June 16, 2011 - Not to jinx it, but so far we've managed to dodge the rain for all the games on our tour. In fact, as we left our hotel in Washington, DC to go to Nationals Park, it started to rain slightly and then the skies opened up and poured. But the rain stopped about an hour before game time and allowed the teams and groundscrew to get ready for the game on time.

While we've had other baseball tours to Nationals Park over the last couple of years, I personally haven't been back since it's inaugural year in 2008. The community around the ballpark, while it still needs some work, has improved immensely in the 3 years since my last visit.

Here are some photos of our guests arriving at the ballpark and some photos from around the stadium. Couldn't help but take some photos of the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument from inside the park, too.

Topics: Washington D.C., Nationals, tour operator, sports travel and tours, baseball trips, ballpark tours, big league tours, group tours, Nationals Park, Baseball

Topics: sports travel and tours, baseball trips, baseball travel, baseball vacation package, MLB road trips

Topics: St. Louis, Rangers, sports travel and tours, baseball tours, baseball stadiums, baseball vacation package, big league tours, Busch Stadium, Cardinals, Baseball

Topics: group travel, baseball road trips, sports travel and tours, baseball stadiums, baseball travel, big league tours, group tours, family tours, Baseball

July 1, 2011 - Saturday morning the 18th, we loaded up the motorcoach and made our way to Boston. For some of the folks on our tour, this will have been the 6th game in 8 days. For others, it would be their third game in four days. But one thing they had in common, all were very excited to get to Boston to see the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

We arrived in Boston early in the afternoon and checked into the hotel. Our guests then had a few hours to go explore the sites around bean town. Our hotel was located near the start of the Freedom Trail so many folks started there and explored as much as they could in the time that we had.

My wife and I met some friends at Tasty Burger, a great little burger joint within view of Fenway Park. The food was fantastic. We had classic double cheeseburgers and split a 50/50 (half fries, half onion rings). This will be a permanent stop on all the baseball tours I host in Boston.

Here's a photo from our seats. I kept waiting for a foul ball to roll up the screen above us, hit the face of the upper deck, and then fall into my outreached hand, but no such luck. I think only one or two foul balls were hit up there all night. Maybe it was the style of the pitchers that night? Or, could have just been the way the game was going. Here's the link to the box score on MLB.com.

This is still my favorite ballpark in all of the Majors. It's size, character, atmosphere inside and outside the park, history, and fans all make it a great place to visit on our MLB road trips.

Topics: Red Sox, Boston, sports travel and tours, baseball trips, baseball tours, baseball travel, Fenway Park, MLB tours, MLB road trips

Topics: sports travel and tours, baseball tours, baseball stadiums, big league tours, MLB tours, Yankees, Yankee Stadium, MLB road trips, Baseball

June 16, 2011 - When you are in Cooperstown, eventually you are going to have to get something to eat. There are several options along Main Street, many of them offering traditional American pub fare that will be pleasing to the masses of visitors to the Hall and families with young kids playing in tournaments in the Village.

But after spending several hours in the Hall with groups of 9-12 year olds, I was ready for a quite place to hang out, eat some fine food, and enjoy the slower pace of Cooperstown with the locals. Fortunately, I knew just the place - Alex & Ika Restaurant.

The Alex & Ika Restaurant is located at 149 Main Street. But while it has a Main Street address, its entrance is down an alley and a little way off the beaten path. Not exactly the place that families looking for a quick bite will go but exactly what I was looking for.

Just as the review from Conde Nast Traveler suggests, "A delightful bistro. The menu is brief but the offerings are creative and delicious." Well-known chef and TV hostess, Rachael Ray says, "It's one of the best lunches in town. Don't miss the Fingerling Fries!"

Since I was on my own and had a few things that I wanted to get done, the manager, Sabrina, suggested that I sit at the bar. She also reccommended the fish tacos which were out of this world. I could have kept plates of those coming all afternoon! (Thanks for being such a great hostess, Sabrina!!)

Cooperstown is also home to a microbrewery called Ommegang. Alex & Ika carried their Hennepin beer which was quite tasty. A fantastic way to unwind with the locals! I also learned that the brewery hosts concerts with greats like Steve Earle, the Avett Brothers, and Kenny Loggins making appearances. You can bet that we'll be comparing their concert calendar to the MLB schedules next year as we plan our baseball road trips!

As you make your way around the country on your sports travels, make sure to find these local gems that will make your vacations unique and memorable.

Topics: baseball road trips, sports travel and tours, hall of fame, Cooperstown

April 25, 2011 - A recent article named 5 of MLB's baseball stadiums as the most iconic stadiums to visit: Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Camden Yards, AT&T Park, and Citi Field. The article by Fox News outlines the reasons for why you should visit each of the ballparks from the atmosphere, food selection, and unique features like the ivy-covered walls at Wrigley, the Green Monstah at Fenway, and views from the parks in Baltimore and San Francisco.

If you haven't made it to these parks, we would like to invite you to join us on one of our premier sports travel packages this year. We'll not only get you to the ballparks, but we also include several other extras like great seats, great hotels, player appearances, baseball stadium tours, and other trip specific features.

Check out the tour vacations at www.BigLeagueTours.com and book your package today!

Topics: Citi Field, San Francisco, sports travel and tours, Baltimore, baseball tours, baseball vacation package, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, big league tours, Chicago, Green Monster, MLB road trips, Baseball, Cubs

March 26, 2011 - If you've browsed through our blogs over time, you'll know that we enjoy discovering new restaurants and trying new food items when we're visiting major league cities on our baseball tour vacations. For us, if it's not the MLB Network or ESPN on the tube, it's most likely going to be a cooking show on Food Network or Bravo. So we've started making our plans for our upcoming road trip to Atlanta and Augusta.

My daughter has clued me in that Chef Richard Blais, a finalist in this year's season of Top Chef, has a restaurant called FLIP Burger Boutique with a couple of locations in Atlanta. I'm always up for a burger, especially when you take a gourmet approach to it and bring something new to the table. And looking at the menu, there appears to be some fantastic selections.

The lead off their menu with a local burger: local organic grass-fed beef, tomme cheese, beef bacon, lettuce, yellow tomato, red onion, coca cola ketchup (it is Atlanta, after all), pickled peach & pecans. Or how about this combination for a mushroom and swiss burger: caramelized onions, roasted mushrooms, horseradish mayo, swiss cheese foam? Okay, I'm hungry just thinking about it!

We're definitely going to have to save room for the shakes, too. An apple pie milkshake? Or how about the Krispy Kreme shake? Yep, I'll be diving into one of those for sure.

We'll definitely be heading over to FLIP when we're in Atlanta but we'll have plenty of time to make some other stops. For you locals, where would you recommend that we go? Or for those of you who have been through Atlanta on sports travel and tours, what have you found that's worthy of a visit? We'd love to hear your suggestions!

Topics: Atlanta, sports travel and tours, baseball vacation package

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