| This ballpark was one of the finest new parks built in the 1990's — though, unfortunately, it was only used for one month a year during spring training. It was never home to a minor league team during the summer.
As its name suggested, numerous palm trees surround the park, lining the outfield fence and creating a beautiful backdrop. The stadium itself features a partially covered grandstand, with approximately two-thirds of the seats situated under a roof. The seating area is split by a small concourse. Additional seating is available on the right field berm, in the right field bleachers, and behind the right field fence in seats reminiscent of Fenway Park’s Green Monster section.
The main concourse is located beneath the seating area, with both covered and uncovered sections. It houses numerous concession stands along with a nice gift shop. However, fans had to be prepared to spend—concession prices reflected the Red Sox capitalizing on the team’s success. Most of the food offerings were overpriced and underwhelming in quality.
Still, for Red Sox fans, this was the place to be in March. It was simply a great ballpark for taking in a spring training game.
Unfortunately, despite still being in excellent condition, the Red Sox pushed for a new spring training complex, and Fort Myers delivered with the construction of JetBlue Park, which opened in the spring of 2012. With that, this once-great venue ceased to be used for spring training baseball.
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