Sports fans assemble! The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a minor league team based in Lakeland, FL, and they’re a team that you’ll want to check out, even if you’re not a diehard baseball fan. Why, you ask? Well, for starters, their playing field is a short 30 statute miles away, and you can easily squeeze a game into your day trip to Lakeland.
Photo Credits: Lakeland Local.
Lakeland Flying Tigers In Florida
In our Lakeland destination post, you’ll notice that the MLB Detroit Tigers play at Joker Merchant Stadium for spring training, but if you’re looking for a better possibility of catching a ball game, the Lakeland Flying Tigers will be your best bet. Not only are their home games in Lakeland, but also the majority of their away games are in Florida, making it simple for you to fly to just about anyone.
Beginning in April 2016, their season opens with a few games in Tampa, meaning you can fly into one of the airports in the area that we’ve already covered (Albert Whitted in St. Pete, for example). Or if you’d rather scoot down to South Florida to catch a Flying Tigers game, snag the next set of games in Jupiter, and land either at Boca Raton Airport or into St. Lucie, which is even closer. Working a Flying Tigers game or three into your mini-trips is almost too easy not to do.
History of The Flying Tigers
And the Lakeland Flying Tigers are a team you’ll especially enjoying supporting – their name and colors pay homage to the Lakeland School of Aeronautics, which was later called the Lodwick School of Aeronautics, which was once located at the site where the stadium stands today. The school trained over 8,000 pilots between the years 1940 and 1945, and some of these pilots flew with the Flying Tigers in China during World War II, making this tribute a special one, to say the least!
If you’re looking to support the aviation community’s baseball team, find them at many Florida destinations or even in their home city, Lakeland – their 2016 schedule rests here. You’ll be thrilled to see that many of their games are right in line with the easy-to-access Ridge Landing Airpark destinations we found for you. Go Flying Tigers!
