Two out of five U.S. adults (38%) attended an organized sports event, competition or tournament as either a spectator or as a participant while traveling in the past five years according to a Travel Industry Association survey. A majority of these travelers took their most recent sports trip, however, in the past year (70% or 52.7 million adults). Which sporting event did they attend most? Baseball games topped the list as some 17% of U.S. adults who traveled 50 miles or more sought to enjoy America’s Favorite Pastime. Major League Baseball Spring Training is but a one-hour car drive from the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort. Enjoy a half-day lounging under a Chickee Hut on the island’s famous beach before making the short trip to Fort Myers where two of the game’s best - Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins - call home. Baseball fans, could it get any better than this? For ticket information contact www.ticketmaster.com.

According to a Travel Industry Association Poll, 20 percent of all U.S. adults traveled for romance-related purposes in the past year. Such travel is most popular among Baby Boomers, as four in 10 (41%) romance travelers are age 35-54. One-third (33%) of these travelers are Generation X and Y travelers between the ages of 18 and 34. Not surprisingly, the majority of romance-related travelers are married (67%). “Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort is the ideal place for couples to re-connect and unwind”, according to Kelli Carriker, the resort’s Spa Director. The full-service Balinese-inspired spa offers a luxurious enclave of tranquility surrounded by a broad beach and a calming sea. The Spa features various treatments inspired by the island paradise, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, salon services, Spa Cafè serving healthy fare and a Spa Shop. Couples can also enjoy a Resort Romance/Honeymoon Package complete with a deluxe Gulf Front guest room with private balcony, breakfast for two each morning or Room Service plus a Champagne and Chocolate Covered Strawberries amenity delivered upon check-in. World-class on-site restaurants, a seemingly endless white sand crescent-shaped beach, and glorious sunsets make for an unforgettable stay. Relax. Revive. Refresh. Now that’s amore…

Iconic local resident Stan Gober hosts the best outdoor party in Southwest Florida - every Sunday afternoon - in the nearby fishing village of Goodland. Just five miles from the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, look for millionaires, fishermen, bikers, families, visitors and locals to rub elbows and kick back old Florida-style. Hollywood casting would be hard-pressed to come up with a duplicate locale. Beer is cheap, the chairs plastic, and the home-spun live music bang on. Learn to dance the “world famous’’ Buzzard Loop and also look for Stan, a legend in these parts, to tell a tale . . . or two. Free admission. Small cover, at times, for local charities. Sundays noon ‘til whenever.

Although Marco Island’s storied history dates back centuries – the island was the domain of fierce Calusa Indian warriors, Spanish explorers and rugged pioneers – the modern era began just 44 years ago. Developers Elliott, Robert and Frank Mackle Jr. had no idea what to expect when the island “officially’’ opened its doors on January 31, 1965 but they should not have worried. Some 25,000 visitors poured onto the island to catch a glimpse of what a future Paradise would look like. Within a month, 50,000 inquiries flooded the island’s tiny sales and administration center. That was then; this is now . . . today, close to one million visitors walk through the doors of the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort annually.