The Royals trained at "Baseball City" in Davenport for 15 springs. Their 1987 decision to move from Ft. Myers' Terry Park for spring training was based on the Boardwalk and Baseball theme park, which opened in the same complex on February 14 of that year. But less than three years later, at about 3 pm on a January afternoon, a public address announcement stated that Boardwalk and Baseball was closing...permanently. There were 1,000 people in the park at the time. They were offered refunds.
On the other hand, the Royals were stuck with a 15-year lease and the majority of their spring games in the late '90's didn't attract much more than 1,000 fans. The team was finally able to bolt for a new facility in Surprise, Arizona after the 2002 season. Until that time, Baseball City Stadium resided in a patch of real estate with abandoned buildings scattered about. Driving to the stadium, fans passed the theme park's old parking lots, complete with weeds pushing through the concrete. It was the most quiet area I've ever witnessed a baseball game in.
Despite it's ghost town surroundings, the stadium itself was a relatively nice facility, decked out in royal blue. The most unique aspect about it was the large scoreboard in left-center, a miniature version of what still exists in Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium. Shortly after the Royals left, the ballpark was torn down and replaced by a strip shopping mall.
