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The Baseball Road Trip Planner for 2024

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How can you visit all 30 baseball stadiums in a season?

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Spring blossoms and the smell of fresh cut grass bring a lot of things to mind -- sunshine, winter thaw, rebirth. Spring implies newness, a welcome change from the dreary winters that leave many housebound for months on end. Spring is bike rides, walks in the park and cool breezes. For baseball lovers, the dawn of spring can best be summed up in four short words -- pitchers and catchers report. As any baseball fan knows, the announcement that these players have reported to their Spring Training parks means that the first pitch of the season is right around the corner.

The origins of the game of baseball are generally tied to two men -- Abner Doubleday and Alexander Cartwright. While Doubleday is commonly thought of as the inventor of the game, it's Cartwright who was responsible for formalizing the game and shaping it into what it would soon become. In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first all-professional baseball team. In 2008, the same sport that saw Ty Cobb make $40,000 per year in the 1920s, paid Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez $33 million and generated total revenues of more than $6 billion [source: Isidore ].

Despite the blemishes put on the eye of America's national pastime in recent years with the bloated salaries and allegations of steroid use, it remains one of the top two sports in the United States, alongside National Football League football. But even the fan fervor of the NFL can't match baseball's diehards. There are stories of New York baseball fans who have refused to even watch a game since their beloved Dodgers were moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1957. We've heard of Chicago Cubs fan Harry Grossman, who at the age of 91 had attended more than 4,000 games at hallowed Wrigley Field. We've wept during "Field of Dreams" and rooted for pitchers on the opposing team who are vying for a no-hitter, just for a chance to see history.

Baseball has roots almost as old as its country of origin. This rich history is what fans are after when they visit ballparks to watch the boys of summer take the field each night. It's the same history that inspires some fans to achieve what seems like an impossible feat -- visiting all 30 major league ballparks in a single season. But not only is it not impossible, it's achieved every year by the most dedicated fans. We'll take a look at just how you can accomplish the ultimate baseball road trip.

Baseball Stadiums

Ultimate baseball road trip.

Baseball stadiums have gone through some major changes over the years. The original stadiums, like most buildings of the day, were beautifully designed and for the most part, functional. Sure, there were obstructed view seats here and there and not every section had convenient access to restrooms, but they were cathedrals, monuments to the country's beloved pastime. As attendance and revenues increased over the years, many of the original stadiums were razed in favor of larger, less intimate stadiums designed by architects who, some might argue, knew more about building codes than batting averages.

It made sense for ballparks to become larger, but the design choices of the 1960s and 1970s didn't retain the classic look and feel of what makes baseball parks unique. The oddly shaped, charming ballparks of days gone by were replaced by circular behemoths with limited architectural value that did little to honor the game. Old favorites like Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field and Fenway Park remained, but many others were lost over the years.

In 1992, the Baltimore Orioles made a change that would reverberate through Major League Baseball, when they opened Oriole Park at Camden Yards. This was the first of what would become a trend in new stadium design and construction, and a major shift in how professional baseball was marketed. Starting with Camden Yards, new ballparks became a destination for fans, eager to see modern amenities coupled with a classic look. Retro was suddenly in fashion in MLB and the design mistakes of the past were destined to be corrected, city-by-city.

Because of the new throwback ballparks, attendance increased dramatically and a new summertime activity caught fire -- the baseball road trip. Fans of the game were inspired to travel to as many of the new stadiums as possible and drink in the atmosphere that the new digs provided. Road tripping to cities, mainly along the East Coast, became a rite of passage for the most diehard fans. But this kind of fanaticism comes at a price. In 2009, the average cost of a MLB ticket was $26.74 [source: food and lodging.

Now imagine trying to go see one game in all 30 ballparks in a single season, the ultimate baseball road trip. Can it be done? Yes. Fear not, baseball fan -- we'll give you some tips and tricks on the next page.

So, you want to visit all 30 MLB ballparks in a single season? You better have some time, money and serious organizational skills. Let's assume that you'll want to undertake this challenge with a partner. Here's some advice -- choose wisely. If you're going to marathon through 30 cities with a friend or loved one, it's going to take you at least 40 days or so. Sixty days is more realistic, allowing you to avoid a breakneck pace that could lead to burnout. So pick someone who has an equally undying passion for the game and who you generally get along well with in close quarters for extended periods of time.

Now that you have your partner lined up, you'll want to start plotting your course. It's best to start this process as soon as the schedules are released in the offseason. Planning the logistics of this kind of trip is difficult. You'll want to avoid backtracking to make it as efficient and inexpensive as possible. That means carefully plotting out a geographical map that aligns with the baseball schedule. Obviously, showing up in Philadelphia when they don't arrive home from a road trip for several days only adds to the time and expense incurred. You'll want to arrive on game day or the day before at the earliest, with a day of travel built in for each city.

Luckily, there are a couple of Web sites that can help you during the planning process. ESPN's "Baseball Road Trip Planner" site and baseball-roadtrip.com both offer helpful tools to assist you in your quest. The ESPN site allows you to browse scrollable schedules by city or by league. Baseball-roadtrip.com will even plot your course for you if you input your dates and starting points.

If you've managed to establish your timeline and plan your route, the only thing left to do is to get to each stadium and buy a ticket. This means making the trip financially viable. Here are some tips:

• Rent a hybrid vehicle to save on gas costs.
• Try to hit games on consecutive days for teams within the same state.
• Avoid hotels and try camping -- book camp sites ahead of time.
• Have a backup plan for rainouts.
• Call ahead to team customer service departments -- letting them know what you're doing might get you some discounted or free tickets.
• Most stadiums have great deals on nosebleed seats.
• Like any vacation, plan for overages in your time and budget.

Thanks to the iPhone, your baseball road trip just got a little easier. For just one dollar, you can download the Baseball Road Trip app to help you along the way. All 30 stadiums have vital information listed -- photos, maps, ticket office phone numbers, capacity, dimensions and fun facts. You can also access schedules and get pointers on hotel and dining options near each stadium. Also available are signature food items you won't want to miss at each stadium. Dodger Dog, anyone?

Lots More Information

Related articles.

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More Great Links

• Sports Illustrated
• Baseball Road Trip
• "Ballparks of Baseball's RoadTripping." Ballparksofbaseball.com. 2009.http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/roadtrip.htm
• "Baseball Road Trip Planner." Baseball-roadtrip.com. 2009.http://baseball-roadtrip.com/
• "Baseball Road Trip Planner." Espn.go.com. 2009.http://proxy.espn.go.com/travel/features/roadtrip/index?teams=2764~2779~2780~2782~2763~2791
• "The History of Baseball." Rpi.edu. 2009.http://www.rpi.edu/~fiscap/history_files/history1.htm
• Brown, Maury. "Average Ticket Price Up 5.4 Percent in MLB. Yankees/Mets Skew Total." Bizofbaseball.com. 2009.http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3147:average-ticket-price-up-54-percent-in-mlb-yankeesmets-skew-total&catid=56:ticket-watch&Itemid=136
• Harkins, Bob. "Heaven, hell and the ultimate baseball road trip." Msnbc.com. May 28, 2009.http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/30878389/ns/sports-baseball/
• Isidore, Chris. "Baseball close to catching NFL as top $ sport." Cnn.com. Oct. 25, 2007.http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/25/commentary/sportsbiz/index.htm
• Michaels, Phillip. "Baseball Road Trip for iPhone." Macworld.com. June 8, 2009.http://www.macworld.com/article/140939/2009/06/baseballroadtrip.html
• Neel, Eric. "Nothing like a walk in the ballpark." Epsn.go.com. 2009.http://espn.go.com/page2/s/neel/030910.html
• Winn, Luke. "Baseball Road Trip." Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. 2009.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/baseball/road_trip/

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30 Games - 30 Stadiums - 1 Season

Home » All Posts » Online Resources for Planning a Trip to Every Baseball Stadium

Online Resources for Planning a Trip to Every Baseball Stadium

When Brad and I first started thinking about this trip, we started our planning with a web search to see what existing online resources we could find. Unfortunately, we didn’t find as many as we would have hoped. That’s why we decided to launch this blog.

I started by searching for help with route planning. Specifically, I wanted to learn how to optimize the travel schedule, how to make the best of each ballpark, places to stay, and how to get to and from the ballparks. This blog post provides links to the online resources we found most useful.

Online Resources for Planning a Baseball Fan Grand Slam

There are quite a few online resources about visiting individual ballparks, but few that discuss the unique challenges of visiting all 30 in one season. These are the resources we did find:

How to Visit All 30 major League Ballparks on a Budget

This blog post is published by a company that educates readers about the stadium and seats before they purchase. They also sell tickets. Here’s what I found useful:

• Purchase tickets two days before the game to save 30%.
• A link to print the schedule for use in planning.
• Group ballparks that are close to one another (they suggest 9 groupings).
• Make arrangements for accommodations ahead of time.
• Use public transportation to and from the games rather than parking at the ballpark.

How Can You Visit All 30 Baseball Stadiums in a Season

This post is part of HowStuffWorks.com. Here’s what I found useful:

• References to two planning site: Baseball Road Trip Planner at baseball-roadrip.com.
• Rent a hybrid vehicle and try camping instead of hotels to save money.
• Have a backup plan for rainouts.
• Call ahead to team customer service departments to let them know what you are doing.
• The Baseball Road Trip app has information about ticket offices, fun facts, and points on hotel and dining options.

Take Me Out to the Ballpark – All of Them

This article in Slate talks about two friends’ quest to visit all 30 major league stadiums in a 30-day road trip. (It took 34.) What I found useful:

• Link to the Harvard Sports Analysis article on The Shortest Possible Baseball Road Trip . This included formulas for Ben Blatt’s travelling salesman model. This was the same approach my husband was taking. He found his approach helpful in constructing his own model.
• Allow four hours per game.
• Make sure to pad drive times to allow for rest stops and manageable drive times.
• Don’t fool yourself that this will allow you to see the USA! You’ll be doing lots of driving, without much sightseeing other than the ballparks.

How to Plan a MLB Road Trip: 30 Parks, One Summer

This article in the Art of Manliness blog was the one that gave my son and I the idea to host our Home Runs for Housing fundraiser. Here’s what else I found useful:

• Go with a good friend who will still like you after the trip!
• Don’t rush too much!
• Plan to be at the park an hour before game time.
• Make a trip to the upper deck, right behind home plate, for a panorama-style picture of the stadium.
• Collect a souvenir in every stadium.
• Create a system to rate the stadiums.

General Baseball Travel Planning Resources

There are more online resources that provide information for individual ballparks. I also found one blog that includes tips for road trip planning in addition to information on the stadiums.

Baseball Road Trip Guide – How to Plan a Baseball Trip Without Hassle .

This blog is part of ballparksavvy.com, a website dedicated to helping fans cut corners to save money on things like tickets, food and parking, and discover free or can’t miss experiences. Here’s what I found useful:

• You can save money by purchasing tickets at the last minute. However, buying in advance provides peace of mind.
• Stubhub , ScoreBig , and the MLB box offices were his top recommendations for ticket purchases.
• Ideas on how to preserve memories of the trip, including a ticket stub book.
• The website has a page for every ballpark that shows things you shouldn’t miss, ways to save money, and where to find parking, tickets, and food!  

Route Planning Tools and Advice

One of the most time consuming challenges of putting together this trip is figuring out the route. I was hoping to find someone who had an online resource that calculated the optimal route for all 30 stadiums. While we didn’t find what we were looking for, we did find some helpful tools.

The Traveling Salesman Problem: 30 MLB Stadiums in Record Tim e . This article was written by someone who completed a road trip of all 30 stadiums in 26 days. It illustrates the difference between the optimal route based on distances, which he provides, and the route he took to minimize the time to visit all stadiums. The distance-optimized route is 9,380.1 miles. The time optimized route for his 2008 schedule was 14,212 miles.

Baseball-Roadrip.com . This has a road trip planner that allows you to see up to 20 games. Unfortunately, if you are planning a trip to all 30, it isn’t as useful.

Baseball Road Trip Planner 2023 . This also offers a road trip planner. Unfortunately, I had a hard time making the calculations work!

Visiting all 30 Major League Baseball Stadiums – with Python and SAS Viya . This is part of the SAS blogs, and it contains a lot of information about building a travelling salesman formula to optimize the trip.

I’ll continue to edit this blog post as we find additional online resources. So, if you spot something I haven’t seen, be sure to put it in the comments so that I can check it out!

Published in Planning a Grand Slam

• baseball fan grand slam
• baseball travel
• baseball trip

The Ultimate 2024 Major League Baseball Road Trip

W hat’s on your baseball bucket list? A game at Fenway Park, Camden Yards, or Dodger Stadium? I’ve aimed a bit bigger than that with this 2024 Major League Baseball road trip! If you’re interested in embarking on this trip of a life time, then you’ve come to the right place. Once you’ve read this post, you’ll just need to secure the time off, buy your tickets, and hit the road for an epic 30+ park tour!

Goals of this Major League Baseball Road Trip

The goals of this Major League Baseball Road Trip are pretty simple: to see every stadium in a single year and trip. However, that is a lot easier said than done. Not everyone has unlimited funds, or unlimited time to make a trip like this happen. I planned this trip from my personal perspective, assuming I could get the time off from my 9-5.

Thankfully, I’ve already made it to at least one MLB stadium on this list!

With that in mind, I set some other ground rules to help plan how we are getting across country for this amazing baseball road trip. The first rule was to limit this trip to the fewest days possible. Of course, you could see every park over an entire year but nobody’s got time for that! Second, I picked what I felt was the best place to finish and then worked back from there. With the 2024 MLB All-Star game being played at the home of the defending world champion Rangers, I was determined that was where it should wrap up. Finally, I needed to minimize backtracking to cut down on road miles. This means most locations with two teams got consecutive games, with one exception.

Having put all these goals in place, it took quite a while to figure out the best plan. As an added bonus, there are a few stretches of the trip where I could slot in some “bonus” games. Honestly, it wouldn’t be the ultimate baseball road trip if you didn’t see a few Minor League Baseball games along the way as well. It’s really a win-win for all of us obsessed baseball fans!

Summary of the Trip

This epic 2024 Major League Baseball road trip will take you across the entire country over the course of exactly 90 days. You’ll cover over 11,000 miles and visit not only all 30 major league ballparks but have plenty of chance to see some great minor league parks as well. If you just want a list of the dates, teams, and parks, then head to the bottom of the post for that even quicker summary.

The trip begins at the home of the reigning National League champions, the Arizona Diamondbacks on 4/17. You’ll follow this up with three games in three days in Southern California (Padres, Dodgers, Angels) . This is the only “triple-header” on the entire trip thanks to the closeness of the teams. The only exception to my back tracking rule follows, as this trip will visit San Francisco on 4/26. Then there is the long drive to Seattle for a game on 4/30, and back to Oakland for your first game in May on 5/4. That wraps up the whirlwind West Coast portion of this 2024 MLB road trip.

April’s portion of this 2024 MLB Road Trip covers 2,475 miles!

Continuing into May, you’ll be putting down some major miles. The Colorado Rockies will get a visit on the 10th of May. This is followed up by a tough back to back from a late afternoon start in Minneapolis to a Noon first pitch in Milwaukee . There are a few days (and a stop at the Field of Dreams) between Milwaukee and Kansas City on 5/19. After all the zipping back and forth, there will be some down time in Chicago. You’ll get a game with the Cubs at Wrigley Field on the 21st, a zero travel day on the 22nd, and then see the White Sox on the 23rd. The May portion of this 2024 MLB road trip wraps up with stops to see the Cardinals on the 26th and finally the Reds on the 29th.

May has you all over the Midwest

Heading into June, you’ve already knocked out half the MLB! June has another nine teams to visit, and it begins with Pittsburgh on the 4th. Then it’s a loop around Lake Erie with visits to Cleveland, Detroit, and Toronto . Finally, you’ll show up at the historic Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox , for one of the biggest games of the summer! Then there is a well deserved break, which you can fill with more baseball if you want at some of the suggested minor league stadiums below. After six days off, it’s time to visit the Yankees in another big time matchup on 6/23. Take in the sights around the big apple before catching the Mets two days later. June concludes with a sprint through Philadelphia and Baltimore .

June is the shortest stretch at just 1,770 miles

The heat of the summer is at it’s height, just in time for a swing through the south! The final six stadiums on this Major League Baseball road trip are all in the south over 16 days. July 1st is a game in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Celebrate America’s birthday, with America’s past time when you make a visit to Atlanta on the 4th. The Florida teams get visits on the 7th (Miami) and the 9th (Tampa Bay) . Then you’ve got a couple of days to make it to Houston and see the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Finally, the trip wraps up by catching the 2024 All-Star Game at the home of the Rangers in Arlington, Texas!

Just 16 days to cover all this ground in July!

Top Five Matchups on the Road Trip

With 30 games in 90 days, you’ll be getting your fill of baseball. It also means that there are certain matchups which stand out among the rest. This is a pretty subjective top five, so my personal picks might not be the same as your top five.

5. Toronto Blue Jays @ San Diego Padres, April 20th

I debated for a bit on what game to put in this place. Mets @ Dodgers was a candidate, as was Cubs @ Cardinals later in the trip. Ultimately, I settled on the second game of this 2024 Major League Baseball road trip. It features two teams which are striving to take a step forward, but ended 2023 disappointed. It’s also at one of the most unique ballparks in the country in Petco Park. With all that, I gave it the #5 spot on this list.

PetCo Park is one of my favorite stadiums in baseball! Image by Frank Romero/Shutterstock.com

4. Texas Rangers @ Houston Astros, July 13th

This one makes my top five for a few reasons. First, it’s a rematch of a great ALCS from 2023 and hopefully will be a good game in 2024. Second, it’s the only time the Astros make an appearance during the entire trip. Finally, I love Minute Maid Park and would love to see a game there. All that combined gets it a place in my top five matchups on this 2024 MLB road trip.

I still wish they had the hump in center field! Image by University of College/Shutterstock.com

3. Atlanta Braves @ New York Yankees, June 23rd

The Atlanta Braves are my favorite team. I’ve rooted for them for as long as I can remember. I’ve hated the Yankees for almost as long. Getting a chance to see my Braves take on the “evil empire” in Yankee Stadium is checking off a box on my sports bucket list. Just have to hope I’d be able to walk away on the winning side.

Maybe you’ll be lucky to catch a sunset like this over Yankee Stadium. Image by Lifes_Sunday/Shutterstock.com

2. New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox, June 16th

I’d say this one is pretty self-explanatory. I’ve had the opportunity to complete my pilgrimage to Fenway Park , but the atmosphere during that trip is nothing compared to when the Yankees come to town. I went back and forth on if this should be the #1 matchup on this baseball road trip, but another game had a closer personal connection for me.

If you can get seats in center field, you’ll have an excellent view of the game and Fenway!

1. Atlanta Braves @ Chicago Cubs, May 21st

The #1 game on this Major League Baseball road trip that I’d be excited for is Braves @ Cubs. Wrigley Field is in my personal top five of all sporting venues I want to visit. Getting a chance to see a game there featuring my favorite team makes it even better. To top it all off, this game is on my birthday as well! So three great reasons to make it my #1 matchup!

How could a game at Wrigley not make the top five matchups on this trip? Image by Joshua Mellin/Shutterstock.com

Great Minor League Baseball Stadiums Along the Way

Major League Baseball doesn’t have a monopoly on great ball park experiences. In fact, there are a ton of awesome minor league stadiums which are well worth making a stop at on any Major League Baseball road trip. My recommendations for this trip are largely based around being nearby one of these excellent ballparks while that minor league team is playing at home. This means there are a few stadiums which I really wanted to include that get missed because of scheduling. If you want to learn more about the best minor league baseball stadiums (which would make for another great baseball road trip) then head over to MLB.com’s ballpark guides by Benjamin Hill .

What a backdrop for a baseball game! Image courtesy of the Salt Lake Bees.

The first minor league stop is in Visalia, California. You can make a visit to the 7th oldest minor league park, and the smallest as well, by seeing the Visalia Rawhides play on April 24th. After your trip to San Francisco and Seattle, catch a game (and some churros) with the San Jose Giants on May 3rd. Once you leave Oakland, make a stop on May 7th at the most scenic ballpark in America: Smith’s Ballpark. This is the home of the Salt Lake Bees, and features a stunning mountain backdrop. The final stop in May comes right after you visit the Field of Dreams, by seeing the Cedar Rapids Kernels on May 17th.

Four more minor league stadiums get a visit during the months of June and July. Take advantage of your “week off” after Boston to see the Portland Sea Dogs on 6/18 and then the Brooklyn Cyclones on 6/22. Before you visit the Phillies in Philadelphia, you can watch the Fightin’ Phils in Reading on 6/26. The final minor league stop on this baseball road trip is in Asheville on 7/3. McCormick Field, home of the Asheville Tourists, is the fifth oldest stadium in all of baseball and one of the most scenic as well.

After a game at the Cyclones, you can ride the eponymous ride next door! Image by Leonard Zhukovsky/Shutterstock.com

Combining these minor league stadiums with your major league stops, makes for 38 total stops on this Major League Baseball road trip. That’s one game every 57 hours on average! You could easily squeeze in more games if that’s not enough baseball for you. The Midwest and northeast have a ton of great teams and stadiums worth a visit on any baseball road trip. However, I didn’t want to pack this schedule too much so I left wiggle room for you to customize the trip a bit.

Considerations Before Embarking on this Epic Trip

If you’re planning on undertaking this 2024 MLB road trip, you’ll have a lot to consider. Assuming you can take a sabbatical from work (or you work remotely) and have the money to spend on speeding across the country, the main issue is drive time. There are a number of days on this trip which will stretch your endurance. I think it’s critical to have a partner (or two) which can split up time behind the wheel. It’ll also help get miles on the road overnight if necessary to get from one place to the next.

Another aspect I’d have anyone embarking on this Major League Baseball road trip is where are you staying each night. Choosing hotels each night can be comfy, but also expensive. If you’re part of a rewards program, however, you’ll rack up plenty of free nights over the course of this trip. Renting an RV could also be another solution. You’ll kill two birds with one stone as it can be both your rental car and sleeping quarters all in one. Particularly gregarious travelers might be able to rely on friends, family, or generous strangers to put them up in each destination which can really reduce your costs.

Or, you can get a car big enough to sleep in and do some car camping along the way!

Finally, I’d definitely have you consider how to keep in shape on the road. There is going to be plenty of delicious food to eat at each destination. Combine that with a lot of time sitting and watching games or driving, and it can add to your waistline quickly. Maybe you’ll find a few nights to run the bases or on your off-days hit up a local gym. Whatever your gym routine is (or isn’t), just don’t skip it over the 90 days on the road.

This is truly the trip of a lifetime, and I wish I had an opportunity to take it myself. I’ve been along the Pacific Coast Highway, down the Blue Ridge Parkway, and driven the entire Great River Road . Yet, none of these were a three month mega trip to see every MLB park in a single go. Even if I can’t go this year, hopefully I’ll get a chance to do it in the future.

2024 MLB Road Trip Schedule

DateTimeTeamStadium4/17/2412:40pmArizona DiamondbacksChase Field4/20/245:40pmSan Diego PadresPetco Park4/21/241:10pmLos Angeles DodgersDodgers Stadium4/22/246:38pmLos Angeles AngelsAngels Stadium4/26/247:15pmSan Francisco GiantsOracle Park4/30/246:40pmSeattle MarinersT-Mobile Park5/4/241:07pmOakland AthleticsOakland Coliseum5/10/246:40pmColorado RockiesCoors Field5/14/246:40pmMinnesota TwinsTarget Field5/15/2412:10pmMilwaukee BrewersAmerican Family Field5/19/241:10pmKansas City RoyalsKauffman Stadium5/21/146:40pmChicago CubsWrigley Field5/23/246:40pmChicago White SoxGuaranteed Rate Field5/26/246:10pmSt. Louis CardinalsBusch Stadium5/29/241:10pmCincinnati RedsGreat American Ballpark6/4/246:40pmPittsburgh PiratesPNC Park6/6/241:10pmCleveland GuardiansProgressive Field6/11/246:40pmDetroit TigersComerica Park6/14/247:07pmToronto Blue JaysRogers Centre6/16/247:10pmBoston Red SoxFenway Park6/23/241:35pmNew York YankeesYankee Stadium6/25/247:10pmNew York MetsCiti Field6/27/246:20pmPhiladelphia PhilliesCitizens Bank Park6/29/247:15pmBaltimore OriolesCamden Yards7/1/246:45pmWashington NationalsNationals Park7/4/247:20pmAtlanta BravesTruist Park7/7/241:40pmMiami MarlinsLoanDepot Park7/9/246:50pmTampa Bay RaysTropicana Field7/13/243:10pmHouston AstrosMinute Maid Park7/16/24TBDMLB All-Star GameGlobe Life Field (Texas Rangers)

All times local and subject to change

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Planning The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip

In honor of Opening Day...AND our brand-new MLB Baseball Collection , we're celebrating two beloved All-American pastimes: baseball and road trips .

The classic baseball road trip is a tale almost as old as the sport itself. In fact, there are even official names for its enthusiasts: stadium hunters and ballpark chasers , for example. 

Whether you yourself have chased a ballpark or two or you're just hearing about this whole MLB stadium road trip thing for the first time, let's get into it!

Tips for Planning a Baseball Road Trip

One of the best things about planning a baseball road trip is that there's really no wrong way to do it. There are multiple strategies for how to plan your route and itinerary, depending on your individual preferences and how much time you have.

For example, you may want   to visit as many stadiums as possible or see  as many  games  as possible. Or, you can follow a specific team around for awhile, cheering them on in different cities.

The main thing to keep in mind for an MLB stadium road trip is that scheduling is super important. If you want to visit a certain stadium, the home team needs to actually be in town, hosting an opponent. And if you plan to visit multiple stadiums, ideally, all those teams will be playing at home around the same time. 

Wondering how the heck you're supposed to know who's playing where and when? We're glad you asked. 

Allow us to introduce you to an amazing, easy-to-use tool, cleverly called   The Baseball Road Trip Planner .

This handy tool lets you select all the teams you want to see (including minor league teams!) and customize the length of your trip and specific days for games. It even suggests in what order you should visit the stadiums! Once you customize your options, the baseball road trip planner gives you sets of dates throughout the season when it's actually possible.

Ready to   play ball ? Sorry, we had to... Here are a few of the baseball road trip routes we're most looking forward to.

3 MLB Stadium Road Trip Ideas

Whether you have just enough time for a quick weekend getaway or you can devote multiple weeks to your baseball road trip, here are three awesome itineraries.

Psst...love national parks just as much as you do baseball? Check out five of the most epic  national parks road trip itinerary ideas !

Best of the Midwest

With the potential to catch games at four stadiums  and  visit several iconic American landmarks, this is the perfect baseball road trip!  Start in either St. Louis or Milwaukee, then make a stop in Chicago, where you can visit the home stadiums of both the Cubs and the White Sox.

Along the way, be sure to set aside time to check out the   Gateway Arch in St. Louis   (the country's smallest national park!), go up to the Sky Deck of Chicago's Willis Tower, and grab a brew  —   or two  —   on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee.

If you have more time to spend on your MLB stadium road trip, you can also start from Kansas City, Missouri (home of the Royals), and/or add a stop to catch a Twins game in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Sunny Southwest

There's nothing quite like taking in a game with a cold beverage in hand on a gorgeous sunny day, are we right? On this awesome baseball road trip through Arizona and California, you'll get to experience plenty of just that!

Catch the Diamondbacks in Phoenix, then take an easy drive west to   southern California . In San Diego, stop to watch the Padres before heading up to L.A. where you can catch both the Dodgers and the Angels.

If you start this MLB stadium road trip in Phoenix and time it just right, you can catch several spring training games  plus  opening day! 

East Coast Classic

No matter who "your" team is, this is the ultimate baseball road trip! With stops at some of the most iconic MLB stadiums (including the very oldest, Fenway in Boston) and a visit to Cooperstown, any serious baseball fan will appreciate this one.

Depending on home schedules and how much time you have, you can catch the Orioles, Phillies, Nationals, Mets, Yankees, and Red Sox. Plus, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown is a fantastic detour traveling between New York and Boston!

Even if you're short on time, you can easily catch three games in Baltimore,   Washington, DC , and Philadelphia. As a bonus, each of these cities has a TON to see and do outside of baseball!

Baseball Road Trip Stadium Souvenirs

So, are you as excited to plan this summer's baseball road trip as we are?! Before you head out, don't forget to include stadium souvenirs in your budget. 

Much like game ticket stubs, our Limited-Edition Baseball Glove Wanderchain and MLB Stadium Tokens make wonderful stadium souvenirs for preserving memories of your trip — and bonus, you don't have to worry about them fading, wrinkling, or tearing.

Shop the complete  Baseball Collection now, and consider customizing your tokens by adding the dates you visit each stadium! Safe travels, and keep your eyes (and hands!) open for foul balls!

For a multi city trip, do I purchase game tickets first or the overnight stay in a hotel

Hello baseball lovers! I came across this blog and wanted to reach out as I have a property for sale here in Denver, CO, that is connected to Coors Field. I thought you may be interested!

The condo is in McGregor Square, which was developed in 2020 by the owner of the Rockies baseball team. It is Denver’s newest luxury residence, and the plaza is outstanding, especially for BB enthusiasts! It is walkable to the best of lower downtown Denver, is right across the street from Coors Field, and the amenities are simply outstanding, including the almost 360 degree views from the pool deck of the mountains, city and Coors Field. The condo itself has those same views.

Here is the link to the property, and there is a fantastic video that showcases both Coors Field and the downtown Denver lifestyle: https://1901-wazee-street-unit—901.lovewhereyoulivedenver.com/

Here is the link to the overall community: https://www.mcgregorsquare.com/

If anyone has any interest or questions, please feel free to reach out!

Amy Berglund, Realtor milehimodern 720.560.6674 amyberglundme.com

So you no longer have the MLB ballpark tokens??

We are 21 stadiums in with our yearly trip taking us to Seattle this year.

we are one of those stadium hunters families. we only have 2 left to see, seattle and arizona. after testing out your planner i wish i could have used it. it made planning a trip so much easier than the way i did it by printing out all the schedules and plotting them on a calender. although i did leave some time between stadiums in case of rain or to do other things in those cities. it has been a lot of fun for us. something that i know we will always remember doing together.

[email protected] Your various trips left out one of the best stadiums in all of MLB. PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

[email protected]

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The Baseball Road Trip Planner for 2024

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MLB ballpark road trip ideas for the 2023 season

Oracle Park

Thinking about planning an MLB ballpark road trip in 2023? We’re here to help.

Major League Baseball has already released the 2023 schedule, allowing all of us to get an early start on ballpark road trip planning.

And this slate comes with a very interesting new wrinkle: For the first time ever, every team will play every other team. While this is a definite break from tradition in a very traditional sport, it does offer fans new opportunities to see their favorite teams in different places.

While it’s certainly fun to follow a team on a lengthy road trip, the ballpark itineraries we offer here are targeted for a different audience: the “ballpark chaser,” or someone who wants to visit as many parks as possible over a limited timeframe (less than a week).

Whether you’ve made it your goal to visit every major-league ballpark or you just want to experience a few different cities, we hope these ideas can inspire you to get going on your road trip planning.

Longtime readers of this blog know that we do road trip suggestions for all the major leagues each season, including the NFL , NBA and NHL . We find it much easier to find good road trip itineraries in baseball because of the fact that the teams play nearly every day, so if anything, let this guide be a jumping-off point to finding an itinerary that works for your specific schedule.

If you’re new to the idea of baseball trip planning, you can also check out our standing guide to putting together a good MLB ballpark road trip .

Like the other leagues, we try to apply a few ground rules to these itineraries:

• We looked to pack as many games into as small a timeframe as possible, at least considering typical travel times by car (we won’t suggest you travel cross-country for games on back-to-back days, for instance).
• We try to look only at trips where you’re traveling in the same general direction as you go from city to city (so no zig-zagging around).
• We tried to limit the number of times you see a particular team to twice.
• We looked only at minimum four-city trips, because longer trips are always more fun.
• Because starting times can fluctuate, it’s possible that scheduled day games can impact travel. However, in nearly all of the below cases, itineraries can be stretched out by a day or two to allow for a less hectic travel schedule.

Ready to get inspired? Here are our ideas for MLB ballpark road trips in 2023.

1) The Midwest opener

Wednesday, April 5: Braves at Cardinals Thursday, April 6: Giants at White Sox Friday, April 7: Rangers at Cubs Saturday, April 8: Cardinals at Brewers Sunday, April 9: Astros at Twins

Opening Day in 2023 is on March 30, but if you wait a week, you can take this spin up the Midwest to check off five different ballparks: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Guaranteed Rate Field and Wrigley Field in Chicago, American Family Field in Milwaukee and Target Field in Minneapolis.

One note: The Brewers game on April 8 begins at 6:10 p.m. local time, while the Twins game the following day is slated for a 1:10 p.m. first pitch. If that turnaround is too difficult, the Twins also play at home on Monday, April 10 — also a 1:10 p.m. first pitch against the White Sox.

Citi Field (Photo credit: Christopher Lopez)

2) From Midwest to East

Monday, April 24: Rangers at Reds Tuesday, April 25: Rockies at Guardians Wednesday, April 26: Dodgers at Pirates Thursday, April 27: Mariners at Phillies* Friday, April 28: Braves at Mets Saturday, April 29: Guardians at Red Sox

Check off a slew of parks on this weeklong trip that begins in Ohio and winds all the way to Massachusetts. You’ll make stops at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park , Cleveland’s Progressive Field , Pittsburgh’s PNC Park , Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park , New York’s Citi Field and Boston’s Fenway Park . Whew!

One quick-turnaround alert: The Mariners-Phillies game is an afternoon contest. Coming off a night game in Pittsburgh, perhaps you’d prefer to make the stop in Philly optional.

This ballpark road trip idea is customizable in a couple ways. The Nationals are hosting a weekend series against the Pirates at Nationals Park April 28-30, so you could head south from Pittsburgh or Philly instead of north. Also, if the idea of seeing Citi Field but not Yankee Stadium bugs you, spend the weekend in NYC and hit up Guardians-Yankees in the Bronx on Monday, May 1.

3) The West Coast holiday trip

Monday, May 29: Braves at Athletics Tuesday, May 30: Pirates at Giants Wednesday, May 31: Nationals at Dodgers Friday, June 2: Cubs at Padres Saturday, June 3: Braves at Diamondbacks

Beginning on Memorial Day, take a tour through most of California’s ballparks, starting with a stop at Oakland’s RingCentral Coliseum and San Francisco’s Oracle Park . From there, make your way south to check out Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and Petco Park in San Diego, before finishing up in the desert with a game at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Like with the idea above, perhaps you would rather see both the Dodgers and Angels during a single visit to the Los Angeles area. Unfortunately, with this one you’ll have to wait until Cubs-Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Tuesday, June 6.

4) Winding around the Great Lakes

Saturday, July 1 and/or Sunday, July 2: Red Sox at Blue Jays Monday, July 3: Braves at Guardians Tuesday, July 4: Athletics at Tigers Wednesday, July 5: Blue Jays at White Sox Thursday, July 6: Cubs at Brewers

Celebrate the national holidays of two great nations on this ballpark road trip that begins with a weekend at Toronto’s Rogers Centre — go to the Canada Day game on July 1 to see the Blue Jays decked out in red jerseys!

Then, you’ll head back stateside for games at Cleveland’s Progressive Field , Detroit’s Comerica Park , Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field and Milwaukee’s American Family Field . Ring in the Fourth in Detroit, where the Tigers will be taking on the A’s.

5) The All-Star week trip

Monday, July 10: MLB Home Run Derby in Seattle Tuesday, July 11: MLB All-Star Game in Seattle Friday, July 14: Yankees at Rockies Sunday, July 16: Rays at Royals Monday, July 17: Marlins at Cardinals Tuesday, July 18: Nationals at Cubs

In 2023, MLB’s All-Star Weekend will take place at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park . Seattle, however, is the most isolated locale in the majors, a two-hour flight from the nearest rival.

So you can either take this ballpark road trip idea as an opportunity to experience Seattle and All-Star Weekend and make it a jumping-off point for a full-on road trip … or you can cut out Seattle entirely.

Denver’s Coors Field is also somewhat isolated in relation to other major-league parks, so take an extra day crossing the Plains before your next stop at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium . Games at Busch Stadium in St. Louis and Wrigley Field in Chicago round out this itinerary.

Wrigley Field

6) Touring the South

Saturday, Aug. 12: Yankees at Marlins Sunday, Aug. 13: Guardians at Rays Monday, Aug. 14: Yankees at Braves Wednesday, Aug. 16: Guardians at Reds

Gear up for the humidity and see some major-league ball down south in this road trip, beginning down in Miami at LoanDepot Park . Then head north, with stops at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and Truist Park in Atlanta before finishing up with an all-Ohio battle at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park .

By the way, if that Atlanta-to-Cincinnati final leg seems too daunting, don’t worry! It’s actually 460 miles via Interstate 75 — on the high end for a day-long drive, for sure, but doable based on our experience! At any rate, that’s why we added a day off in between.

7) The East Coast stretch run

Sunday, Sept. 24: Braves at Nationals Tuesday, Sept. 26: Nationals at Orioles Wednesday, Sept. 27: Pirates at Phillies Thursday, Sept. 28: Marlins at Mets

For the final week of the 2023 regular season, head east for stops at Nationals Park in Washington, Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Citi Field in New York. Division races in both the AL and NL East could be on the line — will one of these games prove to be a clincher?

Got an MLB ballpark road trip idea for the 2023 season that we didn’t cover? Or want to share tales of your ballpark travels? Hit us up at [email protected] .

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The Top 12 Attractions on a Baseball Road Trip

From legendary stadiums like Fenway and Wrigley to illuminating historical landmarks, a baseball-themed road trip offers a truly unique—and fun—way to experience the sport. So hop in the car, catch a game, and immerse yourself in the “national pastime.” Here are 12 of the best events and attractions to plan your baseball road trip around:

1. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Cooperstown, ny.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a dreamland offering days of excitement and enrichment. The climax is the Hall of Fame Gallery, where you can read the plaque of every single inductee. Nearby, Doubleday Field lures folks to sit in wonder in the grandstand. Add the magic of Main Street Cooperstown and some really good local beer, and you’ve got a perfect long weekend. It’s little off the beaten path, but nonetheless essential. You may want to visit before or after going to Boston.

2. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

Kansas city, mo.

At the must-visit Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, you’ll learn all about gifted players like Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Jackie Robinson, and Hank Aaron. The highlight is a replica ballfield that’s home to statues of the absolute greats.

3. Field of Dreams

Dyersville, ia.

The Field of Dreams has become a showplace for exhibition and special regular season games, but it came to fame as the place where the beloved movie of the same name was shot. There seems to be some spirit in the sky out here, where a baseball field was cut into farmland. Experience it for yourself: walk or play on the field, or even watch a game.

4. Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum

Baltimore, md.

At the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum, you can visit the house where the mighty George Hermann Ruth was raised and take a tour through his life, learning more about his childhood, the famed “called shot” in the 1932 World Series, and his massive influence on baseball.

5. National Ballpark Museum

Just up the street from Coors Field, the under-the-radar National Ballpark Museum has artifacts from multiple jewel box parks, including a chunk of Fenway Park’s Green Monster, chairs from former stadiums, and all sorts of game-worn jerseys.

6. Jackie Robinson Day

April 15, leaguewide.

To commemorate the day Jackie Robinson made his major league debut and broke the color line, all of Major League Baseball honors him by having all on-field personnel wear Robinson’s jersey number, 42.

7. Opening Day

Late march or early april, cincinnati.

The Reds open each year at their home park. Accompanying that event is the pregame Findlay Market Parade, which has been going on for more than 100 years. Typically, a former Red or other notable baseball figure serves as grand marshal.

8. Patriot’s Day

Third monday in april, boston.

This day marks the earliest battles of the American Revolutionary War, so the Commonwealth of Massachusetts celebrates with fun, festivities, and high spirits. The storied Boston Marathon passes right by Fenway Park and the Red Sox always play at home at 11am.

9. Old Timer’s Day

June, new york city.

The Yankees bring back alumni to play a fun pre-game exhibition. If you ever wanted to see Wade Boggs get a crack at, say, Fritz Peterson, then this is the game for you.

10. Canada Day

July 1, toronto.

This day marks when Canada was effectively united as one country. Locals party and the Blue Jays usually play a home game.

11. MLB All-Star Game

Mid-july, leaguewide.

The midsummer classic, as it’s known, actually happens just a couple weeks into summer, usually during the second week of July. The venue changes annually, with each team getting to host every 25-35 years. There are ancillary events held before the game, like the Home Run Derby.

12. Hall of Fame Weekend

July, cooperstown, ny.

Usually in late July, baseball legends and as many as 75,000 fans visit Cooperstown for the induction of the new class of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In addition to the induction ceremony, there are several other events over the weekend, including a parade.

Start planning your road trip today:

Moon Baseball Road Trips

by Timothy Malcolm

Experience the best of the MLB cities and stadiums with Moon Baseball Road Trips .

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Route and recommendations for planning the ultimate Midwest baseball road trip

Disclosures: I partnered with Hilton for my hotel stays and some amenities during this trip, and some of the game tickets were provided as complimentary from the baseball clubs. The opinions are my own. I was not financially compensated for this post.

This summer our family went on an epic, bucket list-worthy road trip. We saw seven Major League Baseball games in seven different cities over the course of 11 days on the road: St. Louis , Kansas City , Minneapolis , Chicago , Detroit , Cleveland , and Cincinnati . We called it our #roadtripofdreams, and that’s exactly what it was. This special trip was an opportunity we will never, ever forget. While we couldn’t see all nine Midwest teams at home during this trip (the Brewers and White Sox didn’t fit into our schedule), it definitely would have been possible on our route. I’ve been sharing detailed reviews of our experience at each stadium and travel recommendations for each city over the last few months, and today I’m sharing the complete route and itinerary for an ultimate baseball road trip through the Midwest, along with planning tips. Pin this post for planning your own baseball stadium road trip to see the Cardinals, Royals, Twins, Brewers, Cubs, White Sox, Tigers, Indians, and Reds play at home.

We did our trip from St. Louis to Cincinnati, with a total drive of 1,812 miles and 27 hours. You can do it in reverse depending on home schedules. We found it easiest to do this trip during the summer, but make note of the All Star break when teams are off.

Since Milwaukee is so close to Chicago, and since there are two teams you can see in Chicago (the Cubs and the White Sox), we recommend that you stay in Chicago for a few days as your home base in the middle of your Midwest baseball road trip. This allows you the flexibility to see the Brewers, Cubs, and White Sox play at home in no particular order to work around their schedules. It also offers a nice break from the road mid-trip, and Chicago has so much to explore while you’re there.

Tips for surviving (and enjoying) road trips with kids

Our family considers ourselves to be road trip veterans. Over the years we’ve found several tried-and-true tips to keep everyone happy and sane during long driving trips with kids. Check out all our tips in this post: Surviving a Road Trip with Young Children , and see how to make a DIY road trip activities folder for toddlers and young kids to keep them occupied. You can also get our ultimate Family Road Trip Packing List in this post .

These “Do Not Open Until” bags are one of our favorite road trip traditions. I fill them with small toys from the dollar store, and they always give the kids something fun to look forward to during long driving days. Get the details and a link for the printable labels in this post: Surviving a Road Trip with Young Children .

Check out this brilliant DIY way to keep toys, snacks, and road trip activities for kids organized: Super Easy DIY Hanging Organizer for Your Next Family Road Trip .

Tips for taking kids to Major League Baseball games

MLB games are inherently family-friendly events with tons of things to keep kids entertained and families having a great time together. Here are some insider tips to get the most out of attending a baseball game with kids (whether part of an ultimate baseball road trip or as a one-time family outing).

These Game Day Pass-Port books are an absolute must! Team stores have official stamps to mark your book to certify your visit to the stadium. There’s also space for journaling notes and memories from the visit.

Many stadiums also offer First-Timer certificates for kids for free! Be sure to look this up on the team’s website in advance so you can see where to pick one up.

Look for kid-friendly souvenirs to commemorate your trip. We started a tradition at the first stadium (and continued with each game) of getting Sawyer a pack of baseball cards and Grayson a mini brick man of the team.

Don’t watch what you eat. One of the funnest ways to experience a ball game is through traditional ballpark food . Let the kids eat hot dogs, ice cream, giant pretzels, and of course, Cracker Jacks.

Most stadiums have free interactive kids areas (some are really big!), so seek them out and allow the kiddos to experience the team in a way that’s memorable and accessible to someone their age.

Don’t forget to fill them in on ball game traditions before your baseball road trip or MLB game with kids. We had fun teaching them the lyrics to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and making sure they knew the various chants and cheers.

Game 1: St. Louis Cardinals game at Busch Stadium

See full details, hotel and stadium reviews, and travel recommendations for St. Louis in our post on Visiting St. Louis for a Cardinals Game (and the best hotel near Busch Stadium) .

When attending a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium, it’s clear that St. Louis is a baseball town. The team has good fans that are really engaged with the team and the game experience. The stadium is big, but still feels personal and 100% about the team. We experienced very friendly customer service from everyone we interacted with in the stadium, and positive, fun-loving attitudes from others in attendance. It was our first taste of Missouri hospitality, and we were impressed (which says a lot coming from Texans). Given the size, it was really easy to enter and exit and not overly crowded. Out of all the stadiums on our #roadtripofdreams, this was one of Grayson’s and my favorites in terms of ambiance.

Where to stay: Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark . Located just steps away from Busch Stadium, you simply can’t beat this hotel near the Cardinals stadium if you’re attending a game. The whole hotel has a Cardinals vibe, from their lobby and in-room décor, the stadium views from some of their rooms, and the bevvy of Cardinals fans staying there. We of course experienced the top notch service, comfort, and cleanliness that we always expect from Hilton family hotels, which makes this an ideal hotel in downtown for any trip to St. Louis. But if you’re attending a Cardinals game specifically, this hotel really should be your first choice.

Must-see in St. Louis with kids: Gateway Arch . Probably the most iconic structure in St. Louis, visiting the famous Gateway Arch is a must. It’s in easy walking distance from Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark and other hotels in the area. You can enjoy views of the arch from the site’s park, kids can splash in the fountain at the visitor’s center, and you can even take a ride up to the top of the arch itself for some incredible views of St. Louis.

Game 2: Kansas City Royals game at Kauffman Field

Drive time from St. Louis: 4 hours

See full details, hotel and stadium reviews, and travel recommendations for Kansas City in our post on Everything you need to know about attending a Kansas City Royals game at Kauffman Stadium with kids .

It was really cool to see a stadium in person that my husband and I have seen on TV our whole lives (Kauffman Stadium is the 6th oldest active MLB stadium, built in 1973), with its iconic outfield waterfall. Every part of the stadium had great views – not a bad seat in the stadium to watch the game. Kauffman Stadium is one of the best stadiums for kids out of all the MLB stadiums we’ve seen. A lot of this is due to the massive Outfield Experience kid’s area located behind the Crown Vision board (behind center field). There are a ton of things for kids to do, including a fun playscape, a splash pad, a carousel, mini golf, a miniature field, batting, throwing, and base-running challenges (the boys loved getting to race from home to first with a timer), kids shopping (kid-sized stores with only kid’s items), and kid-friendly concession stands. The area is also equipped with bench and table seating and large TV screens so no one has to miss the game action while the kid’s take a play break.

Where to stay: Home2 Suites Kansas City Downtown . There aren’t many hotels right near Kauffman Stadium, so we chose to stay in downtown where there are many more options. Since we’re Hilton people, we decided on Home2 Suites Kansas City Downtown, and had a great experience. The room included a kitchenette and a curtain partition to separate the adult’s and kid’s sections. The hotel was impeccably clean and our beds were very comfortable. We especially loved the complimentary breakfast bar which had delicious grab-and-go breakfast sandwich options.

Game 3: Minnesota Twins game at Target Field

Drive time from Kansas City: 6.5 hours

See full details, hotel and stadium reviews, and travel recommendations for Minneapolis in our post on Traveling to Minneapolis for a Minnesota Twins game in style .

Target Field is a beautiful setting to watch a baseball game. The stadium was packed, which was a testament to the loyalty of the fans during this great season for the Twins. The food at Target Field was great! Grayson thought it was one of the best hot dogs he’s had at the stadiums until this point, saying that it was just a good, classic ballpark hot dog. I loved the chicken tikka masala from the Hot Indian Foods stand. We were also amazed to see the giant 24″ long Broomstick hot dog.

Where to stay: The Marquette Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton . This chic boutique hotel in downtown Minneapolis is a very short walk away from Target Field, and is the perfect place to stay if you’re visiting Minneapolis for a Twins game. Newly renovated spacious guest rooms feel posh with modern décor and custom furnishings. The service was fantastic, and I feel like The Marquette is great for any type of traveler, whether you’re in Minneapolis for business, or on a getaway with a partner, friends, or family. The Marquette Hotel truly is the place to stay if you want to visit Minneapolis in style!

Must-see in Minneapolis with kids: Crayola Experience in Mall of America. This is SUCH a fun time for the whole family, plus you can check out the epic 96.4 acre mall (equipped with stores, restaurants, attractions, and even roller coasters!) while you’re there. Fun baseball-related fact: you can fit seven Yankee Stadiums inside Mall of America! The Crayola Experience is a STEAM dream, with 25 hands-on attractions where color, chemistry and technology combine to create a fun-filled and creative experience for kids.

Game 4: Milwaukee Brewers game at Miller Park

Drive time from Minneapolis: 5 hours

Due to scheduling, we were unable to see a Milwaukee Brewers game at home at Miller Park during our Midwest baseball road trip. However, it is conveniently close to Chicago, so if the home schedules allow, you should be able to fit a Brewers game into your MLB road trip planner.

Where to stay: Since Milwaukee is so close to Chicago, and since there are two teams you can see in Chicago (the Cubs and the White Sox), we recommend that you choose a Chicago hotel room that can be your home base for a few days during your Midwest baseball road trip. This also allows you the flexibility to see the Brewers, Cubs, and White Sox play at home in no particular order.

Game 5: Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field

Drive time from Milwaukee: 1.5 hours

See full details, hotel and stadium reviews, and travel recommendations for Chicago in our post on Family vacation in Chicago for a Cubs game .

If I’m being honest, this was the most anticipated game during our #roadtripofdreams. Not only is the Cubs my hubby’s lifelong favorite baseball team, but my youngest’s favorite baseball player and hero, Javy Baez, also plays for them. Not to mention the fact that Wrigley Field is one of the last classic ballparks left. Whether you’re doing it as part of a baseball road trip like we did, seeing a game at Wrigley Field should be on everyone’s bucket list. It just feels different, and the energy from the fans is absolutely electric. One of the best experiences for ambiance during our entire Midwest baseball road trip, it is clear when you attend a Cubs game that Chicago is a true baseball town. The seats are all full, and fans are purely into the game, hanging on every pitch. The stadium itself is a beautiful, classic stadium that magically balances it’s sense of history without feeling dated and rundown. Staff and fans are very friendly, but everyone takes the tradition of it all very seriously, so be respectful when you’re within The Friendly Confines.

Where to stay: Embassy Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile . This hotel was the perfect kid-friendly hotel choice in Chicago. The location on the Magnificent Mile was perfect for taking advantage of many of the sights of Chicago. Some of the things that we love and can always expect when we stay at Embassy Suites were the delicious complimentary hot breakfast buffet and the complimentary cocktail reception in the evenings. Of course, we also love the all-suite layout so kids and parents can have their own space at the end of the day. One of the things that makes the Embassy Suites Chicago Magnificent Mile special are the incredible views of the Chicago skyline that you can see from your room, from the elevator, and really, anywhere there’s a window!

Must-see in Chicago with kids: There are so many family activities in Chicago that you can’t do them all in one trip! Here are a few things we recommend you try to squeeze in if you’re planning a baseball road trip to Chicago for a Cubs or White Sox game.

360 CHICAGO Observation Deck and TILT experience . With Chicago having four out of the 10 tallest buildings in the United States, you must visit one during a Chicago family vacation! The 360 CHICAGO Observation Deck is 1,000 feet in the air on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Building (the 10th tallest building in the US currently). You can see a 360 degree view of the city from this deck, and if you’re feeling brave, you can lean out over the edge through the TILT experience, where you lean outward in a glass window 1,000 feet up in the sky. Learn more about it and see it in action here .

Gino’s East . Arguably home of the best Chicago deep dish pizza, Gino’s East is also a living art piece! We visited their original store, the Magnificent Mile location , since it was just a quick walk from our hotel. In addition to serving up delicious Chicago-style pizza in a kid-friendly restaurant, Gino’s East is world-famous for their tradition of letting customers leave their mark on the restaurant by writing or drawing on the wall (or any available spot). In my opinion, your family vacation in Chicago would not be complete without getting some pizza at Gino’s East.

Game 6: Chicago White Sox game at Guaranteed Rate Field

While the team’s schedule didn’t allow us to see a home Chicago White Sox game at Guaranteed Rate Field during our Midwest baseball road trip, you could easily squeeze in a visit if you are staying in Chicago for a few days… and Chicago is a fun city to stay in for a few days! Seeing both a Cubs and White Sox game in Chicago is a nice way to stay put for a few days in the middle of your ultimate baseball road trip.

Game 7: Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park

Drive time from Chicago: 4 hours

See full details, hotel and stadium reviews, and travel recommendations for Detroit in our post on Travel Tuesday: Taking your kids to a Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park .

Out of all the parks we saw games at during our Midwest baseball road trip, none of the stadiums seem to embrace their team mascot quite as much as Comerica Park does. Inside and outside of the park are beautiful stone tiger busts and statues (including a few on top of the scoreboard). Despite Comerica being a newer park (it was built in 2000), we noticed that the layout of the stadium feels like a classic ballpark. The walkways are nice and wide, so you don’t feel claustrophobic or like you’re pushing through crowds. Comerica Park has a lot of delicious food options, but what sets them apart are the convenience and variety. The Big Cat Food Court has your choice of traditional ballpark fare (hot dogs, pretzels, peanuts, popcorn, and the like) plus Mexican, Greek, Detroit traditional, and even Michigan state fair food (think fried OREOs and food on a stick) plus giant cocktails and beer (they had a lot of local beer on tap). As far as the hot dogs go, they had some of the best choices we saw during our entire baseball road trip. Grayson, who did our concessions reporting for my Instagram Stories during the trip, actually rated Comerica Park as having the best hot dogs of all the stadiums we visited.

Where to stay: Embassy Suites by Hilton Detroit Livonia Novi . Looking for where to stay for a Detroit Tigers game? We were unable to get a hotel right next to Comerica Park, so we opted to stay at a nice, family-friendly hotel in the suburbs. The Embassy Suites by Hilton Detroit Livonia Novi had a great pool that the kids LOVED, and like all Embassy Suites, we loved the all-suite layout (so parents and kids can have their own space in the room), the complimentary hot breakfast buffet, and (my husband’s favorite Embassy Suites amenity) the complimentary evening cocktail reception. To avoid the traffic and parking spot scarcity of trying to park near Comerica Park, we left our car at the hotel (which has free guest parking) and took a Lyft to and from the stadium.

Game 8: Cleveland Indians game at Progressive Field

Drive time from Detroit: 3 hours

See full details, hotel and stadium reviews, and travel recommendations for Cleveland in our post on Visiting Cleveland with kids for an Indians game .

The newly-renovated Progressive Field was host to the MLB All-Star Game this summer, and it polished up nicely for the occasion. I’d recommend taking your family to see a Cleveland Indians game at Progressive Field because of how kid-friendly it is. Much like the other super kid-friendly stadium we visited during our trip (the Kansas City Royals’ Kauffman Stadium ), there are a TON of things geared specifically for kids at Progressive Field. There’s a Kid’s Clubhouse area with activities and interactive experiences for kids of all ages. They have everything from kid’s sized concession stands, an indoor playscape, photo opps, player locker room recreations, and both physical and augmented-reality baseball experiences (like a mini field, a circus catch wall, a pitching simulator, and a VR Home Run Derby).

Where to stay: Hilton Cleveland Downtown . The Hilton Cleveland Downtown is in the perfect location in downtown Cleveland. We were able to walk to the stadium, but a quick Uber or Lyft ride is also convenient. The hotel is connected to the convention center and minutes away from anything you could possibly want to do in downtown Cleveland (like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse), as it’s located in the heart of it all. Rooms either have a beautiful view of Lake Erie or the Cleveland skyline.

Game 9: Cincinnati Reds game at Great American Ball Park

Drive time from Cleveland: 4 hours

See full details, hotel and stadium reviews, and travel recommendations for Cincinnati in our post on Traveling to Cincinnati for a Reds game .

We had the opportunity to see the Reds play during their 150th year as a professional ballclub. Since becoming fully-professional in 1869 as the Red Stockings, the Reds are one of the oldest continually-operating Major League Baseball teams. When seeing a game at Great American Ballpark, this history is not only apparent, it’s a major point of pride. The stadium is in a beautiful setting on the Ohio River, with views of Downtown Cincinnati visible from the stands. There are many fun things for children to do at Great American Ballpark when visiting Cincinnati to see a Reds game with kids. The Kroger Fan Zone has a large playscape, a mini wiffleball field, and classic carnival games. Our boys had a great time!

Where to stay: Homewood Suites by Hilton Cincinnati-Downtown . The Homewood Suites in Downtown Cincinnati is one of the best hotels near Great American Ball Park. Not only is it in walking distance from the stadium, but it’s also a part of Cincinnati history! The art deco-style building is the former headquarters of the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper, and the building’s exterior was used as the WKRP in Cincinnati radio station in the TV shows!

Must-see in Cincinnati with kids: The Fountain Square entertainment, shopping, and dining district is just steps away from the Homewood Suites hotel in Downtown Cincinnati. In addition to the restaurants, the square itself is fun for families to explore. Events and activities take place in the square on a regular basis, but even when there’s not an event, you can explore the park and statues while grooving to live music playing from the speakers.

This trip was a dream experience for baseball fans like my husband and me, and getting to share that with our children made it all the more special. If you have an opportunity to take a baseball road trip with your family, don’t hesitate. I hope I was able to inspire your trip and help you with planning!

Related posts:

• Visiting St. Louis for a Cardinals Game (and the best hotel near Busch Stadium)
• Everything you need to know about attending a Kansas City Royals game at Kauffman Stadium with kids
• Traveling to Minneapolis for a Minnesota Twins game in style
• Family vacation in Chicago for a Cubs game
• Taking your kids to a Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park
• Visiting Cleveland with kids for an Indians game
• Traveling to Cincinnati for a Reds game

Other family road trip ideas:

• California 1 Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip: Big Sur Coastal Drive Stops
• Family Route 66 Road Trip
• Road Trip from Austin to New Orleans
• Family Road Trip from Texas to California
• Southern U.S. Family Road Trip Route and Recommendations
• Route and Recommendations for a Road Trip Through the U.S. Southwest
• Itinerary and Recommendations for a Family Road Trip from Texas to Washington, DC

November 21, 2019 at 11:38 am

So Gino’s East is my fave Chicago pizza place 🙌🏻🙌🏻 And this really was the summer road trip of dreams!! How fun!

Ramona Cruz-Peters says

December 16, 2019 at 8:58 am

Thanks! It was such a great trip, and the memories will last a lifetime.

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Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Sunday's MLB games

• Writing on fantasy baseball game theory and player analysis since 1997
• Winner of the 2013 Fantasy Sports Writer's Association Best Baseball Article

Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips . MLB game odds are provided by ESPN BET, and fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring .

Note: This file will be updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

Rocky Mountain High

Sunday's slate features 16 games, with a doubleheader at Coors Field between the Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners . The rule of thumb is reserving all starters in Coors Field. Granted, in head-to-head leagues, need is the deciding factor, especially on Sunday. If you have a comfortable lead, you're sitting George Kirby . If you're behind and are not going to win without a few more points, you're starting Emerson Hancock .

What if the decision isn't based on need. You play in a weekly league, and it's the middle of the season. One of your top pitchers has just one start, and it's a road date with the Rockies. Do you start him?

Let's crunch some numbers. Over the years, Coors Field has elevated runs by 40%. A pitcher with a neutral environment 4.00 ERA would sport a 5.60 mark if he pitched every game in Coors Field.

Putting this in fantasy perspective, a 3.30 ERA would land a fantasy team at or near the top of the category in mixed league rotisserie standings. Sure, it depends on the number of teams, but an ERA in that range is solid, regardless of format. If all those innings were recorded in Coors Field, the ERA bloats to 4.62, which places a team near the bottom of the category.

This only encompasses earned runs. Coors Field also inflates hits and walks, so a fantasy team's WHIP also suffers.

Of course, we're only considering one pitcher and the above example assumes all your pitchers work only in Coors Field.

There has been some chatter this season that the Rockies' offense is so bad, it isn't as detrimental to use a hurler in Colorado. Keeping in mind that wRC+ is park neutral while wOBA is the actual, non-corrected production, both are good proxies for run-scoring potential. The Rockies wRC+ is 81, the fourth lowest in MLB. Their wOBA is .312, the 16th highest. At home, their wRC+ is 94, the 11th lowest, but their wOBA is .354, the best in MLB. Colorado averages 5.00 runs per game at home, the 10th most.

On paper, through the first three-plus weeks of the season, the Rockies have one of the weakest lineups in the league, but when they're at home, they're a top-10 unit. That's the extent Coors Field influences production.

My approach remains the same in weekly rotisserie scoring. Unless it's late in the season and I'm chasing wins and/or strikeouts, I'm sitting all my one-start pitchers, but I'll deploy my better two-start arms with one of the outings in Coors Field.

What you may have missed on Saturday

What you need to know for sunday.

• Action gets underway at 1:35 p.m. ET with four games, then another pair get started a few minutes later. The 7 p.m. ET ESPN Sunday night game has the Texas Rangers visiting the Atlanta Braves . However, the nightcap of the Mariners-Rockies twin bill is the final game on the docket with first pitch at 8:10 p.m. ET.

• One of the ploys in head-to-head leagues is having players from the late game, or in this case games, on reserve if needed to make up points. Of the pair, while neither is especially appealing, Rangers starter Michael Lorenzen (4.8% rostered in ESPN leagues) or Braves starter Darius Vines (.9%) are both better options than Rockies starter Peter Lambert or the aforementioned Hancock for the Mariners. Vines is ranked higher, so let's dub him the "break glass in case of emergency" selection.

• On the other hand, all four starters in the doubleheader are right-handed, giving the left-handed contingent of both clubs a shot at playing two games. The Mariners have the more alluring candidates with J.P. Crawford (56.0% rostered) and Jorge Polanco (8.7%) leading the way. The Rockies will have to contend with George Kirby in the opener, but veterans Charlie Blackmon (10.6%) and Ryan McMahon (58.9%) enjoy the platoon edge.

• Unfortunately, it's a terrible card for streaming with the top-ranked option being Nick Nastrini (0.6% rostered) . Nastrini pitched well enough for the Chicago White Sox in his MLB debut to merit another start. He's the fifth-highest listed pitcher on the docket, a rank driven by a high minor league strikeout rate. Nastrini will pitch the finale of a road series against the Philadelphia Phillies . The Phillies sport a potent lineup as evidenced by knocking Garrett Crochet around on Friday night, but there is also elevated strikeout potential. Nastrini is a ratio risk in rotisserie formats, but he's in play for those wanting strikeouts or in points formats.

• Martin Perez (16.9%) follows Nastrini in terms of streamers, with the Pittsburgh Pirates entertaining the Boston Red Sox . Splits facing left-handers are always sketchy because the sample size takes longer to become significant, so don't trust Perez solely because he's facing a lineup fanning at a 29.6% clip against lefties. The source of the confidence should be Boston's depleted offense with Rafael Devers and Tyler O'Neill sidelined, and the bulk of the Red Sox better bats are left-handed, such as Jarren Duran , Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida .

• Betting Tip of the Day: Martin Perez is not known for his strikeout prowess. However, as stated, today the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Boston Red Sox in the finale of an interleague set. The Red Sox have fanned the sixth most in MLB and will be without O'Neill, Devers and probably Casas (see above). I'll take the over on 4.5 strikeouts (+105).

It's not too late to start a free fantasy baseball league . Leagues drafted this week will start scoring fresh the following Monday. Come and join the fun!

Starting pitcher rankings for Sunday

Reliever report.

To get the latest information on each team's bullpen hierarchy, as well as which pitchers might be facing a bit of fatigue and who might be the most likely suspects to vulture a save or pick up a surprise hold in their stead, check out the latest Closer Chart , which will be updated every morning.

Best sub-50% rostered hitters for Sunday

Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing and lots more.

Worst over-50% rostered hitters for Saturday

The bat x's best stacks for today.