Travel briefs
Feb. 17, 2005 Spring training
NEW YORK (AP) – Some travelers head south to the beach as winter gives way to spring. Others use their travels this time of year to seek out wildlife or blooming flowers.
But for baseball fans, a vacation in March wouldn’t be complete without watching a favorite team gear up for opening day.
Spring training for major league baseball starts March 1 and continues through April 3, with training camps located throughout Florida and Arizona. You can watch the Pirates against the Yankees in Tampa on March 3, or the Diamondbacks against the White Sox in Tucson on March 4. Other locations include St. Petersburg, Winter Haven, Fort Myers, Port St. Lucie, Sarasota and Kissimmee in Florida, and Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale in Arizona.
Most tickets are well under $20 and the stadiums are smaller than the teams’ home arenas, so spectators have a more intimate view of the game. Ardent fans may also be rewarded with an additional thrill usually unavailable at big-league showdowns – the chance to meet the players.
For a complete list of teams, schedules, locations and ticket information, log on to www.mlb.com or contact your local team or Ticketmaster.
Mountain bikers
BRIGHTON, Mich. (AP) – By the mile and sometimes by the yard, the Michigan Mountain Biking Association is knitting a statewide network of trails for themselves and others.
The association’s 2,000 active members not only ride Michigan’s trails year-round, but also build, maintain and oversee trails throughout the state, according to the Detroit Free Press. They also teach classes in erosion-free trail building and, increasingly, do work that the state and local recreation departments can’t afford. Members soon will build a new trail link in Oakland County’s Addison Oaks park, near Lake Orion.
Mountain-bike and rails-to-trails groups have joined with the Michigan Department of Transportation to form the Metro Region Nonmotorized Advisory Committee. The new group intends to attack problems such as trails that make their way through suburban areas, only to be virtually severed where they meet busy roads.
For more information about the Michigan Mountain Biking Association’s programs and events, visit www.mmba.org.
Buffalo Bill Center
CODY, Wyo. (AP) – The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is hoping to boost attendance by luring more people from nearby Yellowstone National Park.
For $40, one or two parents plus their children younger than 17 can visit the BBHC under its new family package.
The historical center is 52 miles from Yellowstone via the Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway.
For more information, visit www.bbhc.org or call (307) 587-4771.
“We’re trying to aim at younger families, 35 and younger,” BBHC Director Bob Shimp says.
BBHC attendance in 2004 dropped almost 7 percent. The park declined less, 4 percent, but the East Entrance was off about 17 percent.
The center’s facilities include the Buffalo Bill Museum, which interprets the Bill Cody’s life in the context of the American West; the Whitney Gallery of Western Art; the Plains Indian Museum; the Cody Firearms Museum, which boasts the “world’s most comprehensive assemblage of American arms,” and the Draper Museum of Natural History, which focuses on the ecosystem of the Yellowstone area.
California guides
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (AP) – If you’re planning a trip to California, check out these free visitors guides to help you create an itinerary and find accommodations.
The 2005 “Monterey Land & See” guide covers Monterey, Pebble Beach, Big Sur, Carmel Valley, Marina and beyond. The brochure includes a trekking map listing tasting rooms for the area’s booming wine industry. It also lists unique excursions and lodging, including an elkhorn safari, a chocolate factory tour, and a stay at an exotic animal training center. Call (888) 221-1010 or visit www.montereyinfo.org for a copy of the guide.
In the new Santa Cruz County Official Traveler’s Guide, you’ll read about the old-growth trees in Big Basin Redwoods State Park; a seaside wooden roller coaster from the 1920s; and the seals, dolphins and other wildlife found in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. If you’re a surfer, hit the beach, but if you view surfing as a spectator sport, check out the Surfing Museum or stop by the bronze surfer statue on West Cliff Drive. For a copy of the guide, go to www.santacruz.org or call (800) 833-3494.
San Diego is a perfect family destination, renowned for its zoo, LEGOLAND, SeaWorld and Balboa Park. The USS Midway San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum opened last year, as did PETCO Park, the city’s new baseball stadium, home to the Padres. Upcoming events include the blossoming of bright ranunculus flowers at Flower Fields, March 1 to 31; “Art Walk 2005,” April 23 and 24, an arts festival in downtown San Diego’s Little Italy; and a Mexican-style Cinco de Mayo event, April 30 to May 1, in Old Town San Diego. To receive the guide, visit www.sandiego.org or call (619) 236-1212.