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40 2017 TRAVEL GUIDE TO FLORIDA F lorida is a vacation dreamland for sports enthusiasts. For those who love watching great sporting events, the Sunshine State has NFL teams in Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville, NBA teams in Orlando and Miami and NHL teams in Tampa and Miami. If you want to partici- pate, the options are plentiful ranging from deep-sea fishing charters at countless marinas to snorkeling and scuba diving at state and national parks brimming with nature, biking and hiking trails and canoe/kayak-friendly waterways. FIELDS OF DREAMS Baseball fans flock to Florida during the month of March when 15 teams train and play exhibition games prior to the season. It's a great way to see your favorite players when they're more accessible for auto- graphs and you can be closer to the action. The engaging venues include George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, where the Yankees train and which has a massive Yankees memorabilia store, and Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers, a Boston Red Sox training venue featuring a replica of Fenway Park's Green Monster. From April to October, you can enjoy regular season Major League Baseball in Miami with the Miami Marlins, who play in the National League, and in St. Peters- burg with the Tampa Bay Rays at the domed Tropicana Field, who compete in the American League. GREAT GOLF You'll have little difficulty teeing it up in Florida, which boasts more than 1,400 golf courses and over 50 resorts where golf is the main amenity. Many of Florida's golf resorts are world-renowned and home to iconic courses like THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, the Blue Monster at Trump National Doral in Miami and Copperhead at CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: KAMIRA/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; PHOTOGOLFER/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; FELIX MIZIOZNIKOV/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; DANIEL KORZENIEWSKI/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM A SPORTS PARADISE FOR ALL BY EDWARD SCHMIDT JR. S P O R T S TOP: Hole 18 and clubhouse at The TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra. ABOVE: AmericanAirlines Arena, home to the Miami Heat. OPPOSITE TOP: Aerial view of the Everbank Field Stadium, home to the Jacksonville Jaguars. OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Marlins Park, home to the Miami Marlins.