Tour Vacations

East Coast 1 Tour - Part Five

Posted Monday, May 18, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

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!

East Coast 1 Tour - Part Two

Posted Monday, May 18, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

May 7, 2009, New York City - Today our small group tour heads out to Yankee Stadium for a game at the new ballpark. It had been raining off and on today but the weather was supposed

Great Hall in the New Yankee Stadium

to break in plenty of time to get in the game. We headed uptown on the 4 train to the stadium a few hours before the game. Even though the stadium opens 3 hours before the game, we watched the ground crew cover the field when we were on our baseball stadium tour so we didn't expect to see batting practice. We went out early anyway just to take in the sites.

Arriving 2.5 hours before the game, I expected to see the familiar lines outside the stadium with stadium security barking orders about which gates to enter, bleacher seats, backpacks, etc. Instead, there were no lines and we walked right into the ballpark. It gave us time to explore the stadium some more, visit Monument Park again, and figure out just exactly what we wanted to eat!

The new stadium proved to be a great place to watch game. The folks on our package tour were seated around the ballpark in lower-level seats with fantastic views of the action. Several of us had baseballs hit near us or players throwing balls into the stands close to us. I can't wait to get back out there again this summer. If you are interested in joining us, check out our package tours on our website. We would love to have you join us!

Click here to see a complete wrapup of the game.

MLB Road Trips Kick Off with East Coast 1 Tour

Posted Monday, May 18, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

May 7, 2009 - New York City
This is my favorite time of year. The baseball season is now in full swing, the weather gets to be a little more predictable, and teams are already jockeying within their divisions - a perfect time

Thurman Munson's locker

for a baseball road trip!

Today our East Coast 1 Tour began in New York City with a stadium tour of the Yankees' new home. What an impressive place! The tour starts in their museum that's inside the stadium. The museum has autographed baseballs from many of the Yankees players throughout history, stories about the different eras of the team, and interesting information about the stadium.

Here's a picture of one of my favorite items from the tour. As a catcher growing up in the 70's, I idolized catchers in the big leagues. Thurman Munson was one of the guys I loved to watch. We learned last year when we were in the Yankees clubhouse on one of our group tours that the Yankees had preserved Munson's locker since the day he died. No one had used it since. His locker was moved in tact to the new Yankee Stadium and is what you see pictured to the left.

Whether you are a Yankee fan or not, this baseball stadium needs to be on your "must see" list for one of your upcoming sports vacations. The team is such a storied franchise and they've presented their history well in the new venue.

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Heritage Pork Porchetta Over Kielbasa Sauerkraut?

Posted Saturday, April 4, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

By now you've probably heard a lot about New York's two new baseball stadiums. But have you given much thought to what food they will offer? Frankly (no hot dog puns intended...), I hadn't much either. However, Florance Fabricant of the New York Times has recently outlined the food offerings at the New Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. Here's a sampling of what you can expect:

Steak sandwiches, lobster rolls, barbecue, beer and wine, heritage pork porchetta over kielbasa sauerkraut, crab cake with a cauliflower and tomato relish, soft tacos, pork carnitas, skirt steak or pumpkin seed and chicken mole, Mexican-style corn on the cob dusted with cheese and mayo, Kansas City ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, chicken wings, hamburgers, milkshake, fries, lobster rolls, fried local flounder sandwiches, blackened shrimp po’ boys, fried calamari, clam and corn chowder, fresh produce, knish, skinless and natural casing dogs, corn dogs on a stick, a Chicago dog, a New York City dog, smoked chicken bratwurst, natural hot dogs and corn dogs, Hebrew National hot dogs, a glatt kosher hot dog and, a smaller frank.

It appears that even non-baseball fans have a reason to go to the games now - you can eat your way around the stadium! While we're known as baseball trip planners, you'll have to figure out the food stands on your own, at least for a while until we make our own way around the stadium!

If you are looking for help planning your baseball spring trip or if you are interested in taking one of our MLB Tours, we would love to make your baseball vacations the ultimate tour vacations they can be.

Big League Tours Offers Lower Rates for a Limited Time

Posted Tuesday, March 24, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

We Went to Bat For You!!!

Big League Tours group on private stadium tour of Yankee Stadium

We know that times are tough so we went to bat for you. We were able to secure lower rates from our travel partners and are passing on the savings to you. So for a limited time, take advantage of lower rates on all of our group travel tours.

We want to see you at the ballpark this summer enjoying baseball stadium tours, meeting Big League players, or just enjoying the game that we all love so much. So check out the revised prices of our 2009 Tour Packages and reserve your spot today!

Here's a quick snapshot of the tour offerings with hotlinks to the details for each of the sports packages:
East Coast 1 - New York, Cooperstown and Boston from $2,000 per person*
East Coast 2 - New York and Boston from $1,750 per person*
Atlanta - Atlanta Braves from $975 per person*
Midwest - Chicago and Milwaukee from $1,400 per person*
Big Apple - New York Mets and Yankees from $1,325 per person*
Seattle - Seattle Mariners package from $1,200 per person*

*All prices are based on double occupancy

Down Comes Shea Stadium

Posted Thursday, February 19, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

I never had the opportunity to take any baseball stadium tours at Shea Stadium. I don't know if the team ever offered them or if they stopped offering them within the last few years. After seeing several games there, I grew to like some of its features but absolutely hated others.

But, whether or not you were a fan of Shea, the old park has been coming down since the end of the 2008 season. Here's a video clip of some of the demolition.

We are offering a couple of different sports packages this year that either offer a trip to Citi Field as part of the package or an option to add a game in the brand new ballpark. Don't miss your chance to book one of our sports travel packages and take in the baseball stadium in its inaugural year.

MLB Players Added to Sports Packages

Posted Thursday, February 19, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

Each year, Big League Tours offers sports packages to baseball stadiums all across the Major Leagues. While we offer top of the line accommodations, lower-level tickets to the games, baseball stadium tours, and transportation, the highlight of the tours are always when we meet with current or former Major League players.

The Big League Player Appearances are shaping up nicely for the 2009 season. Here are the players that we have confirmed for our group travel tours:

East Coast 1 - Rich Gedman, former Red Sox catcher, will be joining us in Boston
East Coast 2 - John Tudor, former Red Sox pitcher, will be joining us in Boston
Big Apple - Art Shamsky, former Mets outfielder and member of the 1969 Miracle Mets team, will be joining us in New York City
Seattle - Dave Henderson, former Mariners outfielder, will be joining us in Seattle.

I'll be posting some information about each of these players and any updates that we will have including the players who will be joining us on our family tours in Atlanta and Chicago.

Big League Tours in the News

Posted Monday, February 16, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

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.

What Makes Us Different

Posted Thursday, December 4, 2008 by Nicole Minnick

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!

Batting Robot

Posted Tuesday, December 2, 2008 by Nicole Minnick

Will Baseball Stadium Tours Include Robots Someday?

This video doesn't have very much to do with what we do at Big League Tours or small group tours right now, but maybe someday it will. (I don't think it will be in my lifetime, but who knows.) I thought it was pretty cool and thought some of you travelers might as well. If you are interested in robots, baseball or both you might find this interesting. Do you think this is what the future holds for baseball trips and stadium tours alike?

New Yankee Stadium

Posted Monday, November 24, 2008 by Nicole Minnick

Are You Ready to Experience one of our Baseball Stadium Tours to New Yankee Stadium in '09!?

Many baseball vacation packages are now being offered for the opening weekend for the New Yankee Stadium in April 2009. Have you planned your MLB road trip yet? Check out the video of New Yankee Stadium and start planning your sports packages now, before its too late. You won't want to miss this! Check out our website for the many different sports packages that we are offering in '09 that include the New Yankee Stadium as well as every other Major League stadium.

NL MVP

Posted Monday, November 17, 2008 by Nicole Minnick

Add Midwest 1 To Your MLB Tours for 2009 To See Pujols in Action

Pujols has been crowned the National League MVP for the secon

Add St. Louis to your group travel tours plans next season.

d time in his career. In the running against him was Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies, who beat Pujols in 2006. Having finished in the top 10 every voting season for the past eight seasons and has been the 11th player to receive the award twice.

St. Louis ended their season 11 1/2 seasons away from first in the NL Central. However, the Cardinals exceeded many peoples' expectations, especially with the help of Pujols.

So, make sure to add Midwest 1 from Big League Tours onto your stadium tours list for 2009 and check out NL MVP Albert Pujols and Golden Glove winner Yadier Molina.

Check out the full story here on MLB.com.

Special Urns

Posted Tuesday, November 11, 2008 by Nicole Minnick

Follow Your Favorite Team Into the Afterlife

There are many die hard baseball fans out there, but I have ne

Family tours remember loved ones.

ver seen anything like this. Eternal Image makes unique caskets and urns for their customers. Clint Mytych, CEO and only 27, of Eternal Image is determined to change the funeral industry with an array of new ways to celebrate the person who has passed. Whether it is an urn for your favorite pet or you were a huge Phillies fan and you would like to dedicate your urn to the team. With the permission of Major League Baseball fans can now take it to the next level.

The MLB urns are made from aluminum, sits on top of a wooden shaped base and topped with a clear dome and baseball can be displayed. Then the logo of the persons favorite team is displayed on the side as well as their name. There is soon to be a casket that focuses on your favorite team as well. The casket will resemble a wooden bat and will be lined in the persons favorite teams colors.

Are you this big of a fan? Join us on one of our sports vacations and maybe you'll catch that commemorative baseball that can be displayed on your urn. Or maybe during one of our baseball stadium tours you could get a bat signed by a special player for that wooden bat casket. If your not ready to take your favorite team to the afterlife just enjoy them now with Big League Tours.

Check In & Travel Tips

Posted Monday, November 3, 2008 by Nicole Minnick

A lot of us dread going to the airport these days. It takes a lot of time to get through security, which means we must arrive earlier and it can sometimes be very frustrating. Listed below are some tips you can use before arriving at the airport to speed up the check-in process and help with an all around better experience.

Airport Tips

Before Your Tour Vacations

Check your itineraries for seat assignments and make any ticket changes you need.
Handle any special needs you might need before you get to the airport.
Check to make sure the contact information they have for you is correct.
Take care of any passports, visas, or any other important papers you might need way ahead of time.
Know the check-in requirements for your airport.
Know the requirements for the security checkpoints where you'll be traveling.

Check security check-point wait-times and allow plenty of extra time for busy holiday periods.

Baggage Tips

Put your name and phone number of your destination on the inside and outside of your bag.

Don't wrap your gifts since all luggage is subject to inspection. (If during a seasonal holiday please be aware of theft and consider sending your gifts by mail.)
Travel light when you can. Try bringing one carry-on bag that will fit underneath the seat in front of you.

Carry valuables, medication, and travel documents in your carry-on baggage.

A great way to check for travel alerts and updates is the Transportation Security Administration website.

Christmas Ideas

Posted Monday, November 3, 2008 by Nicole Minnick

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.

Tour of Joe Maddon's Office

Posted Tuesday, October 28, 2008 by Glenn Dunlap

Most of our sports travel packages offer baseball stadium tours on the itinerary. So as you can imagine, we've had the pleasure of seeing lots of behind the scenes elements at many different ballparks. Here's something that we haven't seen, the inside of a manager's office. So while the World Series is suspended, take a peek at Joe Maddon's office.

If you love to get inside the game of baseball with behind the scenes opportunities like this, check out our 2009 MLB Tours and join us for an experience you'll never forget!

Sports Vacations Offer Great Times For Families

Posted Sunday, October 26, 2008 by Glenn Dunlap

Family Tours East Coast Together
Here's a note that I received from one of our travelers. This is from Michael H. who traveled with his son and grandson on our East Coast 3 tour which included games at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, a full day at Cooperstown, and a private stadium tour of Fenway Park. Michael's letter reads:

I'm sending this note to let you know how great the tour that Jarrett, Nolan and I went on was to me. It's been almost two months and I still think of it everyday. I will always have the best of memories about this baseball trip.

You handled everything so well and made it even more enjoyable. It was a pleasure to meet you and your daughter and your dad.

Thanks again for a great time!!!"

We very much enjoyed you traveling with us, too, Michael. We love it when our guests have such a great time on the baseball road trips, especially when three generations get to experience them together!

Big League Tours Appears in Indianapolis Business Journal

Posted Tuesday, October 7, 2008 by Glenn Dunlap

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!

Cleveland Rocks! Cleveland Rocks!

Posted Friday, August 22, 2008 by Nicole Minnick

Baseball Stadium Tours Continues To Cleveland

In Cleveland our guests were able to take a stadium tour of Progressive Field.

Big League Tours Mascot

We had a wonderful tour guide who was full of information about the team's history and the field itself. I was unaware that Progressive Field had a memorial area, Heritage Park, similar to the National Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. This area commemorates some of Cleveland's finest playeres throughout the years ranging from Shoeless Joe Jackson to Cy Young. It was great to experience Heritage Park since I am not very knowledgeable of Cleveland's past. Big League Tours guests were able to experience a suite, batting cages where guests saw Ben Francisco practicing, and dugout seats to just name a few of the big stops. Unfortunately, Cleveland's winning streak ended to Baltimore on Wednesday August 13th. The Indian's put up a good fight but in the end could not hold the Orioles who won 6-1. To see official MLB stats click here.

What are you looking for in your baseball vacation packages?

Posted Tuesday, July 29, 2008 by Glenn Dunlap

Want Great Seats? Stadium Tours? Meet a Player? Great Hotels? Time to Explore?
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.

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