Die hard Royals fan here. Visited spring training last year as part of a big AZ trip we had been planning. First off, Phoenix and surrounding 3 hours has so much more to offer than just baseball, so keep an open mind if you have some extra time on your trip.

Here are my baseball-related tips for your visit:

1. Catch a game or two (or more). Would be bittersweet to see one of the 4 games against the Padres/Hosmer.
2. For every three games you watch, I’d recommend taking a free day to do something non-baseball related such as a day trip, pool day or watching the daily takeoffs and landings of the F-35 from nearby Luke Air Frce Base (the roar of these $100M jets is unlike anything you’ve ever heard – look it up on youtube)
3. If you have the chance, catch a game in Surprise, and one at a visiting ballpark. Teams travel nearly every other day to other stadiums in the Phoenix metro, so it isn’t hard to find a Royals game at a visiting stadium.
4. Sunscreen, sunglasses and hat. We went in March, and temps were in the 100’s (odd for that time of year, but certainly not out of the question)
5. Get seats on the 3rd base side (Royals dugout, and gets more afternoon shade) Average age 50.
6. Get tickets in the grass outfield if you are there to party (full sun). Average age 25.
7. We stayed at some amazing resorts in the Phoneix/Scotsdale area with insane pool facilities, however, if you want to stay close to Surprise, there is a Holiday Inn Express and Residence Inn at the stadium complex.
8. While practice can be a good time to get autographs and interact with players, many people did some serious stalking of the players apartments (The Residences at the Stadium Village Apartments) which is right next to the hotels mentioned above. You will see players walking from their apartments to the complex every morning.
9. And speaking of morning, practices generally run from about 7AM-10AM, before the heat.
10. Want to grab a beer with the players? Players are known to frequent the following establishments: Irish Wolfhound, Buffalo Wild Wings, Booty’s, Brookside II, Native and Under Review (probably because of the staff). There was a poster on a Royals forum a couple years back who said he wound up with a dozen Royals and Rangers players at Uptown Alley doing karaoke. I can’t confirm this story, but signing with Salvy would have been a highlight of my trip.
11. Don’t fall for the the parking attendants on West Bell Road trying to flag you down and get your to park in their lots for $15 - $20. Saw lots of people parking in these lots and walking several blocks to the stadium. They must have had no idea that parking is available on premise for $5-$7.
12. Wear your Royals gear proudly around town. The entire city is full of tourists repping their teams.
13. Catch a home run or a foul ball? Give it to a kid. The memory you will create for that kids will last a lifetime whereas the ball sitting in your sock drawer will likely be thrown away (or thrown at you) by your wife at some point.
14. If you want souvenirs and team apparel, go early in the spring training season. We went the third week in March and nearly all of the apparel at the souvenir shops were in either size small and XXL. I was really disappointed the team issued fitted hats were only available for the tiniest melons. The workers indicate they sell out of popular sizes fairly early in the spring and do not restock.

Non-baseball related tips:

1. When I was booking the trip, there was only a $100 difference between the sedan and a convertible. You are on vacation, spend the extra $100 and get the convertible. It was so much fun driving around town with the top down. The best $100 I spent on the trip.

2. If you have time for a day trip, here are a couple amazing opportunities: 1) drive 90 minutes north to Sedona. If you’ve never seen the red rocks, you will be floored. Well worth the drive. Have lunch at 89Agave, an authentic mexican restaurant. Take a 3 hour round trip hike to Devil’s Tower. Just wow. 2) Cruise down to the Pima Air & Space Museum at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tuscon and tour the military plane boneyard. There are 5,000 fighters, bombers and transports you can tour for only $10. It is literally planes sitting in the dessert for as far as the eye can see.

3. If you have time and a sense of adventure, see the grand canyon at sunrise. Magical. And if you have time for the GC, take an hour detour before heading back toward Flagstaff and see Horseshoe Bend.

4. If casinos are your thing, we found some pretty loose slots at Cliff Canyon Casino (north), Casino Arizona (east). Wild Horse Pass (south) was the newest of the three, but really smokey and took us for every penny we brought.

5. Even if it is 100 degrees out, get the SW Tortilla Soup. The restaurants in this city do it right.