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

Buck Martinez to Join the Mideast Baseball Tour in Toronto

Posted by Glenn Dunlap on Thu, Jun 26, 2014 @ 07:02 AM

The Mideast Tour officially begins on July 2nd in Toronto. And what better way to kick it off could there be than to have an appearance by former Major League player, Buck Martinez?
Buck's playing career spanned 17 seasons with three different teams, the Royals, Brewers and Blue Jays. Buck also managed the Blue Jays for two seasons and was the manager of the US team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. 

Buck currently serves as a broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays. He'll share stories with us about his path to the Majors, his playing and managing days, and what he sees in baseball today. We'll also get a sneak peek into the broadcast booth at Rogers Centre and what it takes to televise a baseball game. 

buck martinezGuests are joining the group baseball tour from all across the U.S. for what lays out to be a great holiday weekend tour package:

Still planning a summer vacation? There's still time left to sign up for a baseball tour!! But hurry...the summer's going by fast!! Click here for details.

Topics: Tigers, Blue Jays, Rogers Centre, baseball tour, PNC Park, Reds

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

Late Season Baseball Tour Perfect for This Reds Fan

Posted by Christy Millikan on Wed, Aug 22, 2012 @ 07:30 AM

PNC Park by the riverDo you by chance remember hearing the news that MVP Joey Votto was on the DL? Perhaps youare a fan of another NL Central team and you cheered on your chances, but I for one sat devastated and hoped he wouldn’t be gone long. My confession: I thought I could kiss post-season play goodbye all because my favorite first baseman was out of the lineup. 

Joey’s teammates, however, thought otherwise. Over the past several weeks I’ve gleefully watched my team step up to the plate by making amazing double plays, hitting back-to-back single and two-run homers and have even watched a few heart attack comeback victories. What an amazing and flat out fun team to watch right now! Make no mistake, Votto is a great asset to the Cincinnati Reds baseball organization, and thankfully he will be back. My advice Joey, don’t rush it! Get yourself healthy. Your team has things under control! Have you seen Todd Frazier and Zach Cozart?! Have you glanced at the MLB Standings? The Reds are seven games up on the second place Pirates. SEVEN!  

How exciting to be attending the Reds Road Trip to Pittsburgh and see this great matchup at PNC Park on September 29th and 30th! If you haven’t already booked your tour, do it today!

Topics: baseball trips, PNC Park, Pirates, Pittsburgh, big league tours, Reds, MLB road trips

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 Carroll on PNC Park

Posted by Big League Tours on Tue, Jan 17, 2012 @ 12:00 PM
You can argue, but PNC Park in Pittsburgh is the best park in baseball. Sure, Wrigley and Fenway have that historic charm and are maybe a bit more integrated into the neighborhood, but at PNC, you can go to the bathroom, park, and oh those views. For years, people have said the only thing wrong with PNC is the team on the field. Last summer showed that's changing, so there'sWalking thru PNC Park during the game to see different views no time like now to get to the park before it's elbow to elbow. (Though frankly, the park is even better filled and loud.)

Get a seat on the third base side, especially on night games, so you can see the Roberto Clemente Bridge and the full view of the Pittsburgh skyline. The city is just across the river, a miniature Manhattan with a distinctive skyline. Make sure to have a Primanti Brothers sandwich, a Pittsburgh tradition that puts the fries and slaw inside the bread! (Trust me, share one.) Save room for Manny Sanguillen's BBQ, which is hidden behind the batter's eye in dead center field. Many times, Manny himself will be out there!

Sitting in the right field bleachers is a very unique view. I've gone to theWill Carroll w baseball resized 600 fenced area underneath and carried on conversations with Garrett Jones during games. There aren't too many places you can do that in baseball. As you leave, check the statues of Pittsburgh greats around the park - Willie Stargell, Honus Wagner, and Roberto Clemente remind us all of how good it's been in Pittsburgh. You'll agree, PNC is the best park in America.

Will Carroll is a contributor to Sports Illustrated. Called "the industry standard" by Peter Gammons, Carroll's work on injuries and sports medicine has been groundbreaking for both fans of the game and those inside the game. He is a member of the BBWAA.

Topics: baseball stadiums, ballpark tours, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, PNC Park, Pirates, Pittsburgh

Quick Stop in St. Louis

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 03:00 AM
August 30, 2010 - The next stop on our Midwest 2 Tour was in St. Louis. We left Chicago mid-morning and made our way to The Gateway City in time to take a baseball stadium tour at Busch Stadium. The escorted tours that they give at Busch Stadium are pretty nice. You get to make the usual stops - warning track, dugouts, press box, suites, and club areas. What's unusual was that we were able to hit View from the field at Busch Stadiumthose spots so late in the day on a game day. Normally the team will shut down the field so that was an added bonus.

Here's a photo taken from the field at Busch Stadium. One of the things that you'll notice on your baseball road trips is that the newer stadiums have done a much better job of incorporating their surroundings into the ballpark. Remember the concrete bowls of the 60's and 70's? Or stadiums that were ill-fitting or designed for football? Thankfully they are being replaced with thoughtful stadium designs like Busch Stadium, PNC Park, Progressive Field and Citizens Bank Park.

We are always asked which is our favorite park so let me turn the tables on you. Which park is your favorite? What makes it your favorite? Let us know. It's always interesting to get a fan's perspective!

Topics: stadium tours, St. Louis, Progressive Field, Citizens Bank Park, baseball road trips, PNC Park, Chicago, Busch Stadium

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

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: Midwest 3

Posted by Big League Tours on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 @ 08:15 PM
January 6, 2010 - Looking for one of the best baseball bus trips available? Check out our Midwest 3 tour package. You'll get to see four of the Midwest's best baseball stadiums in four days. We'll travel in a private luxury motor coach to the stadiums and between the games, we'll setup baseball stadium tours and other escorted tours when the schedule allows.

Comerica Park night gameThis tour starts in the Motor City where the Angels will be in town to take on the Detroit Tigers. Comerica Park, pictured at the left, is a great park to visit. The team and the city really did a great job with this ballpark.

The next day we'll drive to Cleveland to see the Twins take on the Indians at Jacob's Field. (I know it's Progressive Field but that still doesn't seem right...)

Sunday morning we'll take a short drive to Pittsburgh for an afternoon game at PNC Park, another very well done stadium that replaces a 60's/70's vintage concrete bowl that was so prevalent in those days. Don't forget your Primanti Brothers sandwich!

We'll wrap up the last of our tour vacations for the summer with a stop in Cincinnati. We'll snag a tour of the Reds Hall of Fame Museum before seeing the NL Central division rivalry between the Cardinals and Reds at 7:10PM. I'd recommend the Montgomery Inn barbeque. Can't go wrong there!

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

Topics: stadium tours, Comerica Park, Indians, baseball tours, baseball vacation package, PNC Park, Pirates, big league tours, Reds