2014 Sunbelt Tour: Dallas/Arlington, Houston, Miami, Tampa & Atlanta

Posted by Glenn Dunlap on Mon, Oct 21, 2013 @ 08:15 AM

One of our first baseball tours of the 2014 season is our Sunbelt Tour. As with our Southwest Tour, we wanted to get to these baseball stadiums before the heat of the summer. This tour starts in Arlington, Texas, home of the Texas Rangers. The Mariners are in town to take on their American League West rivals at Rangers Ballpark

Miami,Marlins Park,baseball trips

The next day we'll drive down to Houston's Minute Maid Park to see the Astros and Royals in what's likely to be an afternoon game. We'll check into the hotel after the game and spendthe evening in Houston.

Friday morning you will fly to Florida to catch games at Marlins Park that evening and Tropicana Field on Saturday evening. We'll drive between those cities and get to both ballparks in plenty of time to explore them to see the fish tanks behind home plate and the ginourmous structure in the outfield in Miami and the tank of Rays and the Ted Williams Museum in Tampa Bay.Turner Field,Braves,baseball trips

On Sunday we'll head to the airport and hop a quick flight to Atlanta. We'll stay downtown where you'll have access to attractions like the CNN and Coca-Cola headquarters, the Georgia Aquarium, and lots of shopping and restaurants. Monday night we'll head out to Turner Field to see the Braves host the Marlins.  

As always, you'll stay in first class hotels, sit in lower level seats, and enjoy a Big League Player Experience. Don't miss your chance to visit these stadiums on one great tour. 

Sunbelt: April 16-22, 2014

Topics: Marlins Ballpark, Turner Field, baseball trips, baseball stadiums, Minute Maid Park, Rangers Ballpark, Tropicana Field

Opening Night in Atlanta

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 08:15 AM
April 9, 2011 - You've gotta love Opening Day/Night at any baseball stadium. It's a time to celebrate the franchise's past, especially its most recent accomplishments. It's the start of a new baseball season and signifies new beginnings and opportunities for players, fans and teams. Witnessing Chipper's 2,500th hit on our MLB road tripAnd the atmosphere is electric as fans are so happy to be attending the first game of baseball in their home town.

Last night was no different in Atlanta. The ceremonies included the unveiling of their 2010 Pennant in center field for clinching a wild card playoff berth. It also featured former skipper, Bobby Cox, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to his successor, Fredi Gonzalez. Ol' number six got a huge (and very fitting) ovation at Turner Field when he was announced and walked onto the mound.

We also witnessed a piece of history. Chipper joins lined a base hit to left field for his 2,500th hit of his career. That was great to see for a player who has been around so long, made huge contributions, and has meant so much to this team. Here's a photo of the historic hit taken from our seats. (We like to throw those in for free on our MLB road trips whenever we can!!) Here's the Braves wrap-up of the game.

The final game of the first of our baseball tours is this afternoon with the Phillies and Braves again.

Topics: stadium tours, Opening day, Atlanta, Braves, Turner Field, baseball tours, baseball stadiums, MLB tours, MLB road trips, Baseball

The First of Our 2011 Baseball Road Trips Starts Today

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 07:30 AM
April 5, 2011 - What's better than getting the MLB team schedules for the coming year and working with our Outfield terrace at Turner Fieldbaseball road trip planners to build the perfect travel packages? Going on the tours, of course!! And it's finally here! Yep, it's time to load up and head out for the first of our MLB road trips of the 2011 baseball season.

Today we're headed to Atlanta to kick off our Atlanta and Augusta tour that includes Masters events at Augusta National, golf in Atlanta, and the home opening series at Turner Field between the Phillies and the Braves. The next few days will be filled with many exciting elements but also provide the participants plenty of time to relax and unwind.

Let's do it. Let's get on the road!

Topics: Atlanta, Turner Field, baseball road trips, MLB road trips, Baseball

See the Masters in Augusta and the Braves in Atlanta

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 05:30 AM
February 2, 2011 - The first of our baseball road trips in 2011 will begin with two days at Augusta National, taking in a practice round and a competitive round of The Masters Tournament. Our guests will be able View in the Lower Outfield Pavilion at Turner Fieldto walk the hallowed grounds with their favorite pro-golfers in search of the illusive green jacket.

After a free day in Atlanta (can you say golf anyone?), we'll enjoy a couple of baseball games including the Opening Day ceremonies for the Braves as they kick off their first weekend homestand of the year against their Eastern Division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Friday's game is an evening game and Saturday's game is in the afternoon. That's a great way to see Turner Field at different times of the day. We'll have the evening free in Atlanta with plenty of time for dining or entertainment in this great southern city.

By now, you've come to know Big League Tours as the premier provider of baseball vacation packages. Check out all our 2011 tour vacations to see which one suits you the best.

Topics: Opening day, Atlanta, Braves, Turner Field, baseball road trips, Phillies, baseball vacation package, big league tours

Our Take on Turner Field

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 12:45 AM
May 22, 2010 - We've had a chance to see most of the stadiums in the major leagues either on our family tours and on the baseball vacation packages that we offer. This trip was to Atlanta and Turner Field (or "The Ted") for a two-game stand. It was great to get to see the stadium for a night game and a day game. Sometimes the stadiums have two completely different personalities based on the time of the game.

We stayed in downtown Atlanta so the stadium was only a 1.5 - 2 miles from our hotel. TheCenterfield concourse at Turner Field concourses were really wide and made getting around the stadium very easy. Here's a photo taken from right inside the centerfield gates. As you can see, there is a ton of room for getting people in and out of the stadium.

The Ted also has plenty for kids to do at the park. The Cartoon Network Fun House offers a break for the kids as does the many different batting cages and pitching booths that they have all along the third base side. They also offered face painting which seemed apprapos given the team's mascot.

The concourses around the outside of the stadium reminded us of Jacob's Field in Cleveland. (I'm sure that should be said the other way around based on when the stadiums were built but we were at the Jake first...) They were easily maneuverable but, they do cutoff your sight lines to the field.

We weren't knocked out by the food, either. We were sitting in the premium seats so we were able to order and have it delivered to us. The menu was your basic ballpark food but nothing that really stood out. We've grown accustomed to local restaurants or foods being incorporated into the ballparks like the Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh or the Montgomery Inn in Cincinnati. Or the other thing parks have done is include former players into the mix like Boog's Barbeque in Baltimore, El Tiante's Cuban Sandwiches in Boston, or Bull's Barbeque in Philadelphia. All great features that represent the team well. We didn't find this at The Ted.

All in all, we had a great experience. It would be hard to beat the southern hospitality that everyone working at Turner Field displayed. So if you are looking for a place for one of your baseball road trips, I would definitely recommend Turner Field.

Topics: Atlanta, Turner Field, Jacob's Field, Cleveland, baseball vacation package, Pittsburgh, family tours, Cincinnati

Road Tripping with the Family

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 12:30 AM
May 22, 2010 - I just returned home from our Atlanta Tour - a three-day, two-night trip that featured two baseball games at Turner Field. We had fantastic weather, the hotel was great, our seats were even better (pictured on the left), Dad and Son at Turner Fieldand both games ended with walk-off hits or homers. They don't get much more exciting!

But as I reflect on the tour, I'm reminded of the things that caused me to want to start Big League Tours in the first place.

I really love the game of baseball and want to experience it in a unique way every time I take a trip. That's why we get to the park early, sit in great seats, and arrange for meet and greets with MLB players.

I also really enjoy getting to spend quality time with my family. On this tour, I was accompanied by my dad and son, the two folks who inspired me the most to start this business. Our small group tours provide you with the advantage of having things included that I mentioned before and also giving you the flexibility to do things on your own. And when taking family tours, we think it's important that you get that time so we make it available to you.

And finally, traveling can be difficult or at least a challenge, especially if the mode of transportation isn't great or the locations of your stay are suspect. We make sure that all of the logistics are top notch and take care of all the details so that you can just show up and enjoy a premier sports travel tour.

Those things sound simple but they are what make us different from the other guys. It's what got me in this business and it's what we love to do.

Topics: Atlanta, Turner Field, sports travel and tours, big league tours, group tours, family tours

Meeting Zack Hample in Atlanta

Posted by Big League Tours on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 12:15 AM
May 20, 2010 - On August 24, 2008, I posted a video of Zack Hample, the man who was featured on CBS for his ability to snag foul balls and batting practice balls at MLB games.  At the Ted with Zack Hample I loved the story then and it gets even better now.

After the game was over at Turner Field, we were hanging out talking to some fans who we had met during the game. Who appeared next to us? None other than Zack himself.

At the time of my first post, Zack had successfully snagged at least one baseball in over 450 consecutive games. When we talked last night, the string was still alive at 644 consecutive games. Not only that, but he snagged 14 baseballs at yesterday's game!

If you want to learn more about Zack, click here to check out his website. Hopefully we'll bump into him again on one of our MLB road trips. Watch for him. He'll be the one who just caught the foul ball...

Topics: Atlanta, Turner Field, baseball tours, MLB tours

After a Long Offseason, We're Back on the Road!

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

It felt great to finally get out on the road for the first of our baseball road trips of the 2010 baseball season. Yesterday we headed out to Atlanta to see the Braves and Reds in a two game series at Turner Field.

The Braves jumped out to an early lead but let the Reds get back into the game and tie it up in the top of the ninth. That just setup the scenario for Heyward to hit a walk off double driving in Prado for the winning run. Click here for the full box score.

Today we're headed out early to the Ted to explore the park, get some photos and hopefully a few autographs and baseballs. More from our small group tours later!

Topics: Atlanta, Braves, Turner Field, group tours, Reds

2010 Baseball Trip Feature - Atlanta

Posted by Big League Tours on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 @ 06:00 PM
December 15, 2009 - We're going to open up the first baseball tour of our 2010 season in Atlanta, Georgia. We'll head down south in the middle of May before things get too hot. The Atlanta Braves will be taking on the Cincinnati Reds for a two game series and we'll be there for all the action.

We'll be staying in the heart of downtown Atlanta and traveling to the games via first class motor coach. The times haven't been announced for this series but we expect that the first game on Wednesday will be in the evening and that the game on Thursday will be an afternoon start. That should give us a different experience for both games at Turner Field.

As the team finalizes the schedule, we'll be able to finalize some other elements of our itinerary. If possible, we'll be including a stadium tour of The Ted. And, as on all of our MLB Tours, we'll also be adding a Big League Experience by bringing in a baseball player, media personality, or front office personnel to give us an inside view of the game.

Head to our site to check out the details on this tour and all the 2010 Tour Vacations that we have to offer.

Topics: stadium tours, Atlanta, Braves, Turner Field, baseball tours, MLB tours, Reds