The Reds new spring training home part 1

“Buenos Dias” from the greater Phoenix “Valley of the Sun” region! The desert has been wonderful with temperatures ranging into the mid 80’s. Remove the mountains and the topography reminds me of central Florida. It is sprawling housing developments surrounding old cattle ranches, miles upon miles of strip malls and University of Phoenix buildings. Another noticeable difference from Florida is the humidity actually the lack of it. This absence helps makes this warmer desert climate more tolerable even in the scorching summer months.

Currently there are 14 major league baseball conducting spring training activities in the Valley. The clubs are scattered around suburbs like Mesa, Surprise, Goodyear, Peoria, Glendale, Scottsdale, Tempe and Phoenix proper. Interstate highways I 10 & I 17 along with beltways 101 and 202 allow for easy travel and access to these facilities. Like any major cities there still are the peak travel time delays but it was easy for me to navigate around the area.

Air service into Phoenix Sky Harbor airport is well developed with nonstop flights from Columbus and Cincinnati and connecting flights from our other air gateways. I’ve seen fares from Columbus as low as $198.00 round trip but expect to pay more if you have to fly out of Huntington or Charleston. Most airlines schedule 11 months into the future so set the fare watcher feature on your on-line travel agency booking website and when the price drops into your pricing comfort zone I suggest purchasing your flights.