Has anyone here ever driven cross country and visited baseball stadiums along the way?

[beatlesrule]

If so, what is your preferred route? I will be visiting family in North Carolina next month and will be driving cross country so I can go to different ballparks that I've never been to. Yes I know, flying is cheaper and easier but I won't be able to go to any baseball games if I fly. I plan on leaving Sept 6th. I don't mind driving an hour or 2 off my course but nothing too crazy. I haven't even checked out any of the best routes to go but figured I would ask here first before I did. Of course, I might be passing a stadium when the team is out of town but I can't control that. I have wanted to do this for years now and figured now is as good a time as any. Someone was supposed to be going with me but that's not happening now so I will only have to worry about myself.

[Lou]

No. 

[Blarg]

Went with my son on a baseball stadium tour starting from Minnesota, Milwaulkie, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburg and finishing up in DC. We were visiting my parents in Montana and cut across North Dakota to get there. DC was the stoopping point because he was going to live in Delaware with his girlfriend. That lasted three weeks.

[Justin]

Yes, several times. Is it important to you to see Major League games or just see baseball? The southern route on I-40 is faster but only goes through minor league cities. I love minor league baseball (I saw the Owlz on Wednesday in Colorado Springs and I'm going to see the Bees in El Paso tomorrow) and I always try to see those games if I can. 

If you go I-70, you can see Coors Field and Kauffman in Kansas City (if the respective teams are in town). Both are great ballparks. Kauffman is really underrated. You can continue on to St. Louis (though that is one of my least favorite cities in America) or cut down to I-40 and see the Memphis Redbirds (right off Beale Street, lots of fun). There are other teams in Tennessee and NC, but I have not been to any of those. 

First things first: take a calendar and write down all the games along any possible routes you might take. Then see what kind of plan you can come up with. 

[eligrba]

Sounds like a great trip.  Enjoy. 

[Dick B Back]

Doing the I10 along the south would pretty much limit you to Phoenix, the two Texas parks, and Atlanta. Like @SoPasAngel, I took in a game in Memphis and had fun.

[beatlesrule]

Major league ballparks but if I happen to be close to a minor league game, I would go. @Blarg that sounds like a damn good trip. I don't have 3 weeks to get there and would be starting in Orange County. I would love to hit all those parks though but they are way out of the way. Would plan on doing this all in a week or so. Basically, drive to a ballgame, sleep either before or after. Get a hotel or 2 along the way or sleep in my car. Shower at a gym or something. That stuff will happen as I go but the ballparks need planning. I would love to go to see the Rockies and Royals too. I will look to see which teams are playing because yeah, that will definitely affect my route.

[Blarg]

Minor league clubs are shut down in September. 

[Blarg]

Ok, you're route says you drive through Phoenix then choose the Northern Route. Go North and you hit Colorado then it's straight across to KC then St. Louis then for some non basbeall fun drop down to Memphis and go get some ribs on Beal Street at night and hit BB Kings and the Brown Jug for some good R&B music. Hell, just about every bar has a band of some sort. Then cross over to Nashville, because, Nashville. Then it's a quick hop over to Charlotte. 

[Blarg]

On the way home you can drop down to Atlanta then across to Arlington and the never ending desert trip through Texas, get a steak and then through New Mexico and Arizona but a side trip on the way back is to hit up Tombstone, AZ, because, you're so damn tired of just desert and getting a drink at the bar Wyatt Earp did is cool. 

[Blarg]

BTW, you need a co driver. The level of extreme boredom of driving through the mid West seeing absolutely no trees or landscape change for hours means somewhere in the Texas pan handle you will drift off the road and become just another piece of sculpture in the dirt.

[beatlesrule]

Those are good ideas @Blarg I looked at the southern route and I won't be able to see The Dbacks or Rangers. Only the Astros will be in town after Sept 6th. I would have to spend 3 days in Texas after the Astros in order to see the Rangers play(not gonna happen) and the Dbacks don't get into town until the 13th. I am also going to visit a friend in Florida, Port Charlotte area but the Rays are only at home the 6th-8th and 20-25th and the Marlins are only at home the 6th-12th and 20th-22 so I would have to go to FL first and stay awhile. To see both, I would have to spend weeks in Florida and the plan was to visit NC first and then Florida. I would also like to see my Penguins and Redskins too but that might not work either. I should have checked this months ago haha. Braves are at home the 6th-8th and 17th-22nd. I was supposed to have a codriver but they changed their mind and booked a plane ticket instead 2 weeks ago.

I could technically leave Sept 1st and see the dbacks and Astros but that means losing out on $400 and one regular season baseball game is not worth that to me. Oh and my family is in Wilmington NC.

Rockies are at home 10th-18th and Royals 13-15th and Cards 13th-18th so I could delay my trip by a few days and see those 3 teams and maybe even the Cubs too. That would be a more sensible route for me to take if I want to see baseball.

[greginpsca]

I believe minor league games end in about a week from now.

[beatlesrule]

14 minutes ago, greginpsca said:

I believe minor league games end in about a week from now.

True so no minor league games for me. Seems like the best route is the one Blarg suggested and I might just drive a little out of my way to see the Cubs in Wrigley.

The Rockies are playing the Cardinals in the game I will be going to. I think that's funny. Double dose of Cardinals for me!

[Blarg]

If you are not doing Phoenix take the  North route through Las Vegas on the 15, then cut across the 70 to Denver. 

[tdawg87]

I have agoraphobia so I don't think I could ever drive through the midwest. The highway sets my teeth on edge as is, but the highway surrounded by F*ck all for endless miles? No thanks.

[beatlesrule]

7 minutes ago, Blarg said:

If you are not doing Phoenix take the  North route through Las Vegas on the 15, then cut across the 70 to Denver. 

Yup. A little over 1000 miles and a much prettier drive.

[thebloob]

Never cross country but many years ago did Atlanta to Baltimore at Camden to philly to New York for both stadiums to Boston to Detroit.  

[Duren, Duren]

In the late 70s Greyhound had a deal where you could travel anywhere in North America for an extended time. I think it was a month, and cost either $150. Or $200. During summer vacation a buddy and i had a blast, going up and down, east to west. We took in about a dozen ballparks. 

Fenway and Yankee Stadium the most memorable. We also went through Philly, Cincinatti, St Louis both Chicagos. We were in Baltimore ready ro go to a game, but the neighborhood was so sketchy thst we passed. We were too exhausted to do much in California. Cheap hotels, poor food, thousands of bumpy miles took thrir toll. But i wouldn't trade the experience. 

[Fish Oil]

Done a lot of traveling for work (flying) and catch a game when I can, but when I was younger I traveled with my motorcycle and camping gear. I never specifically planned a trip to see baseball, but rarely missed the opportunity when it presented itself,

[Lou]

Still no. 

[Mark68]

20 hours ago, SoPas Angel said:

Yes, several times. Is it important to you to see Major League games or just see baseball? The southern route on I-40 is faster but only goes through minor league cities. I love minor league baseball (I saw the Owlz on Wednesday in Colorado Springs and I'm going to see the Bees in El Paso tomorrow) and I always try to see those games if I can. 

If you go I-70, you can see Coors Field and Kauffman in Kansas City (if the respective teams are in town). Both are great ballparks. Kauffman is really underrated. You can continue on to St. Louis (though that is one of my least favorite cities in America) or cut down to I-40 and see the Memphis Redbirds (right off Beale Street, lots of fun). There are other teams in Tennessee and NC, but I have not been to any of those. 

First things first: take a calendar and write down all the games along any possible routes you might take. Then see what kind of plan you can come up with. 

Back in '05, I drove to St Louis (from Denver) to play in a poker tournament. Stopped in KC to take in a game at Kauffman & went to a day game at the old Busch Stadium the next day. Both were great, but I agree that Kauffman is very underrated and a really great place to see a game.

 

 

So is Coors Field, BTW. So yes, take I-15 to I-70, go see the Rockies, Royals, Cards, then I-64 to Louisville, I-71 to Cincy, go see the Reds, keep going north on I-71 to Columbus, then I-70 to I-79 north to Pittsburgh, go to PNC, then I-376 to I-76 to I-70 to Baltimore (Camden Yards), then I-95 south to DC, then continue south to NC. 

If time is a non-factor and all the stars align so that all the above teams are at home, then you can knock out 7 ballparks en route.

[beatlesrule]

26 minutes ago, Mark68 said:

Back in '05, I drove to St Louis (from Denver) to play in a poker tournament. Stopped in KC to take in a game at Kauffman & went to a day game at the old Busch Stadium the next day. Both were great, but I agree that Kauffman is very underrated and a really great place to see a game.

 

 

So is Coors Field, BTW. So yes, take I-15 to I-70, go see the Rockies, Royals, Cards, then I-64 to Louisville, I-71 to Cincy, go see the Reds, keep going north on I-71 to Columbus, then I-70 to I-79 north to Pittsburgh, go to PNC, then I-376 to I-76 to I-70 to Baltimore (Camden Yards), then I-95 south to DC, then continue south to NC. 

If time is a non-factor and all the stars align so that all the above teams are at home, then you can knock out 7 ballparks en route.

While that all sounds great, that's too much out of the way driving for me and time is sort of a factor too. I had just planned on the Cubs being my last game and then driving to Wilmington. The Reds won't be at home anyway but the Indians will. I would have to wait a couple of days to see the Pirates so that doesn't work but the Orioles are at home if I did wait it out. I am trying to find out how much tolls will cost on google maps but can't seem to find them. I will have to download a toll app. I am thinking right now it will be the Rockies, Royals, Cards and Cubs. 4 different stadiums that match up time wise for me.

[Fish Oil]

5 hours ago, Mark68 said:

Kauffman is very underrated and a really great place to see a game.

Yepper. I agree with you both. Kauffman is one of the best stadiums out there.

[Taylor]

This has always been a dream of mine. If I had the time and money, I'd do it.