midwest ballpark tour 2021

In August, we road tripped around the Midwest to various ballparks.  Bryan and I have a long-term goal of going to a ballgame in every MLB ballpark.  Before this trip, we had checked 10 ballparks off the list of 30.  On our trip, we checked three more off our list: Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland Indians.

But first, we had to go to a Brewers game because it just happened to be on the way to Cincinnati!

I loved the Cincinnati Reds experience.  I say "experience" because to me, it's more about the atmosphere than a cool stadium or a winning team.  Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park is located downtown, right on the river.  There is a nice public area with a river walk, black history memorial, and playground.  From there, you can walk across a bridge to Kentucky.  The NFL football stadium is adjacent to the baseball stadium, and there is a central area with restaurants with plenty to open-air space for dining and entertainment.

We had some extra time in Cincinnati so we took the kids to a waterpark.  It was big enough, but not so big that the kids couldn't go off on their own and check in occasionally once they had their bearings.  We could tell it was a favorite hangout among locals, the kind you take your kids to because you went there when you were a kid.  

Later that day, we drove up to Toledo, OH where we would stay for a few days as a home base.  The next day, we went up to Detroit for a Tigers game.  It's obvious from my lack of pictures on that day that we were unimpressed.  It was a really hot day, and we didn't even make it to the end of the game.  We were sitting on the lower level of the outfield, so it was probably our best chance to catch a homerun. It was funny to watch the outfielder check his notes between batters!  There was a nice collection of concessions at this park.

Reggie had read about Krispy Kreme in a book and said he wanted Krispy Kreme donuts for his birthday.  We don't have Krispy Kreme around here anymore, so I believe my exact words were, "fat chance"! It was truly a birthday wish come true that there was a Krispy Kreme across the street from our hotel!

After donuts, we drove over to Cleveland.  There is a national park in Cleveland called the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  It's a little strange to have a national park located in such an urban area.  There is literally a highway going through it.  There was a scenic hike and the kids got their passport stamps at the visitor center.  I believe you can ride a train through the park, but we didn't. It was a good way to spend a few hours, but not a destination in itself like many national parks.

From there, we went to the Cleveland Indians ballpark.  Once we got to the ballpark, I turned on my Map My Walk app. I wish I would have thought of this before!  We will usually walk around the entire exterior of the ballpark, and then go inside, explore any features, and walk around the entire main concourse to get different views and check out the concessions.  Here's a friendly tip: the best concessions are on the main level because that is where the more expensive seats are located.  Other than the private suites area, which is off limits without the right ticket. So, in Cleveland, we walked a mile and a quarter (and ate dollar hot dogs) before we got to our seats, which took over an hour.  Then, half-way through the game, Lydia and I headed back down to the main concourse where I got myself the best grilled cheese I have ever eaten!

The next day we left our hotel in Toledo and drove back to Milwaukee.  MeeMaw will appreciate that as soon as we crossed the border back into Wisconsin, we ate at Culver's and stopped at Kwik Trip. That night, the guys went to their fifth MLB game of the week.  The girls went to see Cruella at the mall!  It was the first time we'd been back to a movie theater since before Covid.

What will ballpark #14 be?

spring break part 3

Thursday morning was the only morning we didn't pack up and check out of our hotel, since we were staying there one more night.  Bryan had learned on Monday that you could arrive at the spring training three hours early and watch the minor leaguers train on the practice fields.  So he took the boys over early.  They got autographs from the Brewer's first-round draft pick.  Who?  Don't ask me!

Lydia and I spent the morning with my parents and we met up for the afternoon game.  The weather was finally warm and sunny.  We sat in real seats along the first baseline this time.  I will never buy a hotdog from a vender selling in the stands again.  The kettle corn was delicious, tho!

After the game, we had some time for swimming and really good Tex-Mex.  Our flight home was the next day.  It was less eventful than our flight there.

Spring fever came back with us!

spring break part 1

We had three reasons why we chose Arizona for a destination for spring break.  Baseball's spring training, the Grand Canyon, and my parents stay there during the winter months.  And we were hoping to take a break from the drudgery of winter.  Instead of just telling the kids what we were doing, we came up with a half-dozen clues and they picked a clue each day.  It turns out they are horrible guessers and needed some extra prompting, but they finally got it!

This was our second time flying with the kids (the other time was three years ago when we went to California).   Bryan has to travel enough for work to build up enough rewards to mostly cover the cost of flights - and hotels.  So in order to make the most of his miles, he took one airline with Brett and Lydia, and I took an unnamed discount airline with Reggie.  We should have arrived in Phoenix within about a half hour of each other, but my flight was delayed 3 hours.  The plan was to reunite and take the shuttle to our hotel, but because we were going to be so late, Bryan went on ahead and checked in.  The shuttle doesn't run after midnight, so Reggie and I took a taxi and got to the hotel around 2am. 

The next morning, since the temperature was only in the 50's, we opted out of swimming, but did enjoy the sunshine by playing some catch on a grassy patch outside our hotel.

Next, we went to check out the Brewer's spring training camp.  We arrived early enough to check out the facilities and get some autographs before the game.  We sat in the grass in the outfield, and it was nice until about half-way through the game when it started to drizzle.  Regardless, each kid ended up acquiring a ball that had been in play, getting more autographs, and meeting the famous sausages.

After the game, we drove to up to Flagstaff, where we stayed for the night.

roadtrip 2017

This summer we decided we would kill a few birds with one stone and let the kids tag along with us on our quest to attend a game in every major league ballpark.  We roadtripped to Missouri to see the Arch, Busch Stadium, and Kauffman Stadium with a few extra special stops along the way. We left after work on Friday and drove to Des Moines where we spent the night at my cousin's house.  She has lived there with her family for 8 years, and this was our first visit!  She has two boys in 1st and 3rd grade, so the kids had a lot of fun together.  We left early the next morning so we could have breakfast with my aunt and uncle about an hour and a half away.  In our short time there, my kids lost 2 Frisbees. From there, we drove to St. Louis and checked into our hotel, then took the train to Busch Stadium.

Busch Stadium was stadium #10 for us.  It was packed (Saturday night) and the atmosphere around the stadium was lively.  The Cards were behind the whole game.  It had been a long day so we left early.  When we were on the train, we learned the Cards came back and won the game in the bottom of the 9th inning!

 My kids wanted their picture taken in back of this fountain. ;-)

Mock elevator - Brett looks a little nervous!

While there are renovations happening in the Arch, the visitor center is at the old courthouse.  We stumbled into a tour that turned out to be very interesting even for the kids.

Because it was a small group, the park ranger allowed each kid to wear a robe, sit behind the bench, and hit the gavel.

Here my kids sit behind the bench of the courtroom the Dred Scott case was tried in 1846. Wow!

On to the main event!

All smiles in the elevator capsule!

At the top!

There we were...

Probably the highlight of the trip for me was stopping at Culver's in Columbia to meet up with my childhood best friend.  Some things change and somethings never change!

We drove on to Kansas City on Sunday night.  Monday morning, we went to Science City at Union Station and had lunch at Fritz's at Crown Center.

At Fritz's, your food is brought to you by a little train on a track hanging from the ceiling.

 

 It was a big hit - even though none of our kids went through a train phase.

The afternoon was perfect for enjoying the pool. 

Monday night, we went to a Royal's game and to our 11th stadium.  Tampa Bay played both the Cards and the Royals!  The Royals were on quite a losing streak and that didn't change.

There was no atmosphere to speak of, just parking lots and some tailgating around the stadium.  But once we got in the ballpark, it was very nice.  There was a big kids' area with mini golf, batting cages, and a playground. 

The crowd was light on this Monday night with kids in the area back in school.

The people working at the stadium were friendly and overly doting on our kids.  They got certificates and baseball cards for being at their first Royal's game, so now they are Royal's fans!

The next morning, we left for home, but we had one more special stop along the way.  We had lunch with my other aunt and uncle who just moved into their new custom-built home.  This was a really fun trip with a nice mix of seeing friends and family and attractions of interest to everyone.  I do think that the kids are at about the perfect age for family vacations.  Not too much work, and still like to spend time with us!