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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 45 MPH speed limit that slows traffic as it passes through the city of North Port.
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, which acts as a second official lot.
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 was forced to find another Major League tenant. It took a while, but 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 now 25-year old stadium underwent a complete renovation, to the tune of $27.2 million, that was finished in 2009. So what the Rays now inhibit is quite different from what the Rangers left a decade ago. 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 remained 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 19,000 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
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 201-206) 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 when an afternoon game begins due to the location of the sun, which descends enough by mid-game so that more seats in sections 214-218 (approximately rows 5 & up) and all seats in sections 208-213 become shaded.
VIP seating
Suites with two rows of outdoor seating are beneath the press box. Areas on the boardwalk can be reserved by groups for picnics or parties.
Game Day
Ballpark gates open roughly 2 hours before game time - that's 11:00 a.m. for a 1:05 p.m. start. Once entering the ballpark, re-entry is only allowed through the Guest Services office, which is in the building between the home plate and first base gates. An attendant in Guest Services will mark the ticket of anyone who wishes to leave and then return, which can only be done through the door in Guest Services, as re-entry is not allowed via the ballpark's three gates.
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 or in the two grandstand sections between the berm and Rays' dugout. 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 one of the ballpark's more popular items from a national chain: the Chick-fil-A sandwich, which isn't available on Sundays since the restaurant isn't open that day. BBQ pork sandwiches are available at most concession stands behind the grandstand, and the stand at the end of the first base concourse has always been where to get deli fare. Vendors set up shop under canopies behind both berms. In that area along the right field line is a carnival-style stand that serves gyros and beer battered grouper fish sandwiches. Other similar-styled stands serve up unique things elsewhere throughout the park, with a steak and cheese stand featured on the boardwalk in center field. Pepsi is the cola of choice. Draft beer is most extensively available near or on the outfield concourse with the largest selection of beer on tap found at the tiki hut on the Baseball Boardwalk that's 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.
2024 Rays Spring Training Schedule(only home games at Charlotte Sports Park are listed) |
| February/March | ||||||
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| 24 Braves 1:05 Tickets |
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| 25 Tigers 1:05 Tickets |
26 | 27 Yankees 1:05 Tickets |
28 | 29 Braves 1:05 Tickets |
1 | 2 Red Sox 1:05 Tickets |
| 3 | 4 Pirates 1:05 Tickets |
5 | 6 | 7 Phillies 1:05 Tickets |
8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 Blue Jays 1:05 Tickets |
12 | 13 Twins 1:05 Tickets |
14 | 15 Orioles 1:05 Tickets |
16 |
| 17 | 18 Braves 1:05 Tickets |
19 | 20 | 21 | 22 Twins 1:05 Tickets |
23 Orioles 1:05 Tickets |
* Single game tickets will go on sale on a TBA date. Links in calendar are to TicketNetwork inventory.
See the full 2024 Rays Spring Training schedule
Ballpark Area Info
Port Charlotte is the most-populated area in Charlotte County, although it is not a chartered city. Its population was reported at 54,392 in the 2010 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 out at the ballpark’s tiki bar, which stays open until well after the game is over, as there's not a lot of activity anywhere near the ballpark, although there is a peaceful and pristine option abutting the complex's 82 acres of property: at the back of the stadium's parking field is an entrance to Tippecanoe Environmental Park, a 355-acre coastal nature preserve with walking trails and a canoe/kayak launch.
Travelers' notes
 Hotels close to Charlotte Sports Park |
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| Distance | Hotel | Street Address | City/Zip | Phone |
| 3.3 miles | 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 |
| 8.4 | Peaceful Tropical Retreat B&B | 4791 Eldron Ave | North Port, FL 34286 | 941-323-1454 |
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 Restaurants close to Charlotte Sports Park |
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| Distance | Restaurant | Street Address | City/Zip | Phone |
| 1.4 miles | RJ's Cafe & Deli | 17753 Toledo Blade Blvd | Port Charlotte, FL 33948 | 941-235-0005 |
| 2.1 | Doughboy's Pizza | 1101 El Jobean Rd | Port Charlotte, FL 33948 | 941-766-8323 |
| 2.1 | New England Drive In | 320 Tamiami Trl | Port Charlotte, FL 33953 | 941-255-9066 |
| 2.3 | Sonny's BBQ | 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 | MS Rascals Loony Bin | 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 |
| 4.4 | Big Geroy's BBQ | 2395 Tamiami Trl | Port Charlotte, FL 33952 | 941-255-0273 |
| List your restaurant or bar |
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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 | ||
