Here are 10 reasons to plan a spring training trip to Arizona next year:

1. Distance between ballparks isn't an issue.

Twelve teams trained in Arizona in 2008, and that number will grow to 14 for the 2009 season. Although that's a lot of teams, it's not a lot of driving - the longest drive from one ballpark to another is three hours.

And that might improve: The Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies have spring training in Tucson, while the other nine teams train within 90 minutes of each other in the Phoenix area. Colorado and Chicago are contemplating moves to the Phoenix area. Those moves, plus the 2009 additions of the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers, would put 13 teams within 90 minutes of one another. Not a bad drive for any family.

2. Nature lovers have non-baseball options.

What if you have two children who love baseball and one who would rather watch paint dry? Arizona has you covered.

Just a four-hour drive from Phoenix is the south rim of the Grand Canyon. You can spend a couple of days there and break up the baseball. What if Mom would rather take a drive than watch Josh Hamilton take batting practice? Sedona - known for its beautiful red rocks and spiritual healing - is less than two hours from Phoenix.

Do you have a child who loves the outdoors? Arizona has plenty of attractions. Just 20 minutes west of the Texas Rangers' camp in Surprise is White Tank Mountain Regional Park, where you can take a nature hike and take in wildflowers and a waterfall.

Online: Grand Canyon (www.nps.gov/grca, 928-638-7888, $25 per vehicle); Sedona (www.visitsedona.com, free); White Tank Mountain Regional Park (www.maricopa.gov/parks/white(underscore)tank, 623-935-2505, $6 per vehicle)

3. Autograph hounds rejoice.

Have you ever tried to get an autograph at a regular-season game? It's not the easiest thing to do, because players are rarely on the field and, when they are, it's usually for batting practice. At spring training, that's not a problem. It's just as easy to get Michael Young's autograph as it is the 25th player on the Rangers' roster. The key is coming to the park early. Before exhibition games begin at the end of February, teams still practice.

Most teams, including the Rangers, open those practices to the public for free. This year, the Rangers opened practice at 10 a.m., giving fans plenty of time to watch batting practice as well as pursue an autograph. Spring training games are also autograph hot spots, and it doesn't always have to be about a current player.

This year, the hottest autograph in Surprise was that of Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. The team president sat in the front row and signed autographs for fans who began lining up after the game. Remember, if you're going to spring training to watch baseball, go when the exhibition games start. If you're going for autographs, go a week earlier, before the games start. Autographs are easier to get then.

4. There are plenty of other sports options.

Does someone in your family prefer hoops to the diamond? What about the ice? Again, Arizona has you covered.

Whether you're a fan of the college game or other professional sports, there are plenty of great options. College fans can travel to Tempe, home of the Los Angeles Angels, to take in an Arizona State University basketball game. Tucson, spring home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, also boasts the University of Arizona. Spring training runs the same time as college baseball, softball, basketball and gymnastics seasons.

NBA fans can go watch former Mavericks point guard Steve Nash lead the Phoenix Suns to the playoffs; Phoenix plays all its games downtown at US Airways Center. Hockey fans take heart, too: Travel to Glendale, which will be the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009, and watch the Phoenix Coyotes play at Jobing.com Arena. And although some fans may argue about the merits of the Arena Football League, the Arizona Rattlers call US Airways Center their home as well. The beauty of all these sporting events is that they run at the same time as spring training.

Online: Arizona State athletics (thesundevils.cstv.com, 480-965-3482); Arizona athletics (www.arizonaathletics.com, 520-621-2200); Phoenix Suns (www.nba.com/suns, 602-379-SUNS); Phoenix Coyotes (coyotes.nhl.com, 623-772-3200); Arizona Rattlers (www.azrattlers.com, 602-379-2320)

5. The price is right.

Care to venture a guess on the price of the best seat at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington? A seat behind the Rangers' dugout will set you back $100. That same seat at a Rangers game at Surprise Stadium will cost you $22.

What's the difference between the games? Not much. In the final two weeks of spring training, teams normally play their regulars for the game's first six or seven innings. That's about the same amount of time you'd spend at a Rangers game in Arlington before you left anyway. In Arizona, you see the same players from the same seat for a lot less money. And because the stadiums are normally about a quarter of the size of regular ballparks, you're a lot closer to the action. It's not just Rangers fans who can save money on seats, either. The National League champion Colorado Rockies offered their prime seats for $17. Getting a ticket for a Cubs game at Wrigley Field is next to impossible, unless you know someone. If you go to Mesa, tickets aren't as hard to come by and cost a lot less. The best seats at HoHoKam Park went for $24 during spring training.

Online: www.mlb.com has links to all the team sites. Each team site has a tickets link.

6. You can shop until you drop.

Baseball games in late February are beautiful, with the temperatures in the low 70s and just about every day filled with sunshine. But by the end of the spring, the weather gets hot, and if you're looking for an indoors diversion, shoppers will be happy.

Fans of upscale shopping can take in a San Francisco Giants game during the afternoon and then head to Scottsdale Fashion Square, with stores ranging from Jimmy Choo to Gucci, with a little Lacoste thrown in for casual wear. If you're going for the more traditional day in Phoenix, after an Oakland Athletics game, visit Paradise Valley Mall, which has the typical stores with a children's play area thrown in for free. If Grapevine Mills is more your speed, then head to Tempe. Not only is the city the spring training home of the Los Angeles Angels, it's also where Arizona Mills is. The outlet mall boasts more than 100 stores.

Online: Scottsdale Fashion Square (www.fashionsquare.com, 480-941-2140); Paradise Valley Mall (www.theparadisevalleymall.com, 602-996-8840); Arizona Mills (www.arizonamills.com, 480-491-7300)

7. There are non-sports attractions, too.

Who would have ever thought that Peoria, Ariz., would be the home of the museum for the space shuttle Challenger? Right down the street from the spring training home of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres is the Challenger Space Center, which has a tribute to the Challenger astronauts as well as other space-related history and a planetarium.

There are also three branches of the Heard Museum, dedicated to art and the history of American Indians. There's the main branch in Phoenix and museums in Scottsdale and Surprise.

Toward the end of spring training this year, the Arizona Science Center opened an exhibit of Titanic artifacts. A planetarium at the center is undergoing renovations but should be open by next spring. The center also boasts an IMAX theater. Another plus for the science center is that you can take it in after games. For much of March, the center was open until 8 p.m.

Online: Challenger Space Center (www.azchallenger.org, $6 adults, $4 children, 623-322-2001); Heard Museum (www.heard.org, $10 adults, $5 students, $3 children 6-12, 602-252-8848); Arizona Science Center (www.azscience.org, $9 adults, $7 children, 602-716-2000)

8. You can stay wherever you want.

The Phoenix area is big enough that there are plenty of lodging options for families, whether you're trying for convenience, a stay close to a ballpark or want to really live it up. If you're a Rangers fan and all you're coming for is spring training, there's a new Holiday Inn Express right next to the ballpark. And when we say "right next to it," we mean it's literally 500 yards from the entrance to Surprise Stadium.

If you're more into luxury and you've got a couple of extra bucks, you can stay at the Boulders Resort and Spa near Scottsdale. Not only is the resort minutes from the San Francisco Giants' training complex, it also has villas and casitas you can rent for your stay. The property also has the Golden Door Spa, four swimming pools, two golf courses and tennis courts.

If you're trying to catch more than one team and stay close to a highway, the Windmill Inn and Suites in Surprise works. It's close to Seattle/San Diego park, the Texas/Kansas City park and Loop 101, which is the quickest way to get to other parks.

Online: Holiday Inn Express, Surprise (www.hiexpress.com, 623-975-5540, 16540 N. Bullard Ave., Surprise); Boulders Resort and Spa (www.theboulders.com, 1-866-397-6520, 34631 N. Tom Darlington Drive, Carefree, Ariz.); Windmill Inn and Suites (www.windmillinns.com, 623-583-0133, 12545 W. Bell Road, Surprise)

9. Food is everywhere.

What you learn about the Phoenix area is there's lot of Italian food and lots of Mexican food. But beware: The Mexican food is not Tex-Mex. It's Sonoran, which has a different taste altogether. And you might as well try an In-N-Out Burger, which has several locations in the area. Go for a "double double" (double cheese, double meat), and if you're adventurous, try something off the secret menu. But also remember that they don't have a children's menu.

If you leave a Rangers game and want to try some Sonoran cuisine for dinner, you can go to Macayo's in Surprise. It has a huge menu and has been in business for more than 50 years with locations in Tucson, Tempe, Mesa and Phoenix.

If you can't get the Texas out of you and you're hankering for a steak, head to Phoenix for Durant's, where the New York strip is a find. If you just want to rest up at the hotel and order pizza, call Garlic Jim's. There's a location in Surprise and one in Phoenix. The pizza place, which has a spot in Flower Mound, specializes in garlic-crust pizza.

Online: In-N-Out Burger (www.in-n-out.com); Macayo's (www.macayo.com, 623-214-5950, 15565 W. Bell Road, Surprise); Durant's (www.durantsaz.com, 602-264-5967, 2611. N. Central Ave., Phoenix); Garlic Jim's (www.garlicjims.com, 623-546-8111, 15459 W. Bell Road, No. 117, Surprise)

There is one little catch ...

You do have to be patient about one thing if you come to Arizona for spring training: The traffic is bad. Make that bad on a good day. The times to get from one park to another aren't bad even with the traffic, but you have to be patient. Maricopa County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation, and the roads aren't keeping up.

Interstate 10 is the main route between stadiums, connecting those as far west as Surprise to the two in Tucson. The problem is that most games end about 4:30 p.m., which puts you on the interstate during rush hour. The good news is that I-10 through Phoenix has an HOV lane that is open to all cars during non-rush-hour times. The main north road around Phoenix is Loop 101, which can be difficult if you're leaving a game in Scottsdale or Mesa during peak traffic times. So although it might be just 10 miles from the Giants' park to the Angels' park, allow yourself 30 minutes to get there.

But remember: It can't be all bad, because you're getting to watch baseball.

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SPRING TRAINING 2009

So, what new twists can you expect to see in Arizona for spring training next season? A look at a few things on tap:

-Los Angeles Dodgers move to Glendale: The Dodgers have previously made their spring home in Florida but will bring their huge following to Arizona.

-Cleveland Indians in Goodyear: The city is building a new complex for the Tribe, which spent 2008 in Winter Haven, Fla.

-The White Sox could move north: Chicago reportedly would like to move its spring training home from Tucson to the Phoenix area next spring, although there are no firm plans

-A movie theater in Surprise: Although it might sound strange, there's no theater at the spring training home of the Rangers and Royals. That will change later this year.

-Spring training start dates are different for teams: Spring training usually begins from the second week of February until the last week of March. The Rangers reported on Valentine's Day this year.