Ultimate Baseball
Road Trip Blog

We may be partial, but we think the Midwest is best! Here, you’ll find some of the newest ballparks in Major League Baseball, each with its own distinct personality. Our flexible Midwest Tours allow you to hit them all or visit just a few.

The Midwest July Tour starts in Minneapolis at Target Field, where a Twins “homerun celebration” and walleye on a stick are things you just have to experience. (Minnesotans are serious about their acclaimed “state fair food”!)

Next, we slide down to Chicago for a game at historic Wrigley Field. The ivy walls, The Friendly Confines, Wrigleyville and Chicago dogs… need we say more?

After Wrigley, we’ll venture to American Family Field in Milwaukee for an afternoon game. Along with the award-winning Brewers, fans enjoy delicious brats and brews, a fun family atmosphere, and a crowd that has a great time whether they win or lose.

Guests have an extended time to take in Windy City views, shopping, architectural tours and some of the Midwest’s finest food before the Cubs take on the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The following day takes us to Busch Stadium in St. Louis for one of the best fan experiences in baseball! Even if you’re not a Cardinals enthusiast, the fan-friendly atmosphere and skyline backdrop of the Gateway Arch will draw you in. Another must-see is Ballpark Village, an adjacent complex where fans enjoy shopping, good eats, and the Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.

The final stop on this tour is Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium, where fans experience Royals baseball, varietal craft beer, and some of the best BBQ in the country. Fans of all ages enjoy the one-of-a-kind Water Spectacular, an unforgettable fountain display that you have to see to believe. Give yourself time to see the Negro League Museum before heading out of town. 

This tour has it all--premium seats, great hotels, and all the Big League Tours extras. Choose an extended Midwest Tour with multiple games and cities; or select a shorter version of the tour to fit your budget and bucket list. Book now to hold your spot!

Midwest July
July 21 – White Sox @ Twins
July 22 – Cardinals @ Cubs
July 23 – Braves @ Brewers
July 24 – Free Day
July 25 – Cubs @ White Sox
July 26 – Free Day
July 27 – Cubs @ Cardinals
July 28 – Twins @ Royals

About Big League Tours

Big League Tours helps fans get closer to the game by securing lower level seats, arranging stadium tours and player experiences, and providing first-class hotel accommodations. Flexible itineraries allow fans to experience the best of the best in the greatest baseball cities across the nation. Unlike other tour companies, Big League Tours not only takes care of the buses and games for a baseball tour, but also provides extras that turn tours into true sports vacations, loaded with unique baseball-related events. For more information, contact Big League Tours at www.bigleaguetours.com.

Season after season, our stadium-packed East Coast Tours are always our most popular! Fans are immersed in America’s favorite pastime starting at Nationals Park in Washington DC. An extra day allows historical site seeing in our stunning nation’s capital.

Next, experience the retro feel of Baltimore’s Camden Yards. The first of the exclusively single-use baseball stadiums, its exceptional design has been a blueprint for stadiums across the nation and is clearly a favorite with our fans.

Next stop…find Philly! Our hotel is near Reading Terminal Market, where more than 80 diverse merchants offer food, shopping and something for everyone. Our guests can walk to the actual Liberty Bell or take selfies with the 19-foot Liberty Bell replica at bustling Citizens Ball Park!

There’s nothing quite like baseball in New York. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the Yankees do it big, and you feel it at the home of the winningest franchise in history. Comfortable seating, high-end eating and a free one-of-a-kind in-park museum make Yankees Stadium a remarkable experience.

Prefer the Mets? Citi Field echoes the spirit of the great Jackie Robinson and boasts an intimate but open concourse where fans can mingle with a “Taste of the City” and enjoy the home of the “homerun apple”.

Next we’ll take a beautiful drive to the Baseball Hall of Fame in scenic Cooperstown. Get lost in the nostalgia of baseball’s rich history and be inspired by the legends and who made it. Enthusiasts agree that this hidden treasure is an unforgettable, moving experience for fans of all ages.

Finally… it’s Fenway. The vintage charm of MLB’s oldest stadium makes this an essential game experience for every baseball fan. (A Fenway Frank and a walk down Jersey Street makes us tear up every time!) Our fans love the stadium tour, which includes a wealth of Red Sox history and watching batting practice from the historic Green Monster.

Choose one of our Full East Coast Tours or select a “mini” version to fit your schedule and bucket list.

East Coast June
June 21 – Cardinals @ Nationals
June 22 – Free Day
June 23 – Mariners @ Orioles
June 24 – Mets @ Phillies
June 25 – Rangers @ Yankees
June 26 – Brewers @ Mets
June 27 – Hall of Fame
June 28 – Marlins @ Red Sox

East Coast August
August 2 – Brewers @ Nationals
August 3 – Free Day
August 4 – Mets @ Orioles
August 5 – Royals @ Phillies
August 6 – Astros @ Yankees
August 7 – Cubs @ Mets
August 8 – Hall of Fame
August 9 – Royals @ Red Sox

About Big League Tours

Big League Tours helps fans get closer to the game by securing lower level seats, arranging stadium tours and player experiences, and providing first-class hotel accommodations. Flexible itineraries allow fans to experience the best of the best in the greatest baseball cities across the nation. Unlike other tour companies, Big League Tours not only takes care of the buses and games for a baseball tour, but also provides extras that turn tours into true sports vacations, loaded with unique baseball-related events. For more information, contact Big League Tours at www.bigleaguetours.com.

May is a great time to put on your flip-flops and enjoy the sunshine (and baseball) of the south! Our Southeast Tour starts in Miami, where guests take in a night game surrounded by the colorful Miami skyline at Loan Depot Park. Did you say Cuban food? We suggest long-time Miami favorites, Versailles or La Carreta, or check out a relative newcomer, Café La Trova (pictured), for fantastic food, drinks, and music. When they’re local favorites, you know they’re good!

Next, guests can unwind right by the water in beautiful St. Petersburg. We’ve added a free day, so you can enjoy the sunny views, shopping and growing food scene before taking in a game at Tropicana Field.

The Southeast Tour winds up in Atlanta, with the unique, all-American experience of Braves baseball. The youngest of the MLB stadiums, Truist Park provides a great atmosphere for a game, and the sights, sounds and tastes of Atlanta never disappoint.

Southeast May
May 18 – Nationals @ Marlins
May 19 – Free Day
May 20 – Brewers @ Rays
May 21 – Free Day
May 22 – Dodgers @ Braves

About Big League Tours
Big League Tours helps fans get closer to the game by securing lower level seats, arranging stadium tours and player experiences, and providing first-class hotel accommodations. Flexible itineraries allow fans to experience the best of the best in the greatest baseball cities across the nation. Unlike other tour companies, Big League Tours not only takes care of the buses and games for a baseball tour, but also provides extras that turn tours into true sports vacations, loaded with unique baseball-related events. For more information, contact Big League Tours at www.bigleaguetours.com.

Year in, year out, the Mideast Tour gets rave reviews from Big League Tours' guests. It actually kind of surprises most travelers. While it doesn’t contain an older, iconic stadium like Fenway or Wrigley, it has some great stadiums and cities that our guests always enjoy.

The obvious choice for most baseball fans is PNC Park in Pittsburgh (group tour on field to the right). It’s next to the river and has a view of the city’s bridges and skyline in the background. It also has the Primanti Brothers sandwiches and Yuengling beer, which will make any ball game better!

As Reds fans, (hey, there’s always next year…) we're likely not completely impartial, but we happen to love Great American Ball Park. The concourses are wide open and provide a site line of the field as you move around the park. Don’t forget to get some Graeter’s ice cream. Black raspberry chocolate chip always hits the spot.

Cleveland is home of Progressive Field (pic on the left from our stadium tour), the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, and a growing food scene. Comerica Park is a really nice ballpark and one of the few places to get a fried bologna sandwich (that’s a positive, right…?).

And Toronto. Oh my goodness…have you been to Toronto? We love going there! It’s really cosmopolitan and has so much to offer.

So, jump on the Mideast Tour this year. You’ll enjoy the cities, stadiums, food, and more!

About Big League Tours
Big League Tours helps fans get closer to the game by securing lower level seats, arranging stadium tours and player experiences, and providing first-class hotel accommodations. Flexible itineraries allow fans to experience the best of the best in the greatest baseball cities across the nation. Unlike other tour companies, Big League Tours not only takes care of the buses and games for a baseball tour, but also provides extras that turn tours into true sports vacations, loaded with unique baseball-related events. For more information, contact Big League Tours at www.bigleaguetours.com.

If we have been connected for any time, you’ve likely been on a tour with John R. or you have seen some photos with him on our site. John has been a continued guest on Big League Tours for many years. We caught up with him after our touring season where he shared some things about the tours he took in 2021.

John joined both the Southwest and the East Coast Tours this year. This wasn’t John’s first East Coast Tour. He shared, “I must admit, I’ve taken the Eastern tour at least three times, twice going to the site of the Hall of Fame. I love it because you get to see some of the original storied franchises, as well as the Nationals and the Mets.”

John also recounted his time visiting Yankee Stadium in August, where Big League Tours had secured a suite for our guests. “I’ve never been in a suite before, especially one at Yankee Stadium, between home plate and first base. They bring you all the food you can eat, included in the price of the tickets. Now I don’t expect to get this opportunity again, so I wasn’t going to waste it. While watching the game in comfortable chairs, I went through three submarine halves, two salads, two chicken strips, three chocolate cookies and two brownies. And that’s just what I can remember. The subs had the softest, best tasting bread I’ve ever eaten.”

John might take the East Coast Tour again, but in 2022 he’ll be taking the Midwest Tour. After visiting Milwaukee and Minneapolis, he will have visited every stadium at least once. John closed his statements by saying, “Thank you, Big League Tours, for providing me quality experiences over the years, well worth the money.”  

We’re thankful for the opportunity to host you, John! Thank you for continuously choosing Big League Tours. 

The 2021 tour season was extra special. Partially because we FINALLY got to go to MLB games, but also because we celebrated guests visiting their 30th stadium. Sandy C. and Jill R. marked #30 off their list this past August. Here's what they had to say about their experience: 

"Growing up baseball was always a part of life. We grew up 60 miles north of Cincinnati and after attending games there over the years, we decided to branch out by going to a Chicago Cubs game. After that, it became the thing to do in the summer – go to a new city & see a new ballpark. After doing a total of eighteen cities on our own and with friends, it was time seek professional help. This brings us to our decision to travel with Big League Tours. Looking into where we wanted to go next was overwhelming. The logistics were mind boggling - the driving, the hotels, the tickets, the scheduling. We started looking into tours that would take us where we wanted to go. The biggest thing about BLT that stood out was the endorsement of Major League Baseball. Once we saw the endorsement, the itineraries that they presented, along with the hotels, transportation and the seat locations for the games, it was a no brainer.

Our first trip was in May of 2018 as the Southern California part of the West Coast trip that included three more cities after our parks. We started in San Diego meeting our group in the hotel lobby and walking to the park. It was a small group with nice people from various parts of the country and two from Canada. We did a stadium tour that day and had great seats at the game. The next day it was Dodger Stadium, another tour and again great seats. Our last game of that trip was at the Angels game on Sunday. At the Angels game, we had seats in the shade in club level area with in-seat service. We stayed at top notch hotels & our tickets were in the lower seating bowl with the exception of Sunday. Our tour host, arranged for anyone in the group to go to a local Italian place for dinner on Sunday night and was very helpful with information on how to get to the airport when we left the trip on Monday, as the group was continuing on with the rest of the trip. It was so nice to leave the planning and arrangements to someone else, we started looking into the 2019 trips as soon as they were available.

When making the arrangements for a 2019 BLT trip, we encountered some issues and sent an email to them. Within 15 minutes, our email was answered on a Saturday night which was very impressive. Great customer service!!

Our next BLT trip was the Southeast Trip in 2019 with another small group including a couple from Australia. We stayed at a beautiful hotel in Miami with a balcony and great view of the cruise ships docking and Miami Beach across the bay. Once again, great seats at the ballpark. Next we traveled to Tampa Bay. The day of the game we were introduced to Dante Bichette, the former major league player. He gave us insight as to what it was like for him to play in the majors and also what it was like to raise a future major leaguer with his son Bo being in AAA baseball at that time. We took individual and group photos with him and he signed our Big League Tour name badges. We then took the trolley to the ballpark and sat 5 rows from the dugout. We saw the stingrays in the outfield tank and saw a fly ball hit the roof of the stadium and drop for a single. In Atlanta, we stayed within walking distance to the park and took in another stadium tour. In true Atlanta fashion, it was a hot Sunday game. Our seats were on the Infiniti club level, with access to the indoor, air-conditioned food court, complete with TVs to keep track of the game. Our tour host, Martha Ellen did a great job making sure there were no bumps along the way and making sure everybody had their picture taken at all the ballparks.

After setting out 2020 for Covid-19, we signed up for the 2021 Southwest Tour. Again it was a nice sized group and there were a few familiar faces from the 2019 tour plus our tour host was another familiar face, Martha Ellen. We started in Phoenix within walking distance to the park. Our seats that night were in the player family section where we actually sat next to the mother of the Diamondbacks starting pitcher and behind the fiancé of the closer. It was interesting to talk with them and see how they view the game with it being their family member on the field. Next we were flown to Denver on July 3rd. From a rooftop lounge at our hotel we were able to watch the Rockies Independence Day fireworks! Sunday took us to the Rockies game against St. Louis.

One of the best parts of hosting baseball tours is getting to celebrate with guests visiting their 30th stadium. This past summer, Joe J. and Mellony C. got to mark visiting all 30 MLB stadiums off their bucket list. Joe shared stories from traveling with Big League Tours. 

"When I was 14 years old I went to my first pro baseball game in Seattle.  I remember the excitement of the crowd, doing the wave, the cheering and the smell of all the food.  That game was a luxury for me since I lived 3 hours away and never really made it to the city.  Back then I made it a goal, call it a bucket list item, to one day visit every MLB team and live that same experience at every stadium.

A little over 30 years later I finally decided to pursue my dream.  Living on the West Coast and knowing California pretty well, my wife Mellony and I planned a trip starting in San Diego.  It was quite a bit of work planning out all the details.  What hotel to stay, routes to take, trying to coordinate game times with rush hour traffic.  Parking was often a chore not being familiar with area layouts.  Tickets… Some stadiums we had to settle for what we could get which was sometimes far from the action.  While it was fun, it was also more of a chore than chasing a dream.

The next season I was looking over team schedules and how to visit a few different stadiums in areas I have no idea how I’m going to get to, where to stay, etc.  I ran into the Big League Tours website during my searches.  At first I thought it was a good idea, but then thought I could just keep doing the scheduling myself.  A few days later along with more frustration I was back to the Big League Tour website with a little different thought process.  Mellony and I talked it over and thought let’s give it a try just to see how it goes and if it was worth it.

The tour we chose started in Cleveland.  The itinerary stated to meet in the hotel lobby at a certain time to meet the tour guide and the rest of the group.   At the meeting we were given our tickets for the game that evening and told to head over at our own convenience anytime when the gates opened.  The hotel was about half a block from the stadium which gave us plenty of time to explore all around.  Our seats were right behind the dugout on the first base side.  Everything about the first day went great and without a hitch.

The next morning we met up again in the lobby and boarded a nice coach to head to Pittsburgh.  There might have been about 15 of us so there was plenty of room which made for a very comfortable ride of just a few hours.  We arrived in Pittsburgh and found our hotel was about 100 yards from the stadium.  We had our tickets in hand and had most of the day to explore the downtown area.  Again, our seats were prime and we had that fantastic view of the city skyline and bridges which made PNC park my favorite stadium.

Our next visit was Cincinnati, then up to Detroit and lastly Chicago to watch the Cubs atWrigley.  In Chicago, we stayed right downtown and had an extra day to just explore.  I can’t explain how fun that was.  Since we were downtown we couldn’t just walk to the game, our guide explained how the L train worked and as a group we all made it as if we took the L train for years.  

That entire trip was very fun and headache free.  You just show up to the first hotel and the rest is in their hands.  We agreed to try another tour the next season.

My wife and I have now taken 5 tours with Big League Tours and visited 21 stadiums over the past 5 years (not counting the no-fans pandemic year).

In each city we stayed right next to the stadium or had transportation provided to and from the stadium.  If I said the seats were great, that would be an understatement.  At sold out Fenway, we sat about 10 rows directly behind home plate.  Same with a packed Yankee stadium.  On the really hot days we would have seats in the terrace level where the A/C was on right behind us. 

Just the fact of not having to do all the planning and coordinating on these tours was more than worth it.  Were there issues?  Of course something always seems to come up now and then, but they were handled in a very timely manner and soon to be forgotten about.  That’s what’s great about having a tour guide.

Our last tour was probably our most anticipated (at least for me).  It started in St. Louis.  If there was ever a baseball town it’s got to be St. Louis.  We took a tour of Busch Stadium and got to see some great areas of the park.  The game was one of the best times I’ve had at a ballpark.  

The next day we were at Kansas City.  We sat in the Diamond Club and just a couple rows back from home plate.  You couldn’t ask for better seats…..except…. We took a break from the heat (it was 97 with heat index of over 105) and stood at one of the ‘standing tables’ behind the last row in our section.  We were invited by a Diamond Club hostess to fill one of her tables that remained empty just a few rows in front of where we stood.  Of course we couldn’t pass that up.  She later told us whose table we were sitting at.  It was the Owner of the Royals table.  He would sit there when not in his suite.  WOW!! Just wow.  What an experience.

Last stop was to see the Twins.  A quick flight and we were able to finally reach our goal of visiting all 30 stadiums with a visit to Minnesota in Aug, 2021. 

The dream became a reality and the reality seemed like a dream.

With the MLB season in full swing, there's been information released about requirements for attending some of the stadiums. It's almost certain these requirements will change over the next few months, but this is a great place to start. Check out the full article from CBS News here. 

"Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, and Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, are among a longer list of sports spaces that now require digital vaccine verifications. The arenas are doing so because of health safety protocols from their respective states. Those teams and others have been using an app called Health Pass from technology company Clear for COVID-19 screening. In some cases, showing your status on Health Pass could be the difference between watching a game in person or at home. 

"'Guests holding valid game tickets who cannot present proof of either a negative COVID-19 test within the required timeframes or proof of a COVID-19 full vaccination will not be allowed inside Yankee Stadium,' the New York Yankees said in a statement posted on the team website Friday. 'Guests may utilize Health Pass by Clear to confirm your COVID-19 test results for the event.'"

Patrons looking to enter an arena can show a recently taken negative COVID-19 test or proof that they've taken the vaccine."

We'll keep you updated on any new information and regulations as we hear them. We've heard from so many of you that you're fully vaccinated and ready to go. (So are we!!) We're looking forward to the season and see you out on the road!