PHOENIX, December 14 - Every March, thousands of baseball fans flock to Arizona to watch their favorite Major-League Baseball teams train before the season begins. For Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs enthusiasts age 55 and over, there’s an even better way to enjoy spring training. Next spring, Elderhostel, the world’s largest not-for-profit educational travel organization for older adults, offers a series of baseball-themed programs that provide an insider’s look at America’s beloved pastime.

Baseball fans on these programs become students of the game, if they aren’t already. In between attending games, the group delves into the history, economics, inner culture and philosophy of baseball. Each five-night learning adventure includes accommodations, meals, lectures, field trips, tickets to three spring training games and opportunities to explore the colorful history of the game with noted scholars, retired major league players, umpires, team representatives, big league executives and a former player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which existed from 1943-54.

Discuss strategy with former major leaguers as they reminisce about their playing days. Karen Kunkel, a veteran of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and technical consultant on the film A League of Their Own, shares her experience as a player and relives the history of women in baseball.

Hear a fascinating account of growing up in a baseball family from legendary sportscaster Joe Garagiola’s daughter, Gina Bridgeman. As an author, Bridgeman critiques the best of contemporary baseball literature.

A special tour of the state-of-the art Arizona Diamondbacks Bank One Ballpark offers an opportunity to explore the dugout, locker room and museum at the ball field. Baseball movie reviews with a movie scholar and classes on scoring a baseball game round out the week.

Elderhostel, founded in 1975, is the world’s largest not-for-profit educational travel organization for older people. Approximately 160,000 people enroll in Elderhostel’s nearly 8,000 programs annually. Elderhostel provides exceptional learning adventures throughout the United States and Canada and in more than 90 countries around the world. In 2004, Elderhostel launched Road Scholar to meet the needs of a new generation of independent educational travelers. For more information, please visit www.elderhostel.org or www.roadscholar.org.