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Get a free hotel room night on your 2012 Baseball Tour

Posted by Doug Lawson on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 @ 11:25 AM

Happy New Year

There's still time to book your 2012 baseball tour package and get one free extra hotel night. You can use the extra night to come in a day early, or stay a day after the tour. Just go to the Big League Tours' website and select the baseball vacation you want to book. Then, click "purchase this tour" and fill out the info. But, make sure you do it before the end of the day Dec. 31, 2011 to get the free extra hotel night. Here's a link to the 2012 Baseball Tour Packages:

BIG LEAGUE TOURS 2012 TOUR PACKAGES

We hope you will join us in the Big Leagues on a Big League Tour in 2012. Please call or email with any questions.

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Topics: baseball road trips, baseball tours, baseball travel, baseball vacation package, Baseball

Free extra room night when you book this week

Posted by Doug Lawson on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 @ 11:25 AM

Get a free hotel night before or after your Big League Tour

Book your tour this week to get a free room night courtesy of Big League Tours. Come in a day early so you can relax before your the tour starts, or stay a day after the tour to unwind and enjoy the last city of the trip. It's going to be a great season in the Big Leagues and we hope you will join us. To book your tour, just click on one of the tour links below, then click "purchase this tour" which will take you to the booking page. Here are the links to the tour pages:

Hall of Fame Tour 1
Big Apple Tour
Hall of Fame Tour 2
East Coast Tour
Hall of Fame Tour 3
Texas Swing
West Coast Tour
Baseball on the Bay
Southern California
Midwest Tour 1
Chicago-Milwaukee
Hall of Fame Tour 4
Midwest Tour 2

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Topics: baseball vacations, baseball road trips, baseball tours, baseball travel, baseball vacation package

Baseball Tour Holiday Promotions and Tour Spotlight

Posted by Doug Lawson on Fri, Dec 16, 2011 @ 02:10 PM

Book before Dec. 23 to get your extra hotel night

Folks have been booking early to take advantage of our free hotel night promotion. For example, we've had travelers from the West Coast select to arrive a day before their Midwest 2 Tour begins so they won't be rushed after their cross country flight. We've also had a family choose the early arrival option on their Chicago/Milwaukee so they can have a day to check out the sites in Chicago. The promotion ends Dec. 23. Call or email us with any questions.

Still time to get a Big League Tours' gift pack under the tree

A Big League Tours' trip is a great gift for the holidays. Any true baseball fan would love to travel with Big League Tours in 2012. Plus, you can get a Big League Tours gift pack for them to open up on that special day. Just book your tour by the end of this week (Dec.16), and let us know you want a gift pack. We'll send it out right away and only charge for the shipping.

Tour Spotlight: Hall of Fame Tours

Grand hall at Yankee Stadium This season, Big League Tours is offering four tour packages that visit the most popular destinations in baseball. Our Hall of Fame Tours include games at Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Citi Field and a visit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. We always provide great, lower level seats; an MLB player experience; first class hotels; and the flexibility to enjoy your trip. Click on the tour listings below to see the details.

Hall of Fame Tour 1

Hall of Fame Tour 2

Hall of Fame Tour 3

Hall of Fame Tour 4

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Topics: group travel, baseball trips, baseball tours, baseball travel, baseball vacation package, ballpark tours, Fenway Park, Yankees, Yankee Stadium, hall of fame

Announcing Our 2012 Baseball Tours

Posted by Glenn Dunlap on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 10:15 PM

Everyone at Big League Tours is excited to present our 2012 baseball vacation packages. We used the info we collected from our “bucket list” survey, as well as, customer comments and experiences to put together our baseball tours. We think this is one of the most varied and extensive seasons we have ever offered. We will be adding a College World Series package soon, so keep an eye on our website and your email for info on that tour.

We hope you will join us in the Big Leagues on a Big League Tour in 2012. Please click on the links below to see the tours. As always, call or email with any questions.

EARLY BOOKING PROMOTION
Book between now and Dec. 23, 2012, and you will receive one free extra hotel night per room. That means you can go to your first destination a day early, or stay a day afteryour tour, and Big League Tours will pick up the room. Some restrictions apply.

Hall of Fame Tour 1- includes Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium and Citi Field
May 14- 19, 2012

Big Apple Tour- includes Yankee Stadium and Citi Field
May 16- 20, 2012

Hall of Fame Tour 2- includes Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and Fenway Park
June 4- 8, 2012

East Coast Tour – Touch ‘Em All Out East!!- includes Nationals Ballpark, Camden Yards, Citizens Bank Park, Citi Field, Yankee Stadium, The Hall of Fame, and Fenway Park
June 21- 28, 2012

Hall of Fame Tour 3- includes Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and Fenway Park
June 24- 28, 2012

Texas Swing Tour - Includes Rangers Ballpark and Minute Maid Park
June 22- 27, 2012

West Coast Tour – Touch ‘Em All Out West!! – includes Safeco Field, AT&T Ballpark, The Coliseum, Dodger Stadium, Angels Stadium, Petco Park and Chase Field
June 29- July 8, 2012

Baseball on the Bay with Seattle- includes Safeco Field, AT&T Ballpark, and The Coliseum
June 29- July 3, 2012

Southern California Tour with Arizona- includes Dodger Stadium, Angels Stadium, Petco Park and Chase Field
July 4- 8, 2012

Midwest Tour 1- includes Target Field, Wrigley Field, Miller Park, US Cellular Field, and Busch Stadium
June 29- July 5, 2012

Chicago/ Milwaukee- includes Wrigley Field, Miller Park, and US Cellular Field
June 30- July 4, 2012

Hall of Fame Tour 4- includes Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium and Citi Field
July 16- 21, 2012

Midwest Tour 2- includes Great American Ballpark, Comerica Park, Progressive Field and PNC Park
July 19- 23, 2012

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Topics: bucket list, baseball tours, group tours, family tours, MLB road trips

Looking Forward to an Exciting World Series

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 04:30 PM

October 19, 2011 - Congratulations to the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals for their League Championship victories. The stage is set for a great World Series.

Since our inception in 2006, we have enjoyed multiple visits to Busch Stadium and Rangers Ballpark. But we have to admit that we have a special affinity for the Rangers organization at Big League Tours. Our group's reception when we visited Arlington in 2010 was tremendous. Rangers legend Jim Sundberg was especially gracious as he gave our group a private baseball stadium tour and a behind-the-scene look at the Rangers' offices. Group with Nolan Ryan and Jim Sundberg

And then, Jim surprised us all by arranging a meeting with Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. Nolan and Jim were kind enough to sign autographs and chat at length with our group, too. They even posed for pictures like the one above. If you're ever on a tour with Rob, Mickey, Dianne or Lillian (that's them with the big smiles in the picture), just ask them about that day. They'll enjoy telling you all about it.

Thanks again to Jim Sundberg and Nolan Ryan for making this one of the most special baseball vacation packages we've offered our Big League Tours' guests. We hope to visit the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington again very soon, maybe again in 2012.

Speaking of 2012 baseball tours, if you aren't on our email list to get updates and announcements, Click Here to sign up so that you'll be the first to know about your upcoming sports travel and tours.

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

Midwest Baseball Tour Begins in Toronto

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 03:30 PM

July 22, 2011 - The Midwest Plus tour got off to a great start in Toronto. After meeting up with all our participants here at the Four Diamond hotel, we took the short walk over to the Rogers Centre. Yes, it was a hot one, with temperatures expected up at 37! (That's about 105 fahrenheit if my math is right.) The walk over was early enough that it was actually pretty pleasant as we walked over.

We were met at the Rogers Centre entrance by Buck Martinez, longtime player with the Blue Jays, Brewers, and Royals and now the TV play-by-play man for the Jays. Buck took us into the baseball stadium and gave us the story of what was originally called SkyDome. We were there for the first time the dome had been closed for heat, so that's some history. Buck took questions for about half an hour, then walked us up to his TV booth. Then we went down to the TV Truck, a place most people don't get to see. (We went back during the game to see it working - very cool!)

As Buck went off to call the game, we took our seats for a close game between the Jays and Mariners. We were sitting a couple rows back near third base, a great place to see Jose Bautista normally, though he was DHing due to his ankle injury last week. It was a pitchers duel for the first seven innings, a tight 1-1. Then Doug Fister fell apart and the Jays pounced on the opportunity to ring him up. Quickly 5-1, the M's struck back even more quickly. Reliever Casey Janssen walked a couple, gave up one blooper, then Miguel Olivo tied it up with a line drive to dead center. It was the M's first grand slam of the season!

The M's, in the midst of a 12 game losing streak, couldn't hang on. Rajai Davis hit a long line over the CF's head to score a couple, but got the laughter from his teammates as he raised his hands after the hit. Yes, Rajai thought it was the ninth inning instead of the eighth and that he had hit a walk off. No, Rajai - run! (He made it to second on the throw, but he'll get a fine in kangaroo court for that one!) The Jays closed it out with big Jon Rauch, getting the win, 7-5.

Most of the tour group headed to the hotel attached to the stadium to meet up with Buck Martinez again. (I missed this part, staying behind to take part in the Blue Jays post-game show with Mike Wilner. The show goes out not just to Toronto, but is a nationwide broadcast in Canada.) Buck brought along his TV partner, Pat Tabler, for a drink before they jetted off to Texas. The group walked back to the hotel and had a night in beautiful (but hot) Toronto.

We'll be packing up and heading for Niagara Falls this morning, so I'll wrap this up for now. It was a great start to our small group tour. At one point, one of the participants turned to me and said "It's going to be tough to top this!" I had to just smile - while we had a great time in Toronto, Rogers Centre is the "worst" stadium we'll see on the tour and we've got a lot planned for the next four days.

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Topics: Royals, Mariners, Blue Jays, Toronto, baseball tours, baseball stadiums, Brewers, Baseball

Final Destination for Our Tour: Fenway Park

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 02:45 PM

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 View from our seats at Fenway

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.

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

Touring Yankee Stadium

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 01:30 PM

June 22, 2011 - Friday morning of our tour allowed our guests some time to explore some sites in New York City. We then gathered together to go to Yankee Stadium for one of their escorted tours. Here's the group just outside the House That Ruth Built (v2, anyway...)

I've taken this baseball stadium tour many times and would have to say that our guide, Greg, was the best I've had in the new stadium. He did a great job of incorporating historic details into the presentation as we stood in the museum and monument park. Many times before we would be rushed from place to place in the ballpark but that wasn't the case this time.

Because the team was out of town, we were able to exit the Yankees' dugout and go through the tunnel to see the batting cages and the team clubhouse. I'd love to show you pictures but cameras, cell phones, etc. are strictly off limits in those areas.

To the left is the newest monument in Monument Park. It's obviously to George Steinbrenner, The Boss, who passed away last year. Mr. Steinbrenner had a terrific impact on the Yankees, the improvement of the team's performance, and continuing the legacy of the team's history. It's interesting to note, and comments were being made on this tour as I'm sure they are on other small group tours, that this is the largest monument in the park.

As you set out on MLB road trips, the behind the scenes looks that baseball stadium tours provide are something you should include. This is especially true in New York where the Yankees franchise, love 'em or hate 'em, has such a fantastic history and tradition. It's well worth the visit.

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

Getting Around Washington, DC

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 12:15 PM

June 16, 2011 - Monday night and most of Tuesday provided free time for our guests to explore Washington, DC on their own. Some opted to walk the mall. Some visited museums. Others met friends for tours and sharing meals. Escalator at DuPont Circle

Whatever their choice though, it brings up the point that on each of our MLB tours, we attempt to build in free time for you to explore the cities we're in. Let's face it, if you are in a city for the first time, and maybe the only time, you are going to have things that you just want to do. We want you to have the time to do whatever you want.

Here's a photo I shot on my phone from down in the DC Metro system. It's so amazingly far underground!

For more on our sensible itineraries, check out this video:

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Topics: Washington D.C., baseball tours, MLB tours

Museum and Stadium Tours in Baltimore

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 12:00 PM

On Eutaw Street beginning our escorted tour

June 16, 2011 - Whenever we're on the road with our group travel tours, we try to schedule baseball stadium tours to get a behind-the-scenes look at how things operate in the bigs. So while in Baltimore, we took in the guided tour of Orioles Park.

The tour that they give is probably one of the best tours in the majors based on the amount of time that they give you as well as the information that they share.
Inside the museum

The tour starts on Eutaw Street and visits the club level, luxury and party suites, media room, press box, the field and dugouts. All in all it's a great tour that's worth the visit.

We also stopped in the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum which is just a few blocks from Orioles Park. The museum is rich with history of Babe's life, not just his formative years in Baltimore. Here are some photos from the Museum.

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Topics: group travel, Orioles, tour operator, Baltimore, baseball tours, baseball stadiums, ballpark tours, group tours, Oriole Park

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