Take Me Out To The Ballpark(s)

We love to travel. We love baseball. Most summers those two go together quite nicely when planning our summer vacation. This summer was no different, and was probably our most baseball-themed vacation, yet, in our four years of marriage. :) We embarked on an eight day road-trip with a 20 month old and survived to tell the tale....

Louisville, KY
The eight hour drive from Kansas City to Louisville went much more smoothly than either of us expected, and we got in much earlier than anticipated (only made one stop for lunch). I should also mention that food is usually a highlight of our travels --- meaning we eat at local, out of the ordinary types of establishments (think Man vs. Food, No Reservations, Bizarre Foods, etc). Our first dinner was at Game. We got there about 10 minutes before it opened and there was already a line. Seating is pretty limited so arriving early is highly suggested. Chris started out with bone marrow as an appetizer. For dinner Chris had a kangaroo burger topped with foie gras.  I had an angus burger {this is probably where I should clarify that it's Chris who tries the crazy/new/bizarre foods when we travel, and I enjoy the atmosphere}. We both had the duck fat french fries. Both meals were excellent.
Following dinner we headed to the Louisville Zoo since their twilight hours went until 8pm. I highly recommend the Louisville Zoo, especially if you have young children. While it looked huge on the map, it was not spread out.  You were able to see animals all along the paths (unlike some zoos where you have to walk forever between exhibits).  All of the exhibits were close to the sidewalks so the animals were up close and easy to see.  Beckett could also see well from his stroller -- there weren't railings or bushes down at his level getting in the way. Also, most of the exhibits had multi-level viewing areas so you could get a good look no matter where in the exhibit the animal was.

Louisville Zoo

Beckett loved chasing the goats around to pet them!

Sunday we ate at the Wild Egg for breakfast.  We had about a 30 minute wait to get in but it was well worth it. After breakfast we headed to the Louisville Slugger Museum. It was Father's Day, so Chris got in for free. :) For the most part, the museum and factory tour really frustrated Beckett. He loves "playing" baseball so much and could not understand why all the bats and balls were behind cases or attached to the wall.  Luckily, before we left, we found a little kid-sized batting cage so he was able to play a bit.

Louisville Slugger Museum

Our lil slugger!

Following nap time we headed to Churchill Downs and managed to see a couple races.  Beckett even got to get up close to a horse.  For dinner we ate at a BBQ place called Mama's Mustard, Pickles & BBQ. It was Kansas City-style BBQ. While it's not Arthur Bryant's or Oklahoma Joe's, it met our approval. After dinner, we took a stroll across the Big Four Pedestrian Bridge. It was a nice walk and allowed for some great views of the city.

Churchill Downs

Cincinnati, OH
We only stopped in Cincinnati for a few hours. We toured the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and then took a ballpark tour. The Hall of Fame was very nice and quite large. They were also nice enough to add a little clubhouse complete with a slide for kids to play on.  The ballpark tour lasted about 2 hours which was probably an hour too long. They spent a lot of time showing us seating areas and suites opposed to behind the scenes places.

Kid's Clubhouse in the Reds Hall of Fame

Cleveland, OH
We spent one night in Cleveland and attended a Cleveland Indians game. Once our seats were in the shade it was pretty enjoyable. The best part was getting to watch a fellow Baylor Bear (David Murphy) play. The following morning we took a stadium tour. It only lasted about an hour and a half and was very enjoyable -- I highly recommend it.

Our favorite Cleveland Indian!

Sunset from our seats.

Detroit, MI
Our evening in Detroit took us to the Royals/Tigers game. The Tigers stadium has some fun perks --- like a baseball ferris wheel and tiger carousel. Beckett loved the Carousel and since he was under 2 and free, we rode several times. The Royals win that night put them in 1st place in the AL Central so the hubby was a very happy guy that night.

Riding the baseball ferris wheel. 

Outside the Tiger's stadium...there are tigers everywhere.

Dearborn, MI
Our second day/night in Michigan was spent in Dearborn. We visited Greenfield Village. I thought it was a bit pricey but had some unique features. We rode a steam train around the village. We were also driven through the village streets in an actual Model-T; I think that was Beckett's favorite part. We also enjoyed the wooden carousel and several houses that were previously owned by some famous people in history (Noah Webster, Heinz, Robert Frost, and many more). Following the village, we headed over to The Henry Ford where we got to see lots of old cars and memorabilia from throughout American History.  We attempted to eat local this night and asked someone at the village where they would recommend. Lesson we learned, when someone from Michigan says," I know it sounds crazy to say there is good Mexican food in Michigan...," our correct response should have been "yes, that is crazy!" We went with her recommendation and were not impressed. I will stick with Texas for my Mexican food!

Greenfield Village

Henry Ford's home; right before a storm rolled in. 

Illinois
The rest of our trip was spent just outside of Chicago visiting with family and attending a wedding.

 We had a great vacation and got to experience a lot of firsts for Beckett.  After this trip our family ballpark count is at Beckett 6, Chris 19, and Cara 11.  Two days after getting back we headed up to Omaha to visit my aunt, and to see our friend, Tyler, play baseball.

We love getting to watch Tyler play & the game-winning double was a bonus!

Continuing the tradition of summer visits to Aunt KK's.