As the summer looms upon us, a fun early trip to batting practice might turn into a miserable afternoon (if the home team isn’t winning), because of the heat bouncing off of the seats. There are a few general tips that can help with these scorching day games: First, check out seats in the shade, the outfield bleachers tend to cook. Second, bring in water bottles, and find out where the facility distributes free ice or water. And third, before the game, check out the team store. Many ball parks have these open even before the gates and they are always air conditioned. With this tip, I’ll provide a warning, do not go into the team store with both money and kids: you might end up losing both (you’ll find the kids again, not so much on the money).

Several ball parks do unique things to help fans beat the heat. In a few ball parks, they’ll have misters distributed around the mezzanine, like in Las Vegas’ Cashman Field. In Lancaster, PA, there’s an independent league team that has bumper boats as a part of their park. At Chase Field, if you’re not able to get over their hot weather with their classic frozen water salesmen, you can get seats by the pool inside. Also, it helps to know that you’ll be beating the heat with a roof and an inside temperature of 77 degrees. And if you’re just trying to make the heat more comfortable, the Gateway Grizzlies, outside of St. Louis, provide a hot tub suite for a good summer time.

At US Cellular Field in Chicago, it’s a tradition to go to a humid uncomfortable day game to enjoy the outfield amenities. From the old Comiskey Park, they’ve brought back The Old Comiskey Park Shower in center field for fans to use to cool off. This shower is popular, and I’ve even heard rumors of it being duplicated. But if that doesn’t do it for you, they have misting stations all over, including the Rain Room in right field. It becomes a place where fans look forward to beating the heat.

The thing about Dodger Stadium is when the gates open, they're also referring to the parking lot. After waiting at the parking lot gates, with cars sitting lined up, we were finally able to walk to the ball park. While walking around the ball park, we discovered that we couldn't enter at any gate, and we had to follow this train of fans to get to behind home plate through a couple sets of stairs to get to our gate, which had a long line at this point. When we finally got into the ball park, we attempted to explore and again were rejected and confined. Because our seats were in the upper deck of the stadium, we were confined to that one level for the entirety of our visit.

Dodger Stadium is a great place to watch baseball, and there are several fun things to do while one is there. However, it would have been nice to know that in order to check out the outfield bleachers, one must have outfield bleacher seats. So as fans, be aware of Dodger Stadium's parking lot gate opening, and being confined to your seats if you're a picture taking fan. Also worth noting, US Cellular Field also confines you to the upper deck if that's where your tickets are. But I was able to talk to the fine staff in order to get pictures for my website, and once you get to the main pavilion on the ground level, you're able to explore the rest of the ball park or walk around the outfield. And finally, Chicago's Wrigley Field has bleacher seats and main stadium seats that are disconnected like Dodger Stadium, so exploring both in one visit requires both types of tickets.

The atmosphere at Wrigley Field made it such that we had to go to two games to enjoy both.

I remember that sense of freedom, that exhilarated, empowering feeling that comes when you get that first taste of speed under your wheels and the miles of open road still stretch out before you.

I remember all of our windows rolled down and the warm, fresh April wind tossing our hair somewhere on the stretch of Jersey Turnpike between Philadelphia and New York City.  After months of planning and prepping, raising funds and solving logistics, departure day had finally arrived and we were diving head first into an adventure we would never forget - over the next 30 days, we would drive 18,000 miles across 38 states to see a game in all 30 Major League ballparks.

One of the questions we were and still are asked more than anything else is this - "How?"

I wish I could say, "simple."  But I can't.

In all honesty, the driving was the easy part - the 1,000+ mile legs between some ballparks, the sleepless nights in the back of the Vanbino or in the parking lot of a rest stop... yeah, that was all cake.  The hard part, the part that took three times longer than the trip itself, was the planning and therein lies the key to the trip's success.

In early January 2009, I sat down in front of my computer and opened up two windows in my internet browser.  In one window was the MLB schedule, in the other, Google Maps.  The trick here was to find home games between ballparks that were reachable by car in under a day.  I checked the schedule, mapped the mileage... checked the schedule, mapped the mileage… checked the schedule, mapped the mileage… and so on and on, back and forth, back and forth...  

At this point in the early stages of planning (when I must admit I had no intentions of actually doing a trip like this, I was just intrigued by the notion of if it was possible or not) I was trying to schedule, literally, ONE ballpark EVERY day for 30 STRAIGHT days.  Nothing was working because I'd eventually work myself into a corner and the remaining ballparks were just too far to drive to.  

By now, days had passed.  Trial and error had yielded zero luck.  Maybe a trip like this wasn’t possible… But I had been looking at a baseball map for a while now and I started seeing the ballparks not as stand-alone structures but as groups arranged geographically.  There are the ones in the Northeast - Fenway, Yankee, Citi, Citizens Bank, Camden Yards and Nationals Park that are all within a six hours drive of each other.

My eyes scanned the map and headed west.

There's the Great Lakes region where you can hit Miller Park, Comerica, both parks in Chicago and Progressive in Cleveland all within a seven hours drive. (Also, Dyersville, Iowa, where the Field of Dreams is, is just a 3-hour ride from Milwaukee).

My eyes lowered southward.

There's the Show Me Stretch, where Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and Busch Stadium in St. Louis are separated by just a four-hour stretch of I-70 across Missouri.

I realized that all those parks, if home games are timed appropriately, could be reached not only in successive days but two could even be seen on the SAME day, like, possibly, in Chicago or New York.

And then you have the other cities with two parks - the Dodgers and Angels play just 30 minutes away from each other down the Orange Freeway; likewise, the Giants and A's play just 40 minutes away across the Bay Bridge.  And that's where I started, in San Fran and Oakland because I saw that on May 13, the Giants were playing at 1:05 and the A's at 7:05.  We could easily make those two games in one day.

So I chalked it up.

What about the other cities with two parks?  On the weekend of April 17, the Yankees and Mets were both home, but all their game times were the same. However, I saw that the Phillies were home, too, and they had a 7:05 game on Saturday while the Mets had a 1:35 game.  Those parks are just two hours apart... we can do it.

So I chalked it up.

I continued like this the rest of the way, finding more doubleheader days in Pittsburgh and Cleveland and Baltimore and DC, set them as tent poles in our schedule, then after I maxed out my doubleheader days I filled in the remaining days with ones that were dedicated just to driving or to visiting the other ballparks that aren't clustered (like Safeco, like Coors, like Dolphin).  Those doubleheader days turned out to be the key that made the whole trip work.  They freed up full days where we could just drive the long, cross-country distances (that turned out to be our longest drives between Miami and Houston, Houston and LA, Seattle and San Diego). 

So that's how it worked.  To this day, four baseball seasons later, the whole thing still feels as surreal as it felt than when we were out on the road doing it.  What’s funny is that, despite us having snapped over 5,000 pictures, captured over 300 hours of video and having kept a journal, it’s the feeling of being out there on a baseball road trip that is my fondest memory.  It’s a feeling that’s impossible to describe through words and pictures but for all of you out there who have taken to the road to catch a ballgame or two, you know what I mean. 

Oh, and one more thing I should tell you - always have an emergency gallon of gas somewhere on board, especially if you're driving through the middle of Wyoming at 2:30 in the morning....

Good luck on all your baseball adventures,

Travis
30ballparks30days.com

Ballpark:
The ballpark provides an excellent atmosphere as well that epitomizes Cincinnati. First,
one must absorb the classic city experience by visiting Skyline Chili, or a smaller non
chain establishment such as Blue Ash Chili, where the chili experience can start. At the
baseball game, the Skyline Chili dog must be experienced.

If the chili dog isn’t craved then Cincinnati has a Barbecue Pit for everyone’s liking.
Every series, Mr. Reds’ Smokehouse changes up the menu to offer something from
where the visiting team is located. Also, GABP offers a couple restaurants to enjoy the
ball game from within the facility, which would be a unique experience.

If you’re looking to spend the money saved by staying at the hotel, and the aquarium
and theater is not for you (you can do those things at other places); the Reds Hall of
Fame is an outstanding attraction. The Reds have a rich history and have had many
great teams over the years as well as players with names that all fans have heard of.
The Hall of Fame does cost a few bucks though, so you know they feel their history is
important.

One thing to notice in Cincinnati is the Roebling Suspension Bridge (pictured below).
The bridge was opened to pedestrians in 1866 and is 30 years older than the Brooklyn
Bridge, both designed by John A. Roebling. Both were the longest suspension bridges
at their completions, and now are both landmarks.

On a couple personal notes, Kentucky does not serve alcoholic beverages during
election day, which will cancel all pre-game drink specials (bars and restaurants in
Newport have pre-game specials) so beware of political holidays in Kentucky when
you visit. Also, you get what you pay for; this is a useful tip for hotels reserved by the
optimist.

About how much would this cost?
The atmosphere in Cincinnati towards baseball is on the rise again as the team and
rivalries start to grow towards the greatness this ball park has to offer. Tickets can be
found fairly cheaply, and if you’re looking to not spend a lot of money, Cincinnati can
be a great place to save some. With two people, for about $120 it would be easy to get
tickets, dinner, and hotel without worrying about parking or transit fees.

For more information, visit the full GABP Guide.

Chris Mehfoud is a ballpark traveler and blogger at the 30 Stadium tour.

What to do?
The city has an excellent architectural atmosphere which we walked around to enjoy. And several great bridges, as you can see from the pictures. A big Pittsburgh tradition is Primanti Brothers’ sandwiches, and our first priority after taking pictures and enjoying the city was to go into the Cultural District of the city and going to the restaurant itself for one of these sandwiches. Their fries are delicious, and their signature is that they put them on the sandwich. If you aren’t into this, it won’t be anything special; but for me, I now put fries on my sandwich every now and then, not quite the same. You can save money by getting the sandwich in it’s festive restaurant rather than at the ball park (the atmosphere at the restaurant is worth seeing as well).

The Ballpark:

PNC Park is probably one of my top five favorite parks, simply for the views. The atmosphere is great as well as it’s a nice family outing. You not only have the ability to walk the whole ball park, but you can also sit where there are open seats, and unfortunately for the Pirates, there have been a lot recently.

I was able to take a lot of pretty pictures of the park, but one of the better parts of the ball park was the history that’s intwined in the surroundings. It’s very easy to spend an hour walking around reading the bits of Roberto Clemente (his bridge) and even older Negro League greats. While they don’t have a huge kiddy play area like many new ball parks, (partly because it is a small facility), their historical saturation will attract experienced and passionate (even though older) baseball fans.

The parking situation created havoc when leaving the ball park, and when I do the trip, I’ll focus more on the public transportation to avoid this problem, although we were able to take more pictures and enjoy more of the atmosphere.

How much would a trip like this cost?
If the tolls are avoided and parking is handled appropriately, getting into Pittsburgh without considering the cost of gas, the trip can easily cost $25 a person, as tickets are easy to come by, and architectural site seeing doesn’t cost a penny.

Chris is a road trip planner and has a site talking about his own 30 stadium tour.

If you’re not using the MetroLink, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery is within driving distance, and provides an excellent tour, teaching you how they make their Budweiser.  Along the MetroLink, it is a short walk to the free and outstanding St. Louis Art Museum, pictured below. Within walking distance of the museum is one of the nations best zoos, which is currently expanding, and is also free.

And finally, a short MetroLink ride, or quick walk down (less than 10 minutes) to the Mississippi River will find you at the Gateway Arch. Under the arch is another museum (pictured below) as well as several attractions. While the museum is smaller, it offers a great history of the Arch and the region’s origin as the “gateway” to the western voyage from the Louisiana Purchase.

It should also be noted that before a certain time, tickets are available to go up in the arch, which is a rare experience everyone could enjoy (unless there is a looming fear of heights).

North of the Gateway Arch and Museum of Westward Expansion, lies Laclede’s Landing, which is a famous downtown St. Louis district rich of culture and cuisine. The places in this district are pure to the region, so if you’re from out of town, this should be your destination of choice.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to enjoy a St. Louis style pizza, which has a thin crust and cheese based sauce; it is both different, and delicious.

The Ballpark:

The ballpark is an outstanding facility, with a great city view over the center field wall. As a fan, you can walk the entire ballpark and concourses, with typical club level exceptions. The atmosphere is one of the best I’ve witnessed, bands playing pre-game on a stage behind the center field gates, World Series trophy on display to get pictures, and a fan zone for little kids (which regrettably includes video games).

The fans in general are very friendly and enthusiastic about baseball, and about having fun. It isn’t rare to hear a section burst out in a “Happy Birthday” mid-inning for a seat neighbor, and make them feel like they’re celebrating together.

If you didn’t get enough food, then you might want to enjoy some Nachos, as St. Louis loves cheese; and as mentioned earlier, they also bride themselves in beer. From what the fans are saying, other food they have to offer is good as well, but I couldn’t eat much after stuffing my face at Laclede’s.

The thing that I remembered most about St. Louis was that everyone wanted to have fun while they were there, and even though tickets might be on the expensive side, and you’ll be sitting in a full house, you too, will have a good time.

About how much would this cost?
Tickets can be found at discount, and before beer, food isn’t too expensive; a MetroLink pass can be obtained for less than $10 so with $50, you should be able to enjoy a great day in St. Louis.

Christopher Mehfoud has a website dedicated to his 30 stadium tour and can help plan your next road trip!