Sunshine Matters

VISIT FLORIDA manages the state’s five Official Florida Welcome Centers located at I-10, I-95, I-75, US 231 and the Florida Capitol. As an invaluable resource for visitors to the Sunshine State, the knowledgeable and helpful staff in the Welcome Centers provide a wealth of information to millions of Florida visitors each year.  In addition to offering detailed travel planning advice, the centers also provide maps, brochures and even a free cup of Florida citrus juice!

As a fun way to engage Welcome Center visitors, and showcase all there is to see and do in the Sunshine State, each of the four highway Welcome Centers set up special displays that allow travelers to learn more about what’s happening in Florida at certain times of the year.

Every March, Florida plays host to 15 Major League Baseball teams who hold their annual spring training in venues throughout the Sunshine State.  As a way to showcase spring training in Florida to the nearly 235,000 visitors who passed through the highway Welcome Centers in March, employees donned Florida Grapefruit League jerseys and shared information about the upcoming game schedules and locations. They also created interactive displays so visitors could take pictures with “players” from their favorite teams.

In 1889, the Philadelphia Phillies became the first of the current major-league teams to train in Florida when they spent two weeks in Jacksonville.  Officially dubbed the Grapefruit League in 1913, all but six of the major league teams have held spring training in Florida at one time or another.  Many of the most famous players in baseball history, including iconic names like Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, DiMaggio, Berra and Mantle, have called Florida home for 4-6 weeks every spring.

For more than a century, the Florida Grapefruit League has attracted fan attention, drawing crowds who travel to the warm climate to enjoy the weather and watch their favorite teams play.  This year was no exception, with the Florida Sports Foundation reporting that more than 1.6 million visitors attended 233 spring training games in 14 venues throughout the state over 33 days.  While the final economic figures are not in for 2012 yet, these annual pre-season games in Florida have historically provided more than $750 million in economic impact to the state (Source:  Bonn Marketing Research Group, 2009 survey).