Ultimate Baseball Road Trip
It’s baseball season and I wanted to touch on a really cool challenge I’ve been seeing the last couple of years. There have been so many awesome stories of people trying to get out to all 30 pro baseball parks. Whether they try and do a sprint run in one season, or a marathon run through their lives. One of the coolest parts about this is how each ballpark is slightly different, and coming to enjoy those unique parts of each place. I thought about what would be the best way to try and participate in this challenge and naturally the idea of a road trip came up. There’s something special about the summer road trip as well. I’ve had many memorable summer road trips and they were some of the most fun and memorable times. So, what would be the ultimate baseball road trip?
First off let’s set some parameters that would make the road trip more enjoyable. The very first thing I wanted to figure out was, what is the farthest someone would be willing to drive and then still have the energy and want to go an event afterwards? I came to the conclusion that 6 hours is about the longest ride we wanted to aim for, with shorter being better of course. You figure with a 6 hour ride you could think of the drive like shift at work, get up in the morning, not in a terrible rush, but knowing what you have to do. Even if you pad out a few stops along the way you could easily pull a 9-5 on a drive like that. The second thing to figure out was a starting point. Since there are stadiums nationwide, what general area would be the best to start out in? Would there be starting points, and what would be the best route? Third, I wanted to see if we could incorporate the sprint part of the challenge into this, so I took a look at the upcoming season to see if the schedules lined up to make this possibility a reality. So let’s take a look at what I figured out.
There are 2 really strong road trips we can take here, with a 3rd one that’s a bit more of a slog but we will cover that soon. Today we will cover the first trip. The first trip, which covers the most stadiums, is based in the lake states and midwest. There are a total of 9 teams in 8 cities on this route, with one city hosting 2 teams. With that hint, you can probably guess we are headed. The starting point for this trip is going to be Chicago, with the Chicagoland area home to almost 10 million people, and Chicago hosting both the Cubs and White Sox, it makes a great starting point for this trip. Now just because starting in Chicago might be the most efficient, you will see on the route that there’s opportunities to jump in on the trip in various spots on the route. Starting off with the chance to put two stadiums away seemed like the best idea though.
Wrigley field is an iconic American landmark, and the natural starting point of this adventure. Having been around for over 100 years, it’s one of the premier ballparks in the country and an absolute must for baseball lovers. There are two paths where to go for our next stop. You cans stay in Chicago to head to the south side and go to Rate Field, where the White Sox play. Only about half an hour away from Wrigley, it’d buy you an extra day in Chicago, a city with plenty to see and do. The other route would have Rate field be the 3rd park you see. We’ll be heading north about 2 hours up to Milwaukee to see the Brewers play at American Family Field. Either way we’re going to stay in the NL central for our next stop.
About 4.5 hours south of Chicago is Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals. The home of to some of the best fans and teams in the last 20 years of baseball. Busch Stadium has ranked top 10 in attendance every year dating back to 2006. While the Cardinals are currently rebuilding may be a good time to go and grab a deal on tickets. With a gorgeous panoramic view of downtown St. Louis, including a great view of the St. Louis Arch, it’s a classic spot to catch a game. Still in the NL Central we’re heading to Cincinnati and another of America’s most historic ball parks, I mean they literally call it Great American Ballpark. This stadium has a ton of cool unique features that make it a fan favorite. First off, it’s got the highest HR rate of any stadium in MLB, and who doesn’t love home runs? Second, you’ve got the Power Stacks. Two steamboat themed smoke stacks that spew fire and fireworks. When the Reds pitchers strikeout a player, fire comes out the stacks, and when the Reds hit a HR , fireworks come out of the stacks. There is also the Reds hall of fame and museum, showcasing the history of Red Stockings, America’s first baseball team, dating back over 150 years.
It’s time to wrap up the NL Central with our next stop, Pittsburgh. A four and a half hour drive from Cincinnati, we head to PNC Park. With arguably the most beautiful view of any ballpark in the country, showcasing the bridges and downtown Pittsburgh. With the Pirates finally crawling out of their eternal rebuilding phase, try and see if you can get to the park when ace Paul Skenes is pitching, although if you’re looking for a discount go any other day. After several longer drives we’ve got a shorter one for the next stop. Two and half hours from Pittsburgh, is Cleveland, home to the Guardians. Progressive Field, also called "The Jake" from it’s days as Jacobs Field before the stadium sponsorship. It’s MLB’s smallest park for attending fans.
For our next stop get your passports ready, we’re heading to Canada. A 5 hour drive from Cleveland around Lake Erie takes us to Toronto. Niagra Falls is a perfect spot to stop for a pee break along the way. A must see in it’s own right, Niagara Falls is only an hour and a half from our next ballpark, Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays nearly won the world series last year, and hopes and expectations are still high for this season as well. After a busy offseason come and watch one of the best teams in baseball in their home stadium.
The final stop of this trip takes us to Detroit, home of the Tigers. About 4 hours from Toronto going the other way around the Lake Erie. Comerica Park has one of the coolest entrance gates with the two giant tigers greeting you as you enter the ballpark. A stadium that traditionally has played to pitchers strengths with a larger outfield, the Tigers are enjoying the best ace in the game right now in Tarik Skubal. It’s worth the premium to go and see him pitch, much like Skenes. The Tigers will be right there in the mix to challenge for the AL pennant again this year after going to a deciding game 5 in the ALDS last year.
Well that’s it, we did it. 9 parks, 8 cities. A classic American road trip. Now, for you sprinters out there let’s see when we could do this. There is so much to see along the way in this trip, and I’d love to help you plan that here at Travel Authenticity.