Aerial view of Cayo Costa State Park: Getty 87615746

This month is Spring Training season, when MLB teams, quite literally, warm up, with the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues of Arizona and Florida. The best base for the latter contest this year is Fort Myers, where the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins each take up temporary residence for a few weeks. The Twins will play at Hammond Stadium, while the newer JetBlue Park is a home away from home for the Sox—it even has a counterpart in left field to Fenway’s notorious Green Monster. Games run here through March 25: a standout, of course, will be the face-off between the Yankees and the Sox on March 3. If you don’t want to spend every day at the ball game, the barrier sand spits here are ideal for island hopping, whether you head for the car-free Cabbage Key or the Cayo Costa state park, with its nine miles of untouched beaches.

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