A Home Run! Orioles Spring Training Weekend Guide

Catch up with friends and take in the views at a local rooftop to kick off the weekend. 

After checking in at the art-forward Art Ovation Hotel in downtown Sarasota, unpack and throw on your swimsuit and head eight stories up to the hotel’s Perspective Rooftop. It’s one of the newest hotels in Sarasota and boasts 162 rooms, an aesthetic rooftop with weekend DJs, and features a collection of rotating exhibitions featuring the work of local artists. 

If those late-night food cravings hit, not to worry. Art Ovation is in the thick of the bustling downtown ares of Sarasota where a handful of quality restaurants stay open late for locals and visitors. 

Grab authentic Peruvian dishes until 1 a.m. on weekends at Selva Grill, try any of the cocktails and a fresh seafood appetizer at Jack Dusty at The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota, or find the hidden entry to Sarasota’s only speakeasy, Pangea Alchemy Lab, and place an order for two servings of their addictive, shoestring cajun fries.

Brunch with the squad before Orioles game.  

Mimosas please. Take a quick walk from Art Ovation through downtown Sarasota to Boca, a local favorite for the perfect brunch. Try their orange-forward Grand Mar’s French Toast or the brie and apple flatbread, and wash it all down with your choice of Bellini or mimosa.  

Arrive at Ed Smith Stadium and Buck O’Neil Complex in the early afternoon and snag your beer and hot dog and watch the Orioles take on the weekend’s opponent. When the game wraps up, you’re going to want to get out of the sun for a while so cool off at one of Sarasota’s many museums or art galleries.  

Cool off while you interpret the latest contemporary exhibits at the Sarasota Art Museum on Tamiami Trial just a 10-minute drive from the stadium. The expansive museum is housed in the historic Sarasota High School and is the first contemporary art museum in the region. It showcases the work of 20th and 21st-century artists across multiple galleries and hosts unique events, performances, and classes regularly.  

If art isn’t on your to-do list, freshen up before heading to one of the city’s most popular dining destinations, Indigenous. The Towels Court neighborhood gem is home to James Beard South finalist Chef Steve Phelps. There you can indulge in Phelps unique menu which features sustainably sourced seafood, seasonal and local vegetables, and artisan ingredients.  

Catch the Orioles highlights and finish your Saturday with a couple rounds of pool at popular bar Brewster’s Gastropub, or people watch at O’Leary’s Tiki Hut on the Sarasota Bayfront.

Check America’s top-rated beach off of your list at Siesta Key 

A trip to Sarasota isn’t complete without at least getting some powdery soft Siesta Key sand between your toes. 

Get an early start Sunday morning during the last day of the trip and leave the mainland for a few hours of the island life on Siesta Key Beach. Crowds pour in early during spring break months of March and April so best to get there before noon for parking options. 

If an outdoor water adventure is the theme of the day, there’s plenty to enjoy in and around the water. Charter a fishing boat from CB’s Saltwater Outfitters for a half day with friends and go deep sea fishing, speed offshore with a full-day jet ski rental, or see the coastline from the sky with a parasailing experience. 

Another option for nature without the crowds is a day at Sarasota’s best-kept secret — Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Hidden in plain sight just a half-mile from downtown Sarasota, Selby Gardens is a waterfront botanical oasis for the senses. Picture a serene morning stroll through hidden orchid gardens, a children’s rainforest and a breathtaking view of Sarasota Bay and John Ringling Bridge await patrons inside the 45-acre garden. 

Wrap up your Spring Training weekend with a delectable late lunch at the newly opened The Green Orchid, the world’s first net-positive energy restaurant, while viewing the latest art display within the living musuem.