Tour Feature: Mideast Tours

Posted by Glenn Dunlap on Mon, Sep 05, 2022 @ 12:08 PM

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.

Guests at PNCThe 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.

IMG_3694-preview

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.

Topics: Toronto, PNC Park, MLB tours, Great American Ball Park

Heartland Tour: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Detroit & Chicago

Posted by Glenn Dunlap on Wed, Oct 23, 2013 @ 08:05 AM

A new baseball tour for 2014 is The Heartland Tour that features 5 of the most outstanding newer ballparks in the Major Leagues, along with a visit to historic Wrigley Field. Your tour starts on Tuesday with a downtown stay in Cleveland. Make sure to arrive early on the free day so you can check out the attractions like the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. The Indians will host the Red Sox in an afternoon contest on Wednesday at Progressive Field.baseball road trip,baseball tour,great american ballpark,cincinnati,reds

You will take off for Cincinnati on Thursday for a game at Great American Ball Park. It's a getaway day for the Giants, so we expect it to be an afternoon game. We'll stay in the heart of Cincy with lots to see and do in the evening. To the right are some of our guests on a stadium tour with Reds broadcaster, Chris Welsh. Notice that most of them are eating ice cream out of the freezer that belongs to Chris' fellow broadcaster, Jeff Brantley. (But if you see Cowboy, don't mention anything about the missing ice cream!!)

On Friday we'll head to Pittsburgh for a night game at PNC Park between the Brewers and the Pirates. Then on Saturday we'll make our way to Detroit to see the Tigers host the Red Sox at Comerica Park

Wrigley Field,baseball road trips,ballpark tours,Chicago vacation packagesThen, two nights in Chicago (Sunday and Monday) at a 4-5 star hotel with games at both ballparks. On Sunday, we'll see the Marlins and Cubs at Wrigley Field for an afternoon game. You'll have the day to yourself on Monday to explore the city of Chicago before we take the short trip to the city's south side to see Sox Park

You'll enjoy lower level seats at every game, great hotels in the city center or near the ballparks, a Big League Player Experience and all the Big League Tours extras.

Heartland: June 3-10, 2014

Topics: Comerica Park, baseball vacation package, baseball road trip, Wrigley Field, PNC Park, Great American Ball Park

Big League Tours travel season in 31 photos- Midwest and HoF Tours

Posted by Kayla Wininger on Thu, Sep 27, 2012 @ 04:08 PM

Since joining the Big League Tours crew in early summer, I've had the amazing opportunity to lead two tours. The first time I was the co-pilot with Martha Ellen in Chicago/Milwaukee and the second I was flying solo with the group in New York, Boston and Cooperstown. 

As the 2012 MLB season wraps up, I thought this would be a great time to share some of my favorite pictures from the trips this summer (I also threw in a few from the corporate outing we hosted). My iPhone is my best friend and I love snapping shots of absolutely anything and everything! FYI- My iPhone is far from professional so ignore some of the blurry stuff and just imagine the great times everyone was having!

Join me while I recount the amazing people I've met and wonderful places I've been thanks to Big League Tours.

There will be plenty of photos to come next year so stay tuned, hopefully your face will even be featured in a few! Sign up for our 2013 Tours and be the first to recieve the schedule once it's released!

Follow us on Facebook (Big League Tours), Instagram (BigLeagueTours) and Twitter (@BigLeagueTours) to view our other photos!

Music: Sweet Caroline- Glee Cast

Topics: Red Sox, Boston, Citi Field, Milwaukee, Yawkey Way, east coast baseball tour, baseball stadiums, ballpark tours, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Yankees, Brewers, Chicago, Yankee Stadium, Reds, Great American Ball Park, company outing, hall of fame, Cooperstown, Baseball, Cubs, ballparks

Baseball Road Trip-- An Office Escape

Posted by Kayla Wininger on Wed, Aug 29, 2012 @ 12:32 PM

Looking for a way to ditch your cubicle and get outside for a day?  One of the best parts of our job is working with companies who enjoying spoiling their employees with some staff bonding and baseball!  Lucky for Indy companies, their location is perfect for a weekday getaway to Chicago or Cincinnati.

Reds Game resized 600

This month we hit the road with Service Concepts who awarded more than 30 employees from around the state a day outing to see the Cincinnati Reds.  I don’t know many people who can classify jumping on a bus, having an unlimited lunch buffet and watching a MLB game as a bad day at work!  

Here’s what Mandy K. had to say about the event:

“Attending a Cincinnati Reds game with my coworkers was so much fun! Big League Tours made the day so enjoyable. All we had to do was get on the bus, sit back and relax! Everything was wonderful — from the coach bus ride there, to the unlimited buffet lunch and the special meet-and-greet with former Reds player Chris Welsh, who now announces games for the team. The day was well planned, and it was a great way to spend time with coworkers outside of the office. The stadium was awesome, with a beautiful location overlooking the Ohio River. I can only hope our company will consider taking another Big League Tours trip in the near future!”

Sharing the day with Mandy was also special for me; we went to a high school with less than 250 students TOTAL and hadn’t seen each other for more than four years!  Words can’t describe my surprise when I stepped on the bus and heard “GO JUGROX” from the back of the bus.  Wondering what the Jugrox are?  You’ll have to find that one out on your own.

High school reunions aren’t guaranteed on future trips but everyone here at Big League Tours can guarantee your company outing will be just as successful as this one!

Interested in planning an outing for your sales team or management staff?  Now’s the time to start planning for next year.  To set up a company outing for your crew, email me at kayla@bigleaguetours.com for more details.

Topics: baseball road trips, Reds, Great American Ball Park, company outing

This Week's Featured Baseball Vacation Package

Posted by Doug Lawson on Wed, Feb 01, 2012 @ 11:44 AM
Comerica Park in Detroit The Big League Tours' Midwest 2 Tour will make its way to four great, newer ballparks to see eight different teams vying for playoff positions. 

Our guests will arrive in Cincinnati on Wed., July 18th to check into the hotel and prepare for their luxury baseball vacation. On Thurs., we'll head over to Great American Ball Park for an early afternoon game with plenty of time after to visit the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. Cincinnati area sportscaster, Will Chambers, recently blogged about his favorite things at GABP. Here's a link to that blog post Will Chambers on Great American

Friday morning takes our tour up to Detroit to see Prince Fielder and the Tigers battle the White Sox in an evening contest. We're off to Cleveland the next day for the Indians game at 7:05PM. We plan to arrive in Cleveland with plenty of time for you to visit the sites before the game. Want to check out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Just ask your tour director to help make the arrangements. 

Finally, our tour ends in one of our favorite ballparks- PNC in Pittsburgh. Here's a link to a blog by SI.com writer Will Carroll about PNC-
Will Carroll on PNC Park

As always, you can expect a Big League Player experience, lower level seats, first class hotels, sensible itineraries and all the BLT extras. CLICK HERE for the complete info on the Midwest 2 Tour. A printable/shareable brochure is available for the Midwest 2 Tour.  Click on this link MIDWEST 2 BROCHURE to get access to the brochure.

Book by Feb. 8 and dinner is on us!

Book the Midwest 2 Tour by the end of the day on Feb. 8 and we'll buy you dinner* at the Palomino Restaurant and Bar in Cincinnati after the game on July 19th. Just use the coupon code DINNER when purchasing your tour. Ready to purchase your tour? Here's our RESERVATION PAGE.

*Dinner gift certificate value is $150. One gift certificate per room booked. Not valid with any other offers or discounts.

PNC Park from the club level

Topics: Jacob's Field, Cleveland, baseball travel, baseball vacation package, PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati

Guest Blog: Will Chambers on Great American Ball Park

Posted by Big League Tours on Tue, Jan 17, 2012 @ 10:00 AM

Great American Ball Park provides Reds fans and visitors one of the great baseball experiences in the game. Despite the Reds rich history (baseball’s first ever team) this is not a nostalgic feel type venue. Those are reserved for stops at Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. And kudos goes out to those who planned this park for not trying to make it have that feel. What they did is give the city of Cincinnati an intimate setting to watch their beloved Redlegs.

Great American Ball Park - view from the press box while on a stadium tourAs a person who grew up in the area going to Riverfront Stadium and GABP, there are a few great ways to watch baseball here, even for a Cubs fan like me. I’ll give you my favorite way to watch the game:

There are a number of seating options, including the ultra-premium “Diamond Club” seat section behind the batter’s box. My favorite spot is the club area. They call it the “4192” club after Pete Rose’s record-breaking hit mark. It's a great vantage point and I’m a fan of the elevated view and the club area goes up the first base line on the second level, right on top of the Reds dugout it seems. Inside it is comfortable with ice-cold Freon blowing and great food being served up. Some of which are Cincinnati favorites, LaRosa’s Pizza and Montgomery Inn barbeque as well as a pasta bar and several other stations. One thing to be sure to get: a Big Red Smokey. A hot-dog on steroids. It’s a smoked sausage that eats like a dog without quite the spice you get from a mett. There’s also an option to get one infused with cheddar cheese; a superior hot-dog.

Be sure to keep an eye on the scoreboard located above the bleachers in left (the lower level bleachers in left field leave you with a blocked view of the scoreboard and an area I would avoid FYI) to see two things: the scoreboard stumper and the Mr. Red Race. The stumper is never too difficult and the Mr. Red Race is the tradition at a Reds game.Will Chambers

Lastly, you must go to the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum located just outside the front gate at GABP. This is widely considered the best Hall of Fame and Museum for a team in all of baseball. It features the largest collection of Reds collectibles, artifacts and memorabilia in the world. Two floors and 16,000 square feet of Reds heaven. It’s a must for any baseball fan.

After you’ve taken it all in, finish it off with a sundae from United Dairy Farmers. Your Cincinnati visit is done.

Will Chambers is a local sportscaster and journalist covering Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. His duties include feature sports columnist for Cincinnati Profile magazine and lead play-by-play announcer for Georgetown College, among others. He is a Cincinnati native who currently resides in Kentucky. You can check out his work at IHigh.com.

Topics: stadium tours, baseball tours, baseball stadiums, Reds, Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati

Opening Day - Finally!!

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 07:15 AM
April 1, 2011 - After a long, cold, miserable winter, Opening Day finally arrived. And none too soon. We made our way to Cincinnati yesterday for the parade, ceremonies (aren't fly-overs one of the coolest things on the planet??), and ball game at Great American Ball Park. The weather was a little iffOutside GABP on Opening Day 2011y yesterday but it didn't deter the 42,000+ fans from taking in the festivities celebrating the first game of the season of the oldest franchise in the Majors.

As a Reds fan, the game started a little, ok, very rough. If I remember right, Volquez had given up three runs before he recorded his first out. Not the way you want to start off the regular season. But after that, he seemed to settle down for several innings.

The topper of the day, though, was the 2-out, 3-run walk off home run by Ramon Hernandez! The Reds had 40 some come from behind victories last year and started off the same way they finished the regular season last year. Here's the box score from the game.

Heading to the ballpark yesterday just made us more excited for baseball road trips that we have planned for the 2011 baseball season. If you are looking for baseball vacation packages that are done the way you want 'em, make sure you check out our site for the details on all of our upcoming tour vacations. You'll be glad you did!

Topics: Opening day, baseball road trips, baseball vacation package, Reds, Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati

Midwest 3 Tour Kicks Off This Friday

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 02:15 AM
August 3, 2010 - Where has the summer gone? I can't believe that the last of our small group tours is going to kick off this Friday. It should be a fantastic trip. We'll start in Detroit on Friday, catching the Angels at Comerica Park against the Tigers. We'll then load up the bus on Saturday and make our way to Cleveland. Once in Cleveland we'll take a private stadium tour of Progressive Field before seeing the division rivalry of the Twins and the Indians.

Sunday involves a short hop over to PNC Park in Pittsburgh for an afternoDave "The Cobra" Parkeron game between the Rockies and Pirates. For our travelers who haven't been to this stadium, it's a fantastic place to catch a game, especially a day game with the view of the river, bridges and downtown Pittsburgh as the backdrop. After the game, the group will make its way to Cincinnati for the next two nights.

Monday will be the perfect ending to the tour. We'll take a tour of Great American Ball Park and be joined by Mr. Dave Parker. As most of you will recall, The Cobra was the MVP in 1978, appeared in six All Star Games, won three Gold Glove Awards, and was an instrumental member of the 1979 World Series Championship team with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cobra will share stories from his playing days, talk baseball with our guests, and take pictures with the group. Here's a picture from his appearance with our group in 2008. Looks like he could still play, doesn't it?

We'll finish the tour with the heated division rivalry between the Cardinals and the Reds with a game and series that couldn't be hotter or mean more for these two teams.

Stay posted for up to the minute posts from the final tour of our 2010 sports travel packages.

Topics: Rockies, Comerica Park, Tigers, Indians, Progressive Field, Detroit, sports travel and tours, Cleveland, PNC Park, Pirates, group tours, Cardinals, Reds, Great American Ball Park

Call Me Old School - What I Like to See at Baseball Games

Posted by Christy Millikan on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 @ 07:45 AM
Vintage or retro, call it what you will. I love it! I’m talking about the change in the Orioles and Blue Jays logos that were recently announced. Have you seen the changes? They are as I remember them as a kid, and in my opinion how they should’ve remained all along. I’m thrilled to see the return of both birds, cartoon-style. 
 
It’s been fun in recent years to watch teams utilize “throw back” uniforms, but it’s nice to see that some things simply stay the same. While I’m not a fan of the Yankees, I love their traditional blocked letter “NY” and timeless pinstripes. The Red Sox “B” stirs emotion of either love or dread. Then there is Detroit’s Old English “D” and the Chicago Cubs red “C” that have remained constant throughout time. While the Indians and the Braves have gotten a bit more politically correct over the years, logos will always define their teams.
 
I’m an old-time traditionalist who loves the game of baseball. I love the relaxing atmosphere at baseball games. I love baseball pants (high ones). I love seeing socks, but don’t prefer skater-boy hat bills. I love that baseball is still just baseball after all this time.
 
This traditionalist can hardly wait to begin cheering on her Cincinnati Red Stockings again!

Topics: Red Sox, Boston, baseball games, Wrigley Field, Reds, Great American Ball Park, Cubs, Cincinnati