Top 3 Florida Getaways on a Budget

Enjoy the Sunshine State for less at these three affordable Florida locales:

Panama City
Visit during the rainy period between May and December for the best hotel rates at this historic coastal city. Local Latin fare is authentic and can be very wallet-friendly, and there are plenty of mid-priced hotels and budget-friendly bed and breakfast inns. Expect to take taxis around the city, but don’t worry—they’re reasonably priced.

Spring Break Shorts: Florida's "Grapefruit League"

Major League Baseball spring training gets underway in Florida on March 2 for a month-long series of practices and pre-season games that's known as the "Grapefruit League" (the West Coast's equivalent is the Cactus League, which takes places around the Greater Phoenix area over the same dates). The 2010 season sees 15 MLB teams traveling to Florida venues including Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, and Clearwater. The New York Yankees will be based out of Steinbrenner Field in Tampa; both the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins will be batting out of Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, a short drive north of Fort Lauderdale and Miami in Palm Beach County. Take advantage of pre-spring break flight and hotel deals, as well as affordable game-day tickets and better-than-usual access to some of he league's top sluggers. More info about the Grapefruit League can be found at www.floridaspringtraining.com.

Photo credit: Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida (courtesy, Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau)

In Praise of the Fort Lauderdale Good Life

Once a mild-mannered little town that happened to be connected to seven miles of white-sand beach, Fort Lauderdale is a thriving pleasure port, catering to individual yacht owners and major cruise liners, not to mention a flotilla of well-lubricated spring-breakers. Given its sun-splashed lures, don't bet against the town making a comeback after the real-estate bust of the Great Recession of 2009.

Photo credit: Fort Lauderdale, Florida (courtesy, Visit Florida)