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.
