Sports 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.

The new baseball stadium that will be on the itinerary for one of our group travel tours is Target Field, the new home of the Minnesota Twins, that's set to open in April. We're always excited to visit new ballparks and this is no exception. Our tour is heading up there over Memorial Day weekend so we're hoping to catch some warmer air! The views of this baseball stadium tour look great. I'm really excited to head up to the Twin Cities to see the ballpark.

One thing I noticed in the footage are the signs over some of the concession stands. I know that Minnesota is known for its State Fair and fair food. Looks like it made its way into the ballpark. Walleye on a Stick? Haven't seen that anywhere else on our MLB Tours!

Enjoy the video. If you'd like to join us on one of our tour vacations, this would be a great one!

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?

One of the things we pride ourselves on at Big League Tours is offering tour vacations that our guests enjoy. It makes us even happier when our guests become repeat customers. That's why this is such a great time of year for us when we're finding out who is going to join us on our package tours this year.

One such group of guys traveled with us in 2008. They took a Midwestern tour that year but this year they are joining us out West. Here is a testimonial that we received from them.

"I traveled with a relative and his 10-year-old grandson, who was awestruck most of the time. The Midwest 2 Tour was our first with Big League Tours and was by far the best of the four I have taken, the first three with another company.  George had taken two other tours with another company.

The price of all the tours (we've taken) was comparable, but the services provided by Big League Tours was far superior, in our opinion.

"The primary things that set Big League Tours trip apart from the others, in our opinion, was two-fold: 1) location and quality of the hotels and 2) location of the game ticket seats.

"On this tour, we visited four cities and ballparks (Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati). The hotels were all located within walking distance of the ballpark (15 minutes or less), and all our tickets were in the lower level. Great seats at all parks.

"Another added touch that we liked was the idea of staying downtown in the cities visited, which made it easier to become more familiar with the cities (Detroit has a fabulous river walk).

"On this tour, we had a sit-down visit with baseball great Dave Parker, a two-time major league batting champ, who had a long and illustrious major league career. This was a great experience for us. This, to us, was the exclamation point to the whole trip.

"We would recommend traveling with Big League Tours." Bob Ward (Texas) and George Wood (California)

Thanks to Bob and George for the kind words about the group travel tours that we offer. And when booking with us again this year, George commented that, "We didn't even look any where else. We knew we were booking with you." We're glad you're coming back!

We hope that you'll join us this year so that you can experience the difference of a Big League Tour!

I was talking today to one of our customers who commented about some references that I made to food in a previous blog. She professed to be, like all of us at our house, a Food Network junkie. Admittedly, the dark side of the channel is that it's hard to watch your weight when you are watching great chefs prepare awesome meals that end up making you crave something from the kitchen. For me, it's always Guy Fieri's fault because it seems like Diners Drive In's and Dives is the show that makes me the hungriest.

But one of the best parts about the network is that it exposes us to restaurants, bakeries, and hangouts all over the U.S. that we would likely not know about any other way. It's become a passion of ours while on our package tours to seek out these establishments that usually are only known by the locals.

Take, for instance, The Stand. Here's a burger joint on 12th Street just a few minutes away from our hotel, that a typically traveler would never know about. It was featured on Food Network for one of their milkshakes, a toasted marshmallow milkshake (pictured to the right). They were incredible. It was like a creamy campfire. In addition, their burgers were out of this world. And in a city that can easily be an expensive place to visit, this was one of the most reasonable meals we've had on any of our MLB Tours and one of the best!

So if you enjoy food the way that we do, I would suggest catching up on some programming from Food Network and laying out your plans to visit some great establishments - whether you are traveling on your own family tours or taking group travel tours. The other option is to join us on our baseball vacation packages and we'll lead the way!

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.

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.

This 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.

The stars at night, are big and bright... Well, you know the rest. But have you ever experienced it yourself? No? Then it's passed time to do so. We'll take our group travel tours to four different games in the Lone Star state. These escorted tours start in Arlington, home of the Rangers, where the Angels come in town for an AL West division rivalry series. The game times aren't posted yet but we'll work in a baseball stadium tour when the schedule allows.

On Saturday, we'll load up our private motor coach and make our way down to Houston for some baseball action at Minute Maid Park. In both cities we'll be staying in the heart of the action, giving you a chance to explore Dallas and Houston and experience the cities while we visit.

Come into Dallas early or stay a few days after in Houston for family tours of sites in those great Texas cities. Head to our site to check out the details on this tour and all the 2010 Tour Vacations that we have to offer.

A favorite one of our MLB Tours each year is our Big Apple Tour. This premier sports travel package includes two games at Yankee Stadium and one game at Citi Field. We'll stay in the heart of midtown Manhattan where you'll be close to Times Square, Fifth Avenue, and Central Park and so many restaurants, shops and sites.

This tour will provide you with two great chances to enjoy games at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees host the Blue Jays in an AL East division rivalry. The times for the games haven't been posted yet but we're sure that we'll either be entertained with fireworks for the 4th of July at Yankee Stadium or we'll be able to enjoy the festivities in the world's greatest city.

The next day we'll take a stadium tour and explore the city before we head out to Citi Field to see the Reds take on the Mets in their new home. If you haven't been to Citi Field yet, you should make the trip. It's a fantastic improvement over the old Shea Stadium. The design did a great job to incorporate old stadium features with up-to-date comforts.

To see more about this and other tour vacations being offered by Big League Tours, visit our website now to get all the details.

Check out this premier sports travel package that will offer you games at three different stadiums in one long-weekend tour vacation. We'll start with former city rivals when the (Brooklyn) Dodgers host the Bronx Bombers at Dodger Stadium. Dodger dog anyone? Yes, please! The next day, we'll head across town to the site of the 2010 MLB All Star Game, Angel Stadium.

The final day of the tour vacation offers a free day in San Diego to hang out in the Gaslamp Quarter, head over to Coronado Island, or take one of the small group tours down to Tijuana. As long as the team's schedule allows, we'll head over to PETCO Park for a private stadium tour.

Come into Los Angeles early or stay a few days after in San Diego for family tours of sites in those great southern California cities. Head to our site to check out the details on this tour and all the 2010 Tour Vacations that we have to offer.

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.

We'll begin one of our most popular tour vacations at our hotel in Midtown Manhattan. We'll head out to tour Yankee Stadium early afternoon and then head back that evening to 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 New York City early or staying later in Boston so let us customize your sports travel packages for you.

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

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.

Our Midwest 2 baseball vacation package begins in Chicago. Our group will meet at our hotel on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago and begin the tour by heading out to Wrigley Field for the great rivalry of the Cardinals vs. the Cubs for what will likely be a Sunday afternoon game.

On Monday, you'll have the opportunity to see the sites in Chicago - shop till you drop, take escorted tours of the architecture or skyline of the city, or take some family tours of the great museums. The next day will venture to US Cellular Field to see Josh Hamilton and the Rangers take on Ozzie's White Sox.

Wednesday we'll depart for St. Louis and Busch Stadium to see the Cardinals in their home venue. We'll stay in the heart of the city that evening and then leave for Kansas City in the morning. While in KC we'll see a game at Kaufmann Stadium and visit the Negro League Museum for a look into some of the rich history of baseball.

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

We are really excited to announce that our 2010 baseball vacation packages have been released. All totaled, we have 10 tour vacations that will visit 25 of the 30 stadiums this year. The package tours run from May to August and are as short as two days and as long as 9 days. Our tour groups will visit 35+ games over the course of the summer with options to add on games and extend visits in each of the cities where our tours originate.

This is a fun time of year for us. The season is brand new. The scheduling options are virtually unlimited. And we know that we're going to meet more great folks this year as we hit the road for another season of MLB tours.

Keep an eye out for more information. We will be blogging about each specific tour package, what's included in each as well as providing updates (such as player appearances, stadium tours, and other tour add-ons), and new features that we've added this season for the upcoming tour vacations.

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. 

May 9, 2009, Boston - One of the most loved features of our MLB Road Trips are the inclusion of our Big League Player Experiences. This is where we bring in current or former big league players to hear their stories, ask them questions, take pictures with them, and get autographs.

If you've read any of my blogs from the past, you've probably gathered that I spent a little time behind the plate as a catcher. So it was a thrill for me to get to meet Rich Gedman, former catcher for the Boston Red Sox. Rich told our group about breaking into the bigs with great players on the Sox team like Carl Yastrzemski, catching for great pitchers like Roger Clemens, and what it was like playing at Fenway Park. Here we are after the group session on Yawkey Way just outside the ballpark.

If you've thought about giving baseball trips as a gift for someone, consider elements like our Big League Player Experience which turn the gifts for baseball fans into premier sports travel packages they are sure to enjoy!

May 9, 2009, Boston - Today we left Cooperstown and headed on the Mass Turnpike to Boston to hang out for several hours on Yawkey Way. Of all the places we go on our group travel tours, this is one of, if not my favorite place to visit. The atmosphere around Fenway is so hard to beat. It's one of the best places for family vacation tours or vacation group tours of all sizes.

We arrived at the ballpark in time to do some shopping and take in the noon tour of Fenway. This baseball stadium tour is one of the best. Maybe because Fenway isn't a stadium at all. It's a ballpark. The oldest ballpark in the major leagues at that.

I was surprised to learn that a few sections of the ballpark had new seats installed in the off season making them a little roomier (a little, mind you...) and a little more comfortable than their wooden predecessors. You are guaranteed to be close to the action at Fenway but you'll always be closer to the fans sitting next to you!

While on vacation in Florida, we decided to make a baseball road trip to catch a Marlins game in Miami. The game was on Sunday afternoon against the Phillies. The stadium is really easy to find as it sits just off of the Turnpike.

We arrived at the baseball stadium early to walk around and check things out. We found Dolphin Stadium very easy to get around in but it was definitely built for football. For instance, our seats were in the first row just outside the first base line but we found ourselves having to turn sideways to see the plate as our seats were pointed towards centerfield. I'm sure that the true baseball fans will be glad to get the new baseball stadium that's planned to open in 2012.

We expected that there would be plenty of Phillies fans (phans?) on hand. The winners of the World Series always have a good following on the road. What we didn't expect is that there would be so few Marlins fans. After all, the Marlins got off to a great start. They were at the top of the NL East, for crying out loud. I didn't see an official attendance figure but I'm guessing there weren't 15,000 people there.

Florida is always known for its baseball spring trips, but you can also take in some interesting sports tours throughout the MLB season. Check out our premier sports travel packages or contact us to be your baseball road trip planner for the custom tour of your dreams!