World Series MVP Ray Knight to Join East Coast Big League Tours

Posted by Glenn Dunlap on Thu, Jun 26, 2014 @ 09:35 AM

Time and again our guests tell us that the Big League Player Experience was the favorite part of their tour. That means a lot to us when we've also had great seats, stayed in great hotels, andRay Knight at the plate arranged special stadium access for our guests to say they like the player appearance the most. But we understand...that's why we include it!!

Our East Coast and Atlantic Beltway guests are soon to be treated to the experience, too. On Monday, June 30th, World Series MVP Ray Knight will join our guests at Nationals Park. He'll share stories, field questions, sign autographs and take pictures with our guests. 

Ray's playing career spanned 13 years with the Reds, Mets, Astros, Tigers and Orioles. He twice made the All Star team and was the 1986 World Series MVP with the champion Mets. Knight also managed a couple of seasons in Cincinnati. 

To learn about our upcoming 2014 Tours, click the link and check out the details. There's still time to join us this season, but you'll need to hurry!! Wish you were on these tours? We have another set coming up in August. Here are the links for those tours. 

East Coast: August 1-9, 2014

Hall of Fame: August 1-6, 2014

Atlantic Beltway: August 6-9, 2014

Topics: east coast baseball tour, baseball trips, MLB tours, Nationals Park, Mets

Join the East Coast Baseball Tour

Posted by Doug Lawson on Thu, Feb 09, 2012 @ 03:33 PM

View from our seats at Oriole ParkThe Baseball Aficianado's Dream!!

Do you want to get a big jump-start on your baseball bucket list? Then join Big League Tours on the Touch ‘em All Out East luxury baseball vacation. This extensive tour will visit Nationals Park, Camden Yards, Citizens Bank Park, Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, Fenway Park, and the Baseball Hall of Fame. Guests will be close to the action at every ballpark with Big League Tours’ Lower Level Seat Guarantee.

As always, the tour group will stay in the heart of the cities with luxury hotel accommodations East Coast Baseball Trip Brochurenear the great attractions and sites in each location. And, with Big League Tours' Sensible Itineraries, there will actually be time to enjoy them all. Add in an exclusive meet and greet with the Big League Tours' MLB player experience; Stadium Tours; On Site BLT Host; In-Room Welcome Gift; and you have a baseball vacation that will give you a lifetime of memories. Learn more about the Big Difference with Big League Tours.

Here’s the link to the Full East Coast Tour- Touch ‘em All Out East

Here’s the link to get a printable/shareable brochure- East Coast Brochure

Topics: Citi Field, Citizens Bank Park, east coast baseball tour, Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Nationals Park, hall of fame, Oriole Park, Camden Yards

Nationals Park in Washington, DC

Posted by Big League Tours on Tue, Jan 03, 2012 @ 05:38 PM
Guests arriving at Nationals ParkJune 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 NationalCenterfield bar at Nationals Parks 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.
Capitol Building from inside Nationals ParkWashington Monument from inside Nationals Park

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

Baseball lovers dream: East Coast Baseball Tour

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 09:30 AM
May 10, 2011 - Looking for a baseball tour to please the pickiest baseball fan you know? Look no further. This You'll see views like this one of Citizens Bank Park when you join one of our baseball road trips!tour is a baseball aficionado’s dream tour – six stadiums and the Hall of Fame in one trip. The longest of our 2011 MLB road trips begins in Philadelphia where we'll see the Phillies host the Cubs at Citizens Bank Park. Then it's off to Baltimore to see the Rays and Orioles at the first of the retro ballparks, Camden Yards.

We'll take a stadium tour of Orioles Park and visit the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum before heading to Washington D.C. There our guests will have the rest of the day and all of Monday to explore our nation's capitol. We'll then catch the Cardinals at Nationals Park with a view of the Capitol building in the distance.On the field at Camden Yards on one of our premier sports travel packages!

We'll then part for New York City, where we'll spend three nights, catch games at Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, make a day run up to Cooperstown, and take in some sights in the Big Apple. We're staying right in the heart of Manhattan so our travelers will get to enjoy every minute of being in the city.

Our final day will consist of a trip to Boston to see the Brewers play at historic Fenway Park. This is a tour that you don’t want to miss! You can learn more about this and all of our 2011 baseball road trips by visiting us at BigLeagueTours.com.

Saturday, June 11 - Cubs @ Phillies, 4:10 PMTaken from Monument Park while on a baseball stadium tour of Yankee Stadium
Sunday, June 12 - Rays @ Orioles, 1:35 PM
Monday, June 13 - Free Day in DC
Tuesday, June 14 - Cardinals @ Nationals, 7:05 PM
Wednesday, June 15 - Rangers @ Yankees, 7:05 PM
Thursday, June 16 - Cooperstown, All Day
Friday, June 17 - Angels @ Mets, 7:10 PM
Saturday, June 18 - Brewers @ Red Sox, 1:10 PM

Topics: Red Sox, Boston, Orioles, Baltimore, big league tours, Yankees, Yankee Stadium, Nationals Park, hall of fame, Baseball, Mets, Oriole Park

Twin Cities Getting Pumped about Target Field

Posted by Big League Tours on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 @ 10:45 PM
April 11, 2010 - One of our greatest joys is to visit baseball stadiums in their inaugural seasons. We've been able to do this for the new Busch Stadium, Nationals Park, Citi Field and Yankee Stadium. This year, we're heading up to Target Field in the Twin Cities on one of our early MLB tours to see the Twins in their brand new ballpark. Columnist Rick Shefchik writes today on TwinCities.com about the increase in demand to visit Minnesota on group travel tours this year.

Here are a few excerpts:

Frank Miles of Jacksonville, Ala., is a stadium counter. A 76-year-old baseball fanatic, Miles has been in every major league ballpark — except Target Field.

Like hundreds of other baseball stadium tourists around the country, Miles will check Target Field, the brand-new Twins ballpark, off his list this summer. He loves the old classics like Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, but he likes the new ones, too, including recently opened PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Busch Stadium in St. Louis and Citi Field in New York.

"I've seen 'em all, every major league ballpark — all the new ones, except this one," Miles said. "I've not heard much about it, but I'll be there this year on a tour." 

Glenn Dunlap, owner of Big League Tours in Indianapolis, said he'll be bringing a group into Minneapolis this summer for the first time in his company's five years of operation.

"The Metrodome was not much of an attraction," said Dunlap of the Twins' former home. "We didn't have a lot of demand from baseball fans to come up to the Metrodome."

Increased tourism to Minneapolis for Twins games is bound to have a positive effect on surrounding businesses. As Dunlap points out, baseball is only part of the lure for ballpark tourists. They like to come early, stay late and thoroughly explore what the ballpark and the city have to offer.

"People are interested in the walleye-on-a-stick and the s'mores they're offering there (at Target Field)," Dunlap said. "State Fair food — that's great. It's part of what people enjoy about visiting different stadiums — the influences on local food and what's in and around the park.

"Target could be a great park. The part that makes a ballpark interesting is what the city does around it. Look at a Coors Field, right in the heart of Denver. That was in a district they've since built up around it, and it has become a great destination spot for the city."

Conversely, Dunlap said, Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., is in an area that needs to be developed.

"They've got a long way to go before people will go hang out there," Dunlap said. "It's what's around Target Field, what's welcoming to baseball fans, not just Twins fans.

Want to visit the new Target Field on one of our baseball vacation packages? Click here for details about this tour and all of our sports travel packages. You'll be glad you did!

Topics: sports travel and tours, baseball vacation package, Fenway Park, PNC Park, Pirates, MLB tours, Busch Stadium, Cardinals, Yankee Stadium, Nationals Park, Twins, Target Field, Minneapolis

2010 Baseball Trip Feature - East Coast 1

Posted by Big League Tours on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 @ 06:45 PM
Orioles Park at Camden YardsDecember 17, 2009 - East Coast 1 is the granddaddy of our baseball vacation packages. The tour package includes 6 games in 6 different baseball stadiums, a free day to explore New York City, a day at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, a player appearance, and baseball stadium tours at some of baseball's most hallowed halls.

We'll begin in Baltimore, making the hotel there our home base for a few days. We'll have a kickoff reception at the hotel on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, we'll head to Nationals Park for an afternoon game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Nationals. Monday, we'll drive up to Philadelphia to see the Padres and Phillies. Tuesday, we'll take a stadium tour of Orioles Park and see the Yankees and Orioles play.

On Wednesday, we'll board the motor coach and head up to New York City, our home base for the next three nights. We'll go to Citi Field to see the Mets host the Padres. Thursday, you'll have the day on your own to shop 5th Avenue, take escorted tours of the city's sites, or to stroll through Central Park.

Friday we'll tour Yankee Stadium and see the Yankees play the Astros. Saturday we'll trek up to Cooperstown for the day at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. We'll grab dinner in Cooperstown and then head to Boston. Sunday, we'll take in the Phillies and Red Sox and, if the schedule allows, we'll take a stadium tour of Fenway Park.

The hotel is provided Sunday night after the Red Sox game as part of the package. You also have the option of coming into Baltimore early or staying later in Boston so let us customize your sports vacations for you.

This premier sports travel package promises to be a great time. For more details on this baseball tour and our other MLB Tours, visit BigLeagueTours.com.

Topics: stadium tours, Citi Field, Orioles, sports travel and tours, New York, Baltimore, Fenway Park, big league tours, MLB tours, sports vacation, Yankees, Nationals Park, Reds, hall of fame, Cooperstown, Mets, Oriole Park

East Coast Baseball Road Trip

Posted by Big League Tours on Fri, Nov 18, 2011 @ 11:30 PM
Baseball vacation packages at their longest and finest!
June 30, 2008--I just got back from the longest trip that Big League Tours offered this summer.  We accomplished a groundbreaking six stadiums in six days out on the east coast.  We started out in Baltimore where we saw the Orioles beat the Astros 7 to 5. We then took a stadium tour of Camden Yards.  This is by far my favorite park to this date.  It is the most sense pleasing park I have been to so far.  Now when I say sense pleasing it is not only eye pleasing but smell, touch, and the sound of the park are all spectacular.  If you ever have the opportunity to go I highly recommend it!

Next, we took off to Washington D.C. where we saw the Texas Rangers VS the Washington Nationals.  In this 14 inning stretch the Nationals finally accomplished what they had set out to do they beat the Rangers 4 to 3. Next stop on our baseball trip was a quick stop in Philadelphia to see them take on the Los Angeles Angels. Angels definitely flew into play and the Phillies just could not hold them off and lost the game 2 to 6. 

As our baseball trip was way under way we headed to New York to see the Yankees and the Mets play.  Yankees turned out on top when they played the Red's in the rain delayed day game.  However, the Mets as lucky Felix Hernandez had a great and bad game all in one.  He went up to bat in the second inning and hit a grand slam becoming the first American League pitcher since 1971!  Then in the fifth inning there was a play made at home and Felix was taken out by the runner.  He tried to pitch again but you could see him wince in pain as he put weight on his left leg he was then taken out of the game.

Our last stop was Boston where we met up with Dick Drago a pitcher who played for the Red Sox in the 70's.  We got to hear some great stories from him and it's always great fun to have them reminisce with all of us. Then we got to see the Diamondbacks take on the Red Sox where the Sox beat the Diamondbacks in a nail biting close game. For part of the game we were able to stand on top of the green monster.  It was amazing! Unfortunately we didn't have any grand slams when we were up there, but it was still a once in a lifetime opportunity.  This was a long and packed trip but it was one of the best baseball road trips I have been on so far. I can't wait till next year...

Topics: stadium tours, baseball vacation package, big league tours, Nationals Park

East Coast 2 Baseball Tour, Part IV

Posted by Big League Tours on Fri, Nov 18, 2011 @ 01:00 PM
What Makes Baseball Vacation Packages Special?
June 20, 2008 - Sometimes it's choosing the right tour operator who puts together sports travel packages that include some really cool features. But sometimes, the things that happen on the package tours can't be planned.

One of those unplanned events happened on our latest MLB tour when Josh Hamilton spent time signing autographs for fans along the third base line at Nationals Park. Josh became a favorite of ours last year when he made such a tremendous come back with the Cincinnati Reds. We hated to see the Reds trade him this past winter but it has been a trade that has worked out really well for both clubs.

The Reds received Edinson Volquez, who has just pitched lights out for them and leads the majors in ERA. The Rangers received Josh Hamilton who is a legitimate contender for baseball's coveted triple crown. And, it seems that the Rangers are doing everything they can to help support Josh's clean walk. Kudos to the Rangers ownership and management.

Here he is signing my son's baseball. Thanks for helping to make this baseball road trip special, Josh!

Topics: tour operator, Rangers, baseball road trips, baseball tours, Nationals Park

East Coast 2 Baseball Tour, Part III

Posted by Big League Tours on Fri, Nov 18, 2011 @ 12:00 PM
Our Group Tour Visits the New Nationals Park
June 20, 2008 - After visiting the first of the retro parks in Baltimore, we loaded our bus and headed to Washington DC to see the newest Major League ballpark. All of the ballparks that are at the top of my favorites list have great surroundings that enhance the experience - Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Camden Yards all have great atmospheres. Other parks have great views from their parks - AT&T Park View of Nationals Park on our baseball tourlooks out at the Bay and PNC looks out towards the bridges over the river and downtown Pittsburgh.

The New Nationals Park doesn't have great surroundings nor does it have a great view from the ballpark. The views won't likely change much - I suppose that new construction could impact the views over time - I'm thinking about PETCO Park. I really hope that the district continues to build around the park and doesn't cancel the projects the same way that things have happened in St. Louis around the new Busch Stadium.

The inside of the park was open and spacious but felt kind of sterile as we made our way to the seats. Our seats offered great views of the field. We were in the lower level just one section over from where this picture was taken. Notice the big landing area right behind home plate? That appears to be a gathering place for Nationals' owners and other VIP's. It also appears to be a waste of valuable real estate.

The game lasted 14 innings with the Nationals finally pulling of a 4-3 win. While we enjoyed the game and our great seats, I think the consensus from everyone on our baseball trip was that we were underwhelmed with the new ballpark.

Topics: baseball road trips, baseball stadiums, ballpark tours, Nationals Park

Inside Look at Nationals Park

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 @ 11:30 AM

March 30, 2008 - Recently the Washington Post posted an inside look into the new Nationals Park that's set to open this evening with the (U.S.) opening game. Click here to get a virtual baseball stadium tour. You can see the dugout, clubhouse and many other places within the park. Also, follow the video links and you'll get virtual escorted tours through many of the different sections of the ball park.

If you are planning a baseball road trip this summer, this would be a ballpark to include on one of your MLB Tours. Have questions about putting your baseball vacation package together? Check out our website for some suggestions or drop us a note. We would be glad to help you with information to plan your trip!

Nationals Park
This photo appeared in the New York Times. You can see the complete story at this link.

Topics: stadium tours, baseball road trips, baseball stadiums, MLB tours, Nationals Park