Spring Training Visit Advice?

[Yachtzee]

I will be heading to Tampa and Sarasota for Spring Break this year, March 25-30, and I was wondering if anyone had advice on where to stay during that time. We were thinking of getting a hotel in Tampa for the 25th and 26, as we'll actually get in at 12:30 am on the 26 and are planning to hit Busch Gardens on the 26. Then the idea is to go down to Sarasota for the 27th through the 29th for some Reds baseball and the beaches. Then we're going to West Palm Beach to visit my wife's family for a day before we leave. I know there's a topic on Old Red Guard, but I thought I would throw this out to everyone on Reds Live to see if I could get a wider response. Here are my questions...

Does anyone have advice on where to stay/not to stay? Does anyone have experience, good or bad, with particular hotels in Tampa (near the airport or Busch Gardens) and Sarasota?

I have tickets for the March 27th game against the Pirates, but it looks like the game on the 28th against the Red Sox is sold out. How easy is it to scalp tickets down there?

Where are the good beaches and good places to eat (with a 3 year old in tow)?

[TeamBoone]

Hmmmm, if you don't have a hotel yet, I've got a funny feeling you may have a hard time finding one. Last year I made condo reservation waaaaay in advance, decided I wanted to stay a few more days and could find NOTHING! Every hotel/motel I went to was booked.

There are a few Mom and Pop type places on the street toward Siesta Key (Stickney Point Road); sometimes they'll rent for one night. We stayed at one the first time we went (Tides Inn) and the owners are really really nice. They don't normally rent for one or two nights, but if they're not full from advance reservations, they will. I'm going to PM you some additional information.

I like Turtle Beach on Siesta Key. Any map can give you directiions... it's on an island so it's not hard to find.

Go downtown on Siesta Key for all kinds of places to eat; if you hit the Daquari Deck, you might even see some friendly Reds faces. Unless it's a club, just about everything is kid friendly.

One more really nice spot to eat, right on the intercoastal waterway... I can't remember the name but it's on the left just before you cross the bridge to Siesta Key. It's behind the row of shops that are streetside, on the water. Really good food and an outdoor deck.

And Captain Curt's is fun. Go over the bridge to Siesta Key, it's on your left.

Have a great time; I'm soooo jealous.

[Yachtzee]

Thanks for the tips TeamBoone. I've been monitoring things on Hotwire and Priceline and it does seem like the options are becoming more limited by the day.

[DannyB]

A couple years ago I was able to get a room in Venice with no reservation.It wasn`t fancy and certainly not cheap,but Venice is about 15 minutes south of Sarasota.