Play Ball!

Make your children's dreams come true and introduce them to their favorite ballplayers during Major League Baseball's Spring Training. March is the month to meet professional baseball players in their gregarious pre-season state, signing autographs and greeting fans before and after the games. Most baseball lovers know about Florida's 18-team Grapefruit League, but few parents realize the long distance between stadiums around the state. In Arizona's Cactus League, there are 12 professional teams playing games at nine stadiums within an hour's drive from your hotel room in Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Mesa. All of the stadiums, like the Giants stadium in Scottsdale and the Angels stadium in Tempe, are intimate, single-tier parks with the best seats just a few feet from the baseline. To get even closer to the players, stay at Tempe's Dobson Ranch Inn, pre-season home base for the Chicago Cubs' players and training staff. Next door is Golfland/Sunsplash, Arizona's largest family theme park, with three miniature golf courses, a 15,000-square-foot castle, and a large water park. -- Steve Jermanok

Tempe Diablo Stadium, Tempe, Arizona (Jason Wise)

Get more great ideas for things to do with the kids in March with Away.com's month-by-month family-travel guide.