Opening Night in Atlanta

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 08:15 AM
April 9, 2011 - You've gotta love Opening Day/Night at any baseball stadium. It's a time to celebrate the franchise's past, especially its most recent accomplishments. It's the start of a new baseball season and signifies new beginnings and opportunities for players, fans and teams. Witnessing Chipper's 2,500th hit on our MLB road tripAnd the atmosphere is electric as fans are so happy to be attending the first game of baseball in their home town.

Last night was no different in Atlanta. The ceremonies included the unveiling of their 2010 Pennant in center field for clinching a wild card playoff berth. It also featured former skipper, Bobby Cox, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to his successor, Fredi Gonzalez. Ol' number six got a huge (and very fitting) ovation at Turner Field when he was announced and walked onto the mound.

We also witnessed a piece of history. Chipper joins lined a base hit to left field for his 2,500th hit of his career. That was great to see for a player who has been around so long, made huge contributions, and has meant so much to this team. Here's a photo of the historic hit taken from our seats. (We like to throw those in for free on our MLB road trips whenever we can!!) Here's the Braves wrap-up of the game.

The final game of the first of our baseball tours is this afternoon with the Phillies and Braves again.

Topics: stadium tours, Opening day, Atlanta, Braves, Turner Field, baseball tours, baseball stadiums, MLB tours, MLB road trips, Baseball

The Baseball Nerd In Me

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 06:30 AM
March 26, 2011 - Alright. I'll admit it. There's a great deal of baseball nerd in me. I can't help it though. It's just something that I love. I realized my nerdiness was being fed when I was watching the MLB network and they were showing live shots from centerfield at various baseball stadiums across the majors.

I'm sure that part of my interest is that I'm really sick of cold weather. And seeing grounds crews at work on the fields is a pretty good indication that spring is here.

But the biggest part has to be that I'm really excited for our baseball road trips we have planned for the new season! It's one thing to see the stadiums being prepared as you watch on tv. It's something much greater to walk through the gates and see the brilliant colors of the grass, the stands, and the signs throughout the ballparks. For true baseball fans on tour vacations, this is one of the things we enjoy the most.

So to all my fellow baseball nerds, we're getting close!! See you at the ballpark soon!!

Topics: baseball road trips, baseball tours, baseball stadiums, Baseball

Baseball in the Lone Star State

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 05:00 AM
Janurary 16, 2010 - Big League Tours is a company that provides world class customer service and trips that you'll remember for the rest of your life. The trip my mom and I went one was very memorable and special. We went on the Texas Tour in July, 2010 to see two Texas Rangers games and two Houston Astro games. The staff of this company was very friendly. They do things that none of the other baseball tours ever do like do a tour each stadium you visit and do a meet & greet with a former player of one of the teams that you're going to see. We did a meet & greet in Arlington with former Ranger legend Jim Sundberg who had a very warm personality and showed us around the ballpark and his office. The biggest highlight of trip happened when Jim Sundberg introduced us to Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan who was amazing to meet. Nolan is just a class of his own. The seats at all the games are outstanding and they are lower level and you get a fantastic view of each game you go to. I don't think there will ever be a sports travel company as amazing as Big Leagues and that's what I call one Big League Experience of its own.

Name: Rob
City: Phoenix
State: AZ
Country: USA
Your Trip: Texas Tour



Topics: stadium tours, Rangers, sports travel and tours, baseball stadiums, big league tours

Lucky's Cafe: Big League Eats in Cleveland

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 04:00 AM

November 27, 2010 - Our Midwest Plus Tour is swinging through Cleveland on Saturday, July 23rd. Luck be a lady for this big league baseball tour, and her name is Heather Haviland, Chef and Owner of Lucky's Cafe, just outside of Cleveland. We'll definitely be working our itinerary around a visit to this local eatery. On the weekends, they serve up an amazing brunch menu that is bound to send us to the baseball stadium feeling more than satisfied. In fact, it looks like we'll be prepared for extra innings!

Watch the video and tell me if the Reuben sandwich that she grills up doesn't look like the best Reuben you've ever seen made in your life. It looks fantastic. Oh, and the biscuits and gravy look divine, too. So maybe we'll have to go there twice?? The granola looks fantastic as well. It's fortunate for us, or "lucky", that we'll be in Cleveland over a weekend for one of our sports travel tours and we'll be able to take advantage of this menu!!

Topics: sports travel and tours, Cleveland, baseball tours, baseball stadiums

Behind the Scenes Tour at Wrigley Field

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 01:45 AM
July 23, 2010 - Whenever our schedules allow, we try to include baseball stadium tours on our sports vacation packages. They are a great way for fans to see the stadiums in depth and get closer to the game they love.

Cubs clubhouse - photo taken on a stadium tour on a Big League Tours baseball roadtripOne tough ticket is a stadium tour at Wrigley Field. They don't typically offer tours when the team is in town, which is troublesome for us since we're typically there to see a game. However, it worked out for us on our latest of small group tours that we were able to get tickets.

People love Wrigley for its charm, the history, the ivy, the easy-going Cubs fans, and that your team has a better than average shot of winning when there... (Okay, sorry Cubs fans...)

Going behind-the-scenes only makes things more interesting for a fan. For instance, here's a shot from the Cubs clubhouse. In the days of over-sized everything in sports - from paychecks to hat sizes to forearms and biceps and to clubhouses - this is obviously one modest facility. No room for double lockers (or four for Mr. Bonds and his recliner). It's similar to the clubhouse at the old Yankee Stadium.

Pretty interesting to see their digs, isn't it?

Topics: stadium tours, baseball stadiums, Wrigley Field, sports vacation, group tours, Yankee Stadium, Cubs

Different Vantage Point at Wrigley

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 01:30 AM
July 23, 2010 - I have had the good fortune to visit most of the Major League ballparks. Many of them quite a few times, especially the most popular parks and places our clients love to visit. If you've been on one of our tours, you know that we take your seat locations very seriously. It's something that's quite different about us from the other guys.

I've heard customers of our competitors say that they sat four rows from the top at Yankee Stadium and were clear out by the foul pole. Never on one of our tours. You'll sit in lower level seats, most of the time between the bases, sometimes just outside. Our goal is for you to walk into the ballpark, be amazed at the sites, and love your seats. My favorite reaction is to hear our customers walk out of the stadium and say, "Those were fantastic seats!"

Admittedly, seat location is one of the reasons that I started this biz. I don't want to be four View from just under the press box at Wrigleyrows from the moon at Yankee Stadium and don't think you do either. All that said, I've now started buying tickets for myself in varied locations when I'm on our MLB road trips. I'm enjoying checking out the different baseball stadiums from different vantage points. I'll do this expecially if it's a park that I've been to many times or one where we are seeing multiple games at the same stadium on one of our MLB tours.

Case in point, here's a shot that I took from my seats at Wrigley on a recent visit. I have to admit, I really enjoyed these seats. As you can see, it's a great view of the ballpark. You can see all of the action from here. It's in the shade, which was really important on a Sunday afternoon game when the temps were in the 90's. And, if you've ever been to Wrigley you'll appreciate this, there wasn't anybody walking in front of us during the game!

I'll definitely sit in these seats again. There just below the announcers booth so if they were good enough for Harry all those years, they have to be good.

Topics: baseball tours, baseball stadiums, Wrigley Field, MLB tours, Yankee Stadium

How Does This Keep Happening??

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 01:15 AM
July 23, 2010 - I think it was Woody Allen who said that, "90% of life is just showing up." That certainly seems to be the case for my son. As we walked of the "El" and into Wrigley Field for the Sunday afternoon game between the Cubs and Cardinals, he was stopped by a young woman who asked if he would be interested in watching batting practice from the field. She was wearing a shirt that said Chevy on it so I asked if I had to buy a car or something to make it happen. After all, things like that just aren't free, are they?? She assured me that I didn't and gave everyone in our group passes to get down to that section with him.

Since it was a Sunday, and hotter than blue blazes, I didn't think either team would take batting practice. As it turns out, the Cardinals did. (This might have proven beneficial as they went on to crush the Cubs that day and Sir Albert hit three dingers himself...) A few of the Cardinals were also kind enough to visit the on-field section and sign autographs for the kids on the field. My son received signatures from Tony LaRussa, Mark McGwire, and Albert Pujols. He was pretty stoked about starting his day at the ballpark on the field.

There are never any assurance of events like this happening when you show up at the baseball stadium, but we've found that showing up early, whether it's on one of our baseball vacation packages or just one of our family tours, is key to being in the right place at the right time. It doesn't hurt to have on team gear and demonstrate that you are a true fan, either.

Feel free to share with us the cool things that have happened to you when at the ballpark! Many times those are the things that make your sports vacations truly memorable.

Topics: baseball stadiums, baseball vacation package, Wrigley Field, sports vacation, family tours, Cardinals, Cubs

Loving the Unexepected Connections

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 01:00 AM
May 28, 2010 - As much as we fancy ourselves on being great trip planners and including really cool features on our trips, there's always the opportunity for the unexpected to happen, too. And in this case, I'm talking about the unexpected in a really good way.

We always plan to be at the baseball stadiums early so that we can explore the ballparks, take in batting practice, and have the chance of getting a baseball or autograph in the process. Our recent road trip to Atlanta was no different - except for the unexpected.

The event occured during the Reds' batting practice. Several of the players had stopped by to sign autographs for fans around their dugout. One of the local kids in a Braves t-shirt asked Jonny Gomes if he could have his batting gloves. Jonny's off-handed response was, "yeah, right."

Jonny hit the batting cage, took the obligatory jog around the bases, and then headed back towards the dugout and where we were sitting. We're assuming that since my son was wearing a Reds jersey (or it could have been that he just hadn't hounded Jonny or the other players), Jonny walked back over to our section and handed his batting gloves to him. He was thrilled to say the least.

Our hope is always to provide an experience that you'll never forget, gifts for baseball fans, if you will, so we package a lot of fun stuff into our group travel tours. But like Woody Allen said, "95% of life is showing up." Being at the games early gives you a greater chance to get closer to the game that we all love so much. So the next time you head out on one of your baseball road trips, allow time for the unexpected and maybe you'll be given a gift of your own!

Topics: group travel, Atlanta, baseball road trips, baseball trips, baseball stadiums, group tours, Reds

Funny Spot on ESPN

Posted by Big League Tours on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 @ 11:30 PM
April 14, 2010 - Anybody else as big of a fan as I am of the commercials that they run on ESPN? There's Albert Pujols at the copy machine. How about LeBron James sitting in a lousy desk chair while Van Pelt sits in his royal chair? Or the classic is when the baseball players are critiquing the sportscasters on film.

Here's a new spot that's going to air on ESPN featuring Torii Hunter of the Angels and BJ Upton of the Rays. It's a pretty funny take on something you would normally only see inside a baseball stadium.

Topics: St. Louis, baseball stadiums, Cardinals

Helpful Tips About Our Package Tours

Posted by Big League Tours on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 @ 10:00 PM
March 22, 2010 - BASEBALL, BASEBALL, BASEBALL.It’s not ALL we think about. In fact, while every Big League Tour is designed to provide you with an experience that’s loaded with unique baseball-related events, we’ve also designed each trip to provide you with the freedom to plan some of your own activities. Restaurants, museums, even shopping malls - you’ll have time to explore these unique destinations on your own. Just don’t be late for the game!   
 
Here are some more details about our baseball vacation packages you might find helpful.
 
TICKETS
In most cases we’ve secured field level tickets for the games, attempting to make the sportsShot from our seats at Fenway Park tours as enjoyable as possible. Certain tours will feature reserved suites or party rooms which will allow us to have former major league players join us for private meetings at the ball park.
 
RENDEZVOUS POINT
Every trip starts at a specific rendezvous point in our destination city (most likely our hotel). Unless otherwise noted, you’ll be able to get to the rendezvous point whichever way works best for you - live close, drive on over - live farther away, you’ll probably fly in to join us. Have a question? Give us a call and we’ll talk it over.
 
WALKING
Some walking will be required on our trips. Whenever possible we’ll be taking baseball stadium tours, and when possible walking from the hotel to the stadium. As most stadiums (and our hotels) will be situated in the downtown areas, plan on walking to lunches, dinners and shopping. The bottom line? Bring comfortable shoes and be prepared to see the sites!
 
HOTELS
We’ll be staying in great hotels (Hyatt-, Marriott-, and Omni-level hotels). Hotels have been chosen based on their quality, location to the stadium, and proximity to other points of interest. You won't be stuck 200 miles away from civilization on our group travel tours. You'll be able to fully enjoy the cities that we visit.
 
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
The trips are designed for fans of all ages. You should consider that the trips will require time on a motor coach, sitting at games, and walking. As long as anyone is capable of handling these elements, they should get along fine. No events are planned in facilities that have age limits. The only request is that you think about the others on the trips so they aren’t put in an uncomfortable situation.

Topics: stadium tours, sports travel and tours, baseball stadiums, baseball vacation package, big league tours