Great Road Trip Ideas – Baseball Road Trip on a Budget
In my humble opinion there is nothing better than a good ol’ baseball road trip. A good prerequisite would be that you are a baseball fan, or at least a fan of American tradition. One of the biggest hurdles to roadtripping is the strain it can place on your budget. However a baseball road trip, if done right, doesn’t have to cost all that much. There will be more information on that later. Here are some ideas for a great baseball road trip:
Midwest
If you live in the Midwestern United States, Wrigley Field is the most historic ballpark you have easy access to. If you have never visited Wrigley Field, you should make it a point to go there. The second oldest baseball stadium still in use, Wrigley is like stepping back in time. Ivy running up the brick walls in the outfield, and you will notice a lack of a jumbo screen and other amenities that we are accustomed to in newer stadiums. If you haven’t guessed yet, I would make sure you plan a Midwestern journey around a visit or two to Wrigley Field.
Another idea for a trip to the Midwest is to take in the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. This is about 5 hours from Chicago, but also a great place to see a game. While in St. Louis, pay a visit to the Gateway Grizzlies minor league team. The tickets are cheap and they have a menu item featured on the Chowdown Countdown and Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel. You can bite into the flavor of a bacon cheeseburger where the bun has been replaced by a Krispy Kreme donut. St. Louis is also home to 3 top 100 heart hospitals; just in case the Krispy Kreme burger puts you over the top.
At this point you are also within driving distance of Kansas City, where you could see the Royals play. You could also go from Chicago to Milwaukee, or just go to the Southside of Chi-town and watch the White Sox play a day or two later. Chicago is also convenient to Cincinnati, with just over a 4 hour commute. The great thing is all of these cities have more to offer than just baseball – as if you need to do anything else.
East Coast
Every baseball fan needs to make a good East Coast baseball trip. Although the classic Yankee Stadium is now a memory, you can visit the New Yankee Stadium – which is one of the nicer ballparks in all of baseball. Love them or hate them, everybody likes to see a Yankee game. If you have gone to New York, you could also take in a game at Citi Field, which is the brand new ballpark of the New York Mets. It is always a good money saving idea to see multiple ballgames when the teams are so close by. Maximizing the baseball while minimizing the gas cost; perfect!
Once you are in New York I would say that Fenway Park in Boston is also a must see. This is home to the Green Monster, the enormous green wall in left field, and is the oldest active ballpark in baseball. Even if you don’t like baseball, you will like Fenway. The environment is unique, the fans are intense, and the place is full of character. If you go East Coast on a baseball road trip, go Fenway first.
Other options worth exploring are the very cool Camden Yards ballpark in Baltimore and the brand new stadium for the Washington Nationals in D.C. This is another 2 birds with one stone opportunity. The parks are close enough where you could stay in the same hotel for 2 nights and commute to each stadium each night.