Baseball Travel Tours

You know, the only food that I can recall from going to the ballpark as a kid are hot dogs or sausages, peanuts, and Cracker Jack. I realize that part of the reason that my recollection could be so limited is that kids often zero in on their favorites and rarely stray from them. I was no different so I get that.

But seeing that Target Field will offer "Walleye on a Stick" (see my post from this morning) has me thinking about the varied foods that have cropped up at ballparks on our MLB tours. From the garlic fries at AT&T Park in San Francisco to the "corn off the cob" at US Cellular Field in Chicago. They serve sushi in Cleveland at Progressive Field - didn't see that one coming. And have some signature sandwiches like the Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh.

Teams have also incorporated former players' shops in or around the stadiums. There are barbeque stands in Citizens Bank Park and Orioles Park that don the names of Greg "The Bull" Luzinski and Boog Powell, respectively. You can buy a Cuban sandwich on Yawkey Way just outside Fenway Park at El Tiante and sometimes get an autograph from Luis Tiant himself.

Soon we'll be heading out on our baseball travel tours hitting baseball stadiums across the big leagues. It will give us a chance to sample the newest food offerings from each of the ballparks. So we want to know...what is your favorite ballpark food whether inside or out of the stadium? What are the gems from each of the cities that you think other baseball fans need to check out? Share your insights with other fans as we all prepare to hit the road for sports travel.

Fans who have taken baseball travel tours to Chicago, know that Cubs fans love their Wrigley Field - and they should. It doesn't get much better than being in Wrigleyville on game day. From the minute that you step off the "L", you are in the heart of the action. Vendors line the streets selling t-shirts, to peanuts, to water, to tickets. Throngs of people mill around outside the stadium, many of whom are walking to or from the famous Wrigley Field sign that greets you on the corner of Clark and Addison, pictured here during a night game.

As you would expect with any venue built in 1914, there are constant renovations and repairs taking place. One of the coolest changes taking place this year is that we'll be able to watch players working on their swings in the batting cage under the right field bleachers through a one way glass. Click here to see a list of things happening in this off season.

Big League Tours is offering a couple of ways to get to Wrigley this year. We have travel package tours that will get you there including our Midwest 1 and Midwest 2 tours. And for those of you located in Central Indiana, we're offering Day Trips for the first time this year where we'll leave Indianapolis, head to Chicago, Cincinnati or St. Louis for games and come back after the game. We have a few options to see the Cubbies so check out the tours and join us, won't you?

I'm often asked, "What makes your baseball travel tours different from anything else that's out there?" That's a great question and one that we love to answer!

2010 marks the fifth season of escorted tours for our company. I started Big League Tours when I couldn’t find a company that offered package tours the way I wanted to see the various parks. Since we’re fans first, our goal is to offer you tours the way you want them. Here are some things that make us different from the other guys:

• We get you in the action, arranging meet & greets with players, front office management, or broadcasters
• We also make sure you have great lower-level seats
• Our tour vacations take place on long weekends, making it an easy trip to arrange for the guys or even for family tours
• We stay in great hotels in the heart of the cities, making sure your trip is a complete experience
• We take pride in our flexibility, we plan plenty of activities that you can join or break off on your own
• We always do our best to minimize travel time to allow you the maximum amount of time at our destination.

Check out some of the testimonials from our clients to see what they have to say about us and our tours. You can also visit our ballpark images, photos that our travelers have taken from parks all over the country.

We’re planning exciting things for this year and hope you'll join us and fans from all over North America as we experience baseball like never before. Let us know if you have any questions. And if you can, join us on a Big League Tour this coming year for a fantastic baseball experience.

Here's a great sports trip that everyone will love. Our group will be based in the heart of San Francisco, within walking distance of shopping and restaurants and just a short trolley ride away from the Wharf and Pier 39. The first day of this baseball stadium road trip, we'll take in a game at McAfee Stadium where the A's will host the Cincinnati Reds - a throw back to the 1990 World Series.

The second day, our travelers will be able to explore the sites of the city on their own. Visit the Golden Gate bridge, take a wine tasting tour of Napa Valley, our shop till you drop in San Fran's fashion district. The third day of the tour will feature a game between the Red Sox and Giants at AT&T park. Schedules permitting, we'll take a private baseball stadium tour of the park that sits right on the bay.

This is one of our baseball travel tours that also offers an interesting optional add-on. Come in a day early to catch the Cubs take on the Mariners at Safeco Park in Seattle. We'll add on game tickets, a hotel stay, and airfare to get you to San Francisco in time for the game at McAfee.

This is not only one of our sports travel packages that would make great baseball gifts for men, but it's tour that will make a great tour for couples! To see more about this and other MLB Tours being offered by Big League Tours, visit our website now to get all the details.

The MLB Winter Meetings are in full swing this week in Indianapolis. So far we've seen some trades that have drawn some attention - namely the three-team trade that included Curtis Granderson going to the Yankees. There are still plenty of free agents that will be signed in the coming weeks, too.

It's a great time of optimism for all 30 teams and a time to set the stage for the 2010 season. What's in store for your team next year? Are you planning to take any MLB tours to catch your team? Maybe you are looking for gifts for baseball fans on your list? We would love to help!

Stay tuned to the MLB Hot Stove news during this off season and stay tuned to the news about our upcoming baseball travel tours.

July 24, 2009 - After a day of everyone being on their own - siteseeing, shopping, lounging around, whatever their hearts desired - we headed up to Miller Park in Milwaukee to see the Brewers take on the Braves. (Just a quick sidebar - I think all of the stimulus money has gone into construction between Chicago and Milwaukee...UGH!)

There was a threat of a thunderstorm that was supposed to arrive around 8PM so the roof was closed on the baseball stadium in anticipation of that. We've been to games at Miller Park where the roof was closed for batting practice and then opened for the game but this was our first visit where the roof stayed closed for the game. Here's a photo of the baseball stadium taken from our seats. Great place to see a game!

I really enjoy going up to Milwaukee. It's one of my favorite stops on our sports tours. The fans there have always had a good time. And now that the team has been playing well, they are equally into their Brewers as they are into their sausages and beer!

Wishing that we had kept score at the perfect game the previous day, we scored this game. No perfecto here, though. In fact, just the opposite - lots of offense from both sides. Click here to see the box scores and write up from the game.

Whether on a sports travel package or on your own, Miller Park is a great place to hit on a baseball travel tour. 

Big League Tours was featured in the Indianapolis Star today. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Similarly, baseball is a passion for me that began at an early age. I grew up playing baseball, watching the game of the week on Saturdays and going to Riverfront Stadium every chance that I could. My dad and I used to talk about visiting every Major League ballpark, and we visited a few here and there.

But when my son, who's now 11, started getting into baseball, we began talking about visiting all the parks, too. I realized that I had a window of opportunity to go to as many of the stadiums as I could with him and my dad before life passed us up and we no longer had the opportunity.

As I looked into the options of going with other tour operators or going on my own, I didn't like what I saw. Other tour operators offered seven- to 10-day package tours that had you on a bus for 3,000-plus miles, staying at cheap motels in the middle of nowhere and sitting in group seats in the upper decks. None of that appealed to me. I also thought that going alone wouldn't afford me some things that could more easily be done in a group.

I began pulling together a business plan. I surrounded myself with people with experience in group travel tours, and (who) had connections with baseball. Once the idea had jelled, the launch began in the fall of 2005 and the baseball travel tours began in 2006.

We offer really cool opportunities for baseball lovers, like bringing in current and former Major League Baseball players to meet with our guests. We take private stadium tours and get special access to stadiums.

It's been a real dream to think up and plan the tours the way that I would want to take them and to share that with other baseball fans."

Go to IndyStar.com to see the full article. You can also go to BigLeagueTours.com to learn more about the small group tours that we have available for the 2009 season.

Like many people in my generation, I grew up a huge Seinfeld fan. Still to this day I can't help but pause and watch an episode whenever I see it's on. One of my favorite episodes is when Jerry and Elaine spend the whole show in a New York bakery trying to pick something up for a dinner party. While waiting, Jerry eats the imfamous "black and white" cookie. Here's the clip:

 

Jerry believes that the black and white cookie is the symbol of racial harmony. That all things are good with the cookie. That we need to "look to the cookie."

I couldn't help think of this episode recently. As we travel from stadium to stadium on our baseball travel tours, we gather things from each team, especially when the baseball teams are passing things out at the gate. So what made me think of this was when I was wearing a St. Louis Cardinals t-shirt and drinking from a Chicago Cubs cup. Taboo? Maybe.

If you haven't seen the end of the Seinfeld show, Jerry's unifying cookie ends up causing him, shall we say, to lose his groceries. My concern, of course, was that my Cubs/Cardinals combination would have a similar effect on me. Luckily, I didn't feel any ill effects. However, I'm sure that some of you would have problems donning your rival team's gear, or drinking from their cups, or displaying their bobbleheads - even if they were something you gathered for free on a group travel tour.

Then again, this might be the very reason stadiums don't sell cookies with their team's logo on one side and their opponent's logo on the other. We may not be ready to "look to the cookie..."

Baseball Travel Tours are Unique With Big League Tours

The age old question when travelers are looking at sports packages with Big League Tours is simply what makes you different? 

Big League Tours specializes in baseball road trips across all of the United States and Toronto, Canada.  We are serious about getting you, the travelers, a unique experience, memories to last a lifetime and an all out great vacation.  

Here are some of the comparisons you can get with Big League Tours and with other sports tour companies:

• Hotels outside of the city not by any major attractions or the stadium itself.
• Big League Tours offers hotels in the heart of the city allowing you to have easy access to attractions and things you might want to do while you aren't at a baseball game.  Ex: In New York City we stay in Manhattan where you are in walking distance of Times Square, Central Park, 5th Ave. and much more.
• Seats at the games somewhere up in the upper decks. 
• Big League Tours only purchases tickets in lower level seating.  Allowing guests to experience the baseball game like they most likely never have, close up and in all of the action.
• Baseball stadium tours is most likely not even an option.
• Big League Tours offers private baseball stadium tours when the time is allotted.
• One on one meet and greets with retired and current players? Again most likely not going to happen.
• Big League Tours offers player experiences whenever they can.  Some retired players we have used in the past have included: Bill "Spaceman" Lee, Dick Drago and Ron Kittle just to name a few. 

Well, those are just a few of the things that makes Big League Tours so different from the rest.  We hope to see you in '09! Check out our website to see which tour you would like to be part of!

Remember don't just go to a game, become part of it!

Two Left Fielders Elected by Writers' Ballot

Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice are both on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  It has been 20 years since the Baseball Writers' Association of America has has elected a left fielder into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. However, the 2009 ballot may end this all since there are some very prominent left fielders on the list. 

Henderson is new to the ballot along with 10 others.  Rice on the other hand this is his last chance to be nominated.  Nominees may be on the ballot for 15 years, but they must receive 5% of the votes each year.  Rice has a very good chance of being elected, last year he missed out by only 16 votes.

Don't miss out on the chance to take one of Big League Tours small group tours in the '09 season.  Cooperstown, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is being offered on five of our baseball travel tours.  Check out our website and see which baseball road trip fits you! 

Are you a Minnesota Twins fan? 

Whether you answered yes or no many people still want to see all the baseball stadiums including the Metrodome.  Since 2009 is the last season for the Metrodome, you might want to think about getting your baseball travel tours all set in place.  Big League Tours will be visiting the Twin Cities in May on our Midwest 2 trip where the Twins will be taking on the Boston Red Sox. On this baseball road trip we will also be catching a White Sox game and Cubs game in the windy city and catching a Brewers game at Miller Park. It'll be a great chance to catch some great ball in the Midwest.  Check out what the Twins new stadium, Target Field, will look like in 2010. 

Tips For Purchasing Airline Tickets

Gas prices are falling, but airline tickets are pretty much staying the same.  To help find the best possible price during this holiday season. Individuals and small group tours need to keep some things in mind when purchasing their airline ticket.

• Book directly: Airlines have begun giving discounts or vouchers to customers who book directly through their website.  It not only helps drive people to their website, but helps the airlines not have to pay that extra commission they would to priceline, orbitz, or expedia.
• Sign up for their email: Many airlines offer special discounts to customers who sign up for their email and will sporadically send them out.
• Look for flights at nearby airports: Depending on where you are flying to many times there are smaller airports who will have cheaper flights. So, if one of your baseball travel tours includes New York try flying into New Jersey.
• Try to be flexible: Adjusting your travel days by a day or two may be able to save you in the long run.
• Don't wait: If you find a deal don't wait to see if a better one more than often when you come back it will be gone.

However you decide to purchase your airline ticket make sure all of your sports vacations get planned in plenty of time. 

Looking For Memorable Christmas Gifts?

December is approaching rapidly which means the buying season is upon us.  Big League Tours is proud to offer unique and memorable gifts.  If you're looking for that special gift to last a lifetime consider one of our many sports packages. Whether its a gift for a family member or friend they are sure to enjoy the life long memories they will experience on their baseball road trip. 

On many of our baseball travel tours we offer an array of unique aspects.  Guests will be able to experience each game in lower level seating.  They will also experience stadium tours, one on one Big League Tours player experiences, and take in the sites of each city. This is the first year also that Big League Tours will be offering a gift package.  This way your family member or friend will be able to open an actual gift on Christmas, their birthday, or anniversary. Each package consists of jumbo game tickets that describe the trip that they are receiving, a Big League Tours hat, an MLB baseball, and a box of Cracker Jack.

So, if you want a gift that will last a lifetime consider one of our many baseball vacation packages.

The local business paper, the Indianapolis Business Journal, featured Big League Tours in this week's edition. Some things they elude to and that you'll be hearing a lot from us about in the coming weeks and months are the new features that we're adding for 2009.

All 30 MLB Baseball Stadiums in 2009
With 20+ tours on our schedule, we're offering at least one trip to every Major League baseball stadium. We'll include behind-the-scenes stadium tours every chance we get.

Current Players Meeting Us On Tours
We've offered Big League Player Experiences on our package tours since we've started. That's where we have traditionally brought in former MLB players to tell baseball stories, get pictures with our guests, and sign autographs. This year, we're including some players still on the roster! It should be a real treat for our guests.

Opening Day at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium
Major League Baseball welcomes two new stadiums into its ranks this year and we're going to be there when they open. Why don't you join us on one of our baseball travel tours for these historic openings?

Stay tuned for trip details about our 2009 MLB Tours!

There are families who love baseball, but then there are families who LOVE baseball.  Corrin and her mom, Terri, and her step-father, Dave, absolutely love baseball and everything to do with it.  Corrin even goes as far as to say, "I loooooove baseball, more than most people do."  Dave and Terri reside in the Twin Cities of Minnesota making them avid Twins fans.  Corrin originally from there is also a Twins fan but now lives in Chicago where she attends many White Sox and Cubs Games.

They joined Big League Tours on the East Coast 2 trip.  On one of our longest MLB roadtrips of the season, they made their way to Baltimore, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York, and Boston seeing six stadiums in seven days.  They chose this trip because of the number of stadiums offered and the fact that they were going to be able to see Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, and Fenway Park all in one stop.  A favorite memory for them was being able to take in the action of a ballgame on the Green Monster.

We dubbed Corrin, Terri, and Dave "the walking family". They took total advantage of every extra second they got in each city.  One of their favorite parts about the trip there was ample time in each city to do some site seeing on their own.  While in Washington D.C. they walked over four miles doing site seeing and didn't think twice about it.  they were a family just having a great time on their vacation making the best of every moment.  Big League Tours must also thank Corrin for allowing us to use her traveling gnome idea (see some of our previous blog posts to spot Gnigel in our group photos!)  It has been such a great addition to our team.  So, to the families who love baseball, are you ready to join us for one of our sports travel packages?  You'll be glad you did!

Tips From an Expert
The fans who travel with us on our baseball travel tours are typically die-hard fans who want to experience as much as they can in each city, stadium and game that they can. So we incorporate arriving to the baseball stadiums early, giving our guests time to explore the neighborhoods or the park itself.

Another thing that fans love to do is catch batting practice. It's a great time to get some autographs from players and possibly to snag some balls, either hit by batters or thrown into the stands by players warming up.

I love seeing the excitement on the face of our travelers when they show me the ball that they snagged or the autograph that they received from a player. I know this will be a MLB road trip that they won't forget!

For those of you really interested in snagging a baseball at a game, here's a video about a guy who, at the time, had snagged at least one baseball in over 450 consecutive games.

Taking Baseball Travel Tours to Miller Park
August 9, 2008 - Whenever we book any of our MLB Tours to include Chicago and Milwaukee, we plan it to stay in Chicago the whole time and to take a bus up to Milwaukee and back on the same day. It works out great because we don't have to move hotels and deal with getting situated a second time. Plus, it's only a 90 mile bus trip so it's an easy drive.

This escorted tour took us up to Miller Park with plenty of time to take in the sites of the stadium, batting practice, and of course, the tailgaters outside the stadium. Brewers fans know how to tailgate! We actually drove through a little rain on our trip up to the stadium. We didn't mind because we knew they would have the roof closed if it was bad outside. But shortly after batting practice, the skies cleared up and the sun came out so they opened the roof. Here's a photo of the roof opening. I didn't time it from start to finish, mainly because I had my face buried in a bratwurst covered with sauerkraut and the secret sauce that they serve at Miller Park, but I'm guessing that it took about 10 minutes to open it up.

If you haven't been to Miller Park, you should consider adding it to your list of sports vacations stops to be made. You'll be glad that you did. Bring the farmer's golf set, beer, brats and a grill and you'll fit right in! Maybe Bernie will let you go down his slide!

Small Group Tours at Busch Stadium
August 2, 2008 - The Cards took on the Phillies for the second time this weekend, hoping to repeat their performance from the previous night and walk away with another victory. We were relieved to have a little cooler evening after the day had been really hot for all of our various activities.

We always try to incorporate some unique and fun things on each of our baseball travel tours. This sports package was no different. We offered front row seats to Busch Stadium as well as club seats for our guests. We think that spending sports vacations in the front row is not a bad option...In fact, here's a photo of Albert Pujols that we took from our seats.

The view at the end of the game didn't look so hot for the Cardinals, though. They ended up dropping this game to the Phillies by a close score of 2-1. Click here to see the box scores and write up on the Cardinals website.

Okay, I realize that this has very little, if anything, to do with baseball travel tours or sports packages of any kind. But, I found it pretty amusing and thought that folks who have joined us on our sports vacations would, too. I particularly like the cheesy 70's-style game show music they use for the intro. Maybe we can get host Tom Dickson to join us on one of our sports tours where we can blend all sorts of baseball related stuff? Enjoy!