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.
August 10, 2008 - One of the most common requests for baseball trips is to offer a baseball vacation package that includes Wrigley Field. And for good reason. Although it's crumbling around you (literally) as you watch the game, it's still a fantastic place for baseball. This was the first time that my wife and daughters had joined one of our group tours to Wrigley and they loved it.
The Cubs loved it, too. The game was originally scheduled to be played in the afternoon but was moved to an evening game so that it could be covered on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. After the sun went down and the winds picked up, I don't
Some of our group headed out to Wrigley early in the day but here's a picture of part of our group outside the ballpark. The Cubs went on to beat the Cardinals pretty handily by a score of 6-2. Click here to check out the box score from the game.
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
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
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!
So having grown up a Reds fan rooting for a player named Griffey, it has been enjoyable to watch Junior come home to Cincinnati and spend 10 years playing as a Red. Knowing that we had the Reds on our schedule for August, I expected that I would be watching Ken Griffey, Jr. adding to his home run count. But I didn't expect to see him do it in a White Sox uniform.
We were fortunate enough to get into the ballpark early to watch batting practice for the White Sox. It was amazing to watch Griffey blast one shot after another past the outfield seats and onto the outer concourse. What a beautiful swing!
I hope Junior gets a World Series ring before his career is over, whether it's in Chicago or somewhere else. I also hope he reaches 3,000 hits and distances himself from Sammy Sosa on the home run record list. We'll have to schedule times to see him on our group travel tours in 2009 and after. Unfortunately it won't be in a Reds uniform...
August 1, 2008 - No summer would be complete without baseball trip to catch some baseball in the true baseball town of St. Louis. To make it even better, St. Louis is taking on the Philadelphia Phillies and both teams are battling for spots at the top of their divisions. We suspected that the baseball would be hot and knew there would
Our seats were fantastic - this game they were in the club seats behind home plate. When we arrived to our seats, the Phillies were wrapping up their batting practice. We were able to snap this photo of Ryan Howard from our section.
The Cardinals dominated the game by posting a four-run third inning and holding the Phillies to only three runs. Click here for the complete box score and to read the Cardinals' write up.
Big League Tours tries to find important aspects to include in each tour to give our guests the ultimate baseball vacation experience while on our escorted tours.
So, we chose for our Big Apple 2 trip a weekend that had something exciting going on at the stadium "Old Timers Day". Since this is the last year at Yankee Stadium it was a touching day for not only Yankee fans but all baseball fans alike. The Yankees invited back some of their former players to the stadium to thank them and congratulate them on all their success as Yankees and in their life. They had players from all different era's come back to the stadium including Reggie Jackson, Yogi Berra, Dave Winfield, and Rickey Henderson to only name a few. It was exciting and touching to see all these greats in one place to celebrate them and the ending of an era at Yankee Stadium. After announcing all the attendees the Yanks that were able to play participated in a few innings against each other. Allowing Big League Tour guests to see some of the best players from Yankee Stadium play. Although, some of them were a little rusty it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we were all glad to be there.
According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), average domestic airfare rates rose 4.4 percent from the first quarter of 2007. As it turns out, those rates are still lower than Spring of 2001. The report also shows the 100 cities that have the highest and lowest average fares. You can view more of the story on wnbc.com in New York or the full report on the BTS website.
While most folks planning sports packages or sports vacations will also include airfare into the price, a shift of 4.4% is not likely to dissuade travelers from booking the baseball vacation packages of their dreams. In fact, the relatively low increase of airfare as a percentage compared to the increases seen in gas prices might lead some to opt to fly instead of drive on their baseball vacations.
I started this business a few years ago because I didn't like how other tour companies were offering their baseball trips. Many of them offer 10 - 14 day trips that require you to ride on a bus for hundreds, if not thousands, of miles. They stay in hotels that are outside of the cities so that you don't really get to explore them while you're there. And, unfortunately, the seat locations aren't great.
Here are a couple of blog entries from their customers:
"We then headed up to our seats (in Yankee Stadium) which were just a few feet from the moon. Like at Shea we were 4 rows from the top but this time we were in right field. We could not see most of the right field fence so we hoped all activity would be in left field...It sounds like our seats are pretty horrible tomorrow night too so hopefully we can scope some better seats."
"2800 miles of riding in a bus with almost no sleep and too many hot dogs but what an adventure it was." I bet. Not my kind of adventure...
"Tickets were in the upper deck and I made a vow in 1991 never to sit up there again. We left the group to suffer from fear of falling out of their seats..."
If the sound of these comments leaves you concerned about booking other group travel tours, check out our 2008 sports tours and rest assured that you'll never have an experience like they've described.
July 8, 2008 - It's always fun to head out on one of our group travel tours knowing that we're going to meet MLB players through our Big League Player Experiences.
One such opportunity presented itself to us in Boston. There's a sandwich shop out on Yawkey Way that bares the name of famed Red Sox pitcher, Luis Tiant. The shop is the El Tiante, which serves up a cuban sandwich amongst other spicy favorites. (Even my daughter knew about this stand since it was featured on Rachael Ray!) And occasionally, it serves up autographs from the legend himself.
So get out there on your own baseball trips and look for the really cool stuff. You never know what might be waiting for you when you get there. Of course, if you want to ensure that your sports tours are filled with the cool stuff, book your baseball vacation packages with us. We'll make sure that it you get all the good stuff!
July 7, 2008 - After seeing a great game at Yankee Stadium, we loaded up the bus in New York City to head upstate to Cooperstown, the home of the
The Hall is a great place to visit for fans of all ages. You can find exhibits in every section that are of interest; whether it's your favorite team, favorite players, or fun facts, there are things to keep you involved at every turn.
This part of the baseball trip could be expanded. There is so much to see here that you could spend a couple of days just going through the Hall and checking out the little shops up and down Main Street.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - As we headed into Fenway for the final game of our baseball road trip, I thought it was fitting that we started the tour in Baltimore with one of the finest, if not the finest, retro parks in the league and then we wrapped up the tour in Boston at the league's oldest baseball stadium.
The other option for seating that guarantees an unobstructed view is on the Green Monster. I have to admit that before I was ever in Fenway or had ventured to the top of the Monstah, I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to sit up there for a game. However, I can honestly say that it's a fantastic place to watch a game. Since the wall is so shallow, you feel like you are the left fielder for the whole game. It's incredible. I would highly recommend getting seats up there at least once in your life.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - Fenway Park has a charm to it that is unlike any other baseball stadium that I've ever visited. I'd have to say it's my favorite park. We began
One of the things that we like to do on our package tours is to bring in MLB players to share their experiences, sign autographs for our guests, and to have their pictures taken. This baseball trip was no different. We brought in Dick Drago, a pitcher with the Red Sox in the '70's. Dick pitched in the 1975 World Series and shared many stories about playing during that era. He's pictured with our group as we toured the ballpark.
While there are any number of sports travel packages that fans can choose from, we think that our Player Experiences are a key differentiator for Big League Tours. It's a way for us to make the baseball road trip into a truly MLB road trip!
The new Citi Field, however, is very attractive from the outside. You can see it just outside of the outfield walls from Shea Stadium. I've been told that its design was inspired by Ebbets Field. I'm excited to see the new ballpark when we head to New York City for one of our baseball travel tours in 2009.
Sunday, June 22, 2008 - It seemed only fitting that we went to Yankee Stadium on a Sunday. It's definitely a religious experience for some, especially those Yankee fans who take our baseball vacation packages. (Yes, we even take Yankee fans!)
Since this is the last year for this Yankee Stadium, everybody and their brother wants to get there for the first time or at least one more time before it's torn down. I'm convinced that the final game of the season at Yankee Stadium will be our generation's equivalent to Woodstock. 55,000 people will actually be in attendance but millions will claim to have been there...
Whether you are a Yankees fan or not, this is one MLB road trip that you should make before it's too late. It's amazing to see a facility that's 86 years old, that was built to the scale that it was, and is still in such good shape. It's also great to see where so much history has been created. It's not too late to check out package tours that are still available to see the House that Ruth Built before it's gone!
Saturday, June 21, 2008 - After a day of site seeing in Washington DC, we loaded up the bus to head up to Philadelphia. This time, our package tour called for us to see the game in Philly, to load back onto the bus and to head on in to New York City to spend three nights in the Big Apple.
We arrived at the ballpark in Philadelphia and were reasonably impressed with what the city has done for its sports franchises. All of their professional teams had facilities within a half mile of each other with easy parking and walking and what appeared to be reasonable security, too.
We visited the center field viewing area which is pretty unique to the Bank. It's a standing room only section that was well occupied and, contrary to what you might think, fans were really engaged in the game. It was a great view of the park with the exception of the walls blocking the view of the action in center field. It was such a gorgeous night that we decided to hang out up there for a while. The team only sells SRO tickets on the nights of sell outs but this would be a really fun place to hand out with friends or to go if you are on family tours or small group tours.
We were impressed with Citizens Bank Park. It was very well done and had a great atmosphere. At this point the baseball road trip was half way over - 3 games down, 3 to go. Next stop, New York City.
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!
Friday, 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 looks out at the Bay and PNC looks out towards the bridges over the river and downtown Pittsburgh.
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.
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...
How many stadium tours take you on the Green Monstah!?
Thursday, June 5- East Coast 1 started off in Boston, MA where some of the guests arrived a day early and some arrived on the day of the game. We began our baseball trip by taking an escorted tour of Fenway Park. Bill “Spaceman” Lee and his wife Diana joined us on our tour as well. Allowing guests to speak with him have pictures taken, get autographs signed, and hear some stories from when he played for the Boston Red Sox. 
It was a cold misty day in Boston, but we got to see a lot of the stadium and were given a lot of information about the park. We got to go to many parts of the stadium, but my favorite was the Green Monster. It was a great view of the entire stadium and a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you can ever get the opportunity to take any type of stadium tours in Fenway take the opportunity!
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