St. Louis Cardinals: If you plan to go to Jupiter, be ready

When a St. Louis Cardinals fan goes to Jupiter, Florida for spring training, a whole new world is opened up. If you’re going for the first time, be ready.

It was really difficult to not pick a more clickbait title for this post. I only say this, because what I am writing about is something I am currently struggling with, and it’s all the fault of the St. Louis Cardinals.

You see, last year, I finally bit the bullet and made my pilgrimage to a sort of Mecca for the truly devoted Cardinals fans. At 19 years old (at the time) and living in Auburn, Alabama, it was just a quick eight hours down into deep Florida for spring break.

It was an adventure full of new experiences. I had never seen the Atlantic Ocean, I had no idea there were toll highways all throughout Florida (don’t make a wrong turn as you have to pay twice to turn around), and I got to eat swordfish for the first time.

Jupiter is a beautiful city that anyone could enjoy by themselves. But for all the fun I had, nothing was better than traveling to Roger Dean Stadium. As a kid growing up, I watched all of the spring training games I could. You see the ballpark, you see the fun behind the scenes interviews and fun that the players have.

It always looks sunny, breezy, and idyllic, and Roger Dean didn’t disappoint.

It was beautiful, sunny (don’t forget sunscreen), breezy, relaxed, and you got to get up close and personal with many big-league players as well as minor leaguers. It really is the best time to get autographs and see the players in a more relaxed environment.

If you’ve ever been to spring training, you know exactly what I mean.

https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1224731289896529920

The problem is, I won’t be going this year. And it’s killing me to see videos like this and know I won’t be there.

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Of course, I’m being slightly dramatic, but just know, if you are making a pilgrimage of your own for the first time this year, you might as well book your flight or at least your calendar for every year in the future.

If I’m wrong, let me know, but I don’t think we will find many people who disagree with me. As much as it makes me sad to miss out this year, I wouldn’t go back and change my decision to go last year.

As a college kid funding the trip himself, just book an Airbnb, go to a game, enjoy the beautiful free ocean, and you can get a wonderful spring break without breaking the bank. You will have a memory that you will enjoy forever.

So if you are going to Jupiter for the first time this year, be ready to enjoy the hell out of your trip, but also beware, it’s going to be very hard to not go ever again. The unofficial kickoff of baseball season has begun and there will be plenty of fun to be had very soon.