distance | Hotel | Street Address | City/Zip | Phone |
| 2.6 miles | Coffey House Bed and Breakfast | 2379 Sunninglow St | Port Charlotte, FL 33948 | 941-624-5733 |
| 3.3 | Days Inn | 1941 Tamiami Trl | Port Charlotte, FL 33948 | 941-627-8900 |
| 5.9 | Warm Mineral Springs Motel | 12597 Tamiami Trl S | North Port, FL 34287 | 941-426-4029 |
| 6.4 | Microtel Inn | 4056 Tamiami Trl | Port Charlotte, FL 33952 | 941-624-6339 |
| List your hotel |
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 Airports close to Charlotte Sports Park |
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| Distance | Airport | Airport Code | ||
| 34.9 miles | Sarasota Bradenton International | SRQ | ||
| 40.0 | Southwest Florida International (Fort Myers) | RSW | ||
| 69.9 | St. Petersburg-Clearwater International | PIE | ||
| 71.1 | Tampa International | TPA | ||
