These 6 road trips hit 30 different MiLB ballparks
The launch of the complete package of Minor League Ballpark Guides, presented by Wyndham, offers an opportunity to visit 119 of the greatest places on the planet without leaving your desk. But at a certain point, you're going to want to stretch your legs.
These guides are liable to provoke adventurous fans into a frenzy of planning -- planning road trips with besties, honeymoons, family summer vacations and solo travel all across these United States (and Vancouver) in pursuit of all of the experiences that make the Minors great.
For most of us, any journey to some Minor League towns by necessity omits others. There are more worthy potential stops than would possible for any one trip. The fun is in picking spots to suit your needs and whims. And, obviously, teams' respective schedules will not always allow you to conveniently see games at every park in one area. But to jumpstart your imagination, below are easily traversable sample itineraries for six regions.
Carolinas in your mind (and IRL)
These two states arguably make up America's very best territory for Minor League Baseball road tripping. With 15 affiliated pro clubs in the Carolinas, it'd be reasonable to spend multiple vacations over multiple seasons checking out everything here.
Here's a way to pass through seven Minor League towns without spending as much as a dozen hours total (traffic permitting) behind the wheel. (Make it nine parks by adding a stop at the home of the Winston-Salem Dash on your way to Durham and heading directly to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers when you wrap up in Charlotte.)
Step-by-step directions (click here for Google Maps):
- Asheville Tourists | Tickets
- Hickory Crawdads | Tickets
- Durham Bulls | Tickets
- Fayetteville Woodpeckers | Tickets
- Columbia Fireflies | Tickets
- Greenville Drive | Tickets
- Charlotte Knights | Tickets
_________________________________________________
Open the Golden Gate
This journey begins in the California capital and traverses a stretch of the agriculturally rich Central Valley before swooping into Silicon Valley. It can conveniently be capped with a Giants game in San Francisco and/or an A's game in Oakland, or you could turn your route into a circle by bookending the trip with stops at the big league parks.
Step-by-step directions (click here for Google Maps):
- Sacramento River Cats | Tickets
- Stockton Ports | Tickets
- Modesto Nuts | Tickets
- San Jose Giants | Tickets
_________________________________________________
Just Plains fun
The Great Plains and the Midwest are loaded with Minor League teams and Minor League history. The vastness of this chunk of continent can, however, make it less than ideal for seeing several games in a short timeframe. Here's one possible way to hit five without driving forever and ever on every day of the trip.
Step-by-step directions (click here for Google Maps):
- Omaha Storm Chasers | Tickets
- Iowa Cubs | Tickets
- Cedar Rapids Kernels | Tickets
- Quad Cities River Bandits | Tickets
- Peoria Chiefs | Tickets
_________________________________________________
I-65 southbound
This trip takes you to the homes of some of the wackiest and wildest Minors teams operating today, as well as some of the most scenic and distinct ballparks in the world. Also? It's a must for fans of down-home cooking, which you can find at many of these stadiums and innumerable spots along the way.
Step-by-step directions (click here for Google Maps):
- Bowling Green Hot Rods | Tickets
- Nashville Sounds | Tickets
- Rocket City Trash Pandas | Tickets
- Birmingham Barons | Tickets
- Montgomery Biscuits | Tickets
- Pensacola Blue Wahoos | Tickets
_________________________________________________
Running with the salmon
If you have time on your hands, take an extensive trip to all the Minor League parks of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Here's a way to see three highlights, with an easy chance to catch the Mariners at home on your way to Tacoma, or on your way into or out of the region.
Step-by-step directions (click here for Google Maps):
_________________________________________________
Go East
Starting a few miles upriver from New York City, you can travel east by northeast to get a comprehensive (but by no means exhaustive) Minor League experience in the Hudson Valley and four New England states. Plan it just right and you'll be able to take a slight detour to include a game at Fenway Park on your way from Worcester, Mass. to Manchester, N.H.
Step-by-step directions (click here for Google Maps):
- Hudson Valley Renegades | Tickets
- Hartford Yard Goats | Tickets
- Worcester Red Sox | Tickets
- New Hampshire Fisher Cats | Tickets
- Portland Sea Dogs | Tickets