A Wednesday Afternoon Visit To Hammond Stadium, Spring Training Home Of The Minnesota Twins

After soaking in a few days of Southwest Florida golden sunshine, a Red Sox game, some beach time, and an awesome dinner or two, Wednesday presented an open day of Fort Myers possibilities. We, meaning Rachel and I, could have driven over to Sanibel Island for the day. Or, taken the beach chairs down to Fort Myers Beach or Captiva Island for a day of sun, sand, and warm Gulf waters. Or, grab lunch or dinner at one of the countless eateries that the Fort Myers area offered. One more possibility would be to catch a Minnesota Twins game over at Lee Health Sports Complex and Hammond Stadium. With Wednesday being our last official day in SW Florida before driving home, we decided to just accomplish as much as we could do on our Fort Myers possibility list. So, after some early morning shopping and breakfast near our hotel, we decided to take the short drive over to Lee Health Sports Complex and Hammond Stadium for an afternoon game featuring the Twins vs. the Detroit Tigers.

Having no real tie or connection to either the Twins or the Tigers, this experience was all about Hammond Stadium. The Twins Spring Training home field is also the home field for their Single A team, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. As the sign reads above, Fort Myers (FL) is about 1700 miles from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota and in reality even further apart when it comes to landscape, weather, and so on. Wednesday’s weather at Hammond Stadium was expected to be in the mid to upper 80s, where as most of Minnesota would be looking at temps closer to the 30s. Palm trees, green grass, and bright sunshine dominated the area around Hammond on Wednesday, contrasted with likely snow and ice around the Twins home field in Minnesota, Target Field. Personally, I was excited to be at the Twins facility in Fort Myers and enjoy some amazing sunshine and the wonderful Hammond Stadium experience.

After getting through security and walking the front steps up to the main entrance area, I turned to find the Twins seat of honor and paused to read the plaque and pay my respects. Unlike other seats which are located inside the stadium, this seat of honor had a more prominent place for every visitor to the park to view it. These seats of honor are always worthy of my time and I hope you will join me and pay your respects whenever you see one at a ballpark you visit.

On this hot Wednesday afternoon, Rachel and I arrived at Hammond Stadium about an hour or so before First Pitch. So, we took the stroll around the entire concourse area, out to the outfield boardwalk, and walked around the entire outfield area returning back to the main entrance area. Hammond is equipped with a lot of sunshade areas with pergolas galore spread out throughout the outfield areas. I stopped to take a few photos of the ballpark and soak in the amazing views of LF, CF, and RF.

As game time approached, Rachel and I headed towards our seating section (126) and stopped along the boardwalk railing to check out a pond behind the stadium. A tiny alligator was swimming around looking for food as a stork landed on the pond’s edge attempting to do the same. The tiny alligator, according to one of the ushers, had grown since last year’s Spring Training games and was getting quite an audience from interested fans who likely had never seen an alligator in person. A cool moment in time that only South Florida can provide.

As first pitch neared, Rachel and I found our seats and sat a few seats down from them to give the family sitting in them some extra room. The game was probably sold out but on a hot day, most of us were just happy to be in the park and enjoying baseball, so we didn’t quibble over seat assignments. We stayed for a few innings before the SW Florida sunshine was just too much to handle. Sweating and a bit uncomfortable, we exited our seats for a shaded area under a pergola and next to a light post. I needed shade in the worst way and didn’t want to leave the game just yet, so this was a suitable alternative fan viewing spot for the next few innings.

The game itself was moving along rather briskly. Both teams were hitless through the first few innings and with other plans on our docket, Rachel and I decided to head out and enjoy one last Fort Myers afternoon and evening at the beach. On our way out, we grabbed some ice cream and found a cool spot to eat it just passed the main staircase and next to the utility storage area of Hammond. A few ushers joined us and we chatted it up with them for a bit while we devoured our ice cream treats. I grabbed one more photo of the field behind home plate before we departed.

And one more of the gorgeous front entrance area of Hammond Stadium. I loved the look, very inviting with the waterfalls, the classic steeples, and of course the beautiful blue skies of Fort Myers.

Fort Myers, Florida is sort of like a third home to me. I have been visiting this area of Southwest Florida for about 30 years now. I have visited as a college kid, then as a parent, and more recently with Rachel, my wife. Although the area has changed quite a bit due to hurricanes, modernization of older buildings, and just how life goes after 30 years, I still love visiting this area of Florida and will continue to do so. I loved that I got to mix in baseball experiences with great dining experiences with incredible beach experiences. I had a truly memorable vacation and really wouldn’t change any part of it. I am truly psyched to have attended two Spring Training games and toured three incredible baseball fields. What more can I say but I loved every second of my Fort Myers Baseball, Beach, and Road Trip experiences and cannot wait to book myself on another one in the near future.

Other posts about my trips to Fort Myers: