Baseball and Roller Coaster Fans

I would appreciate if people that are fans of baseball and roller coasters to give me trip advice. I'm a Yankees fan from NJ and me and my dad plan to travel to a MLB stadium next year and I hope to hit up at least 1 amusement park around that city. So I just want your opinions on which trip idea sounds best. Keep in mind I've never been to any of these stadiums or parks.

1. Toronto- 2 nights, main attractions being Rogers Centre, Niagara Falls, Canada's Wonderland and Hockey HOF, dates would be 6/22-6/24

2. Great Lakes- 4 nights, main attractions being Kings Island, Great American Ballpark, Comerica Park and Progressive Field (maybe CP too if I do some real begging though I've been there before), dates would be 7/6-7/10

3. Chicago- 4 nights, main attractions being US Cellular Field, Miller Park and SFGam (Cubs are on road on days I would go), dates would be 5/23-5/27

4. Midwest- at least 4 nights, main attractions being Silver Dollar City, Kauffman Stadium, Busch Stadium and maybe City Museum, dates would be around 5/24-5/28

4. Midwest- at least 4 nights, main attractions being Silver Dollar City, Kauffman Stadium, Busch Stadium and maybe City Museum, dates would be around 5/24-5/28

I do this one. 4 main reasons

1. Outlaw Run

2. St. Louis is one of the last real baseball towns so you probably really enjoy that.

3. City Museum is tons of fun and a must do.

4. Cinnamon Bread, a must get while at Silver Dollar City.

I say suck up and cater to your dad this first time, so he continues to take you on trips. If he loves hockey also, Toronto is a good choice for the HoF. If he likes music consider adding the Rock and Roll HoF to the CP trip.

If you are truly making it baseball and coasters, wait til the Cubs are in town for Chicago, although there is the benefit of hitting two stadiums.

I agree with Ryan that St. Louis is a great baseball town. Most knowledgeable and respectful fans in my opinion. I also really like Mike Shannon's steakhouse near the stadium.

Regarding Chi-Town, even if the Cubbies are on the road, you can still visit Wrigley. I believe that they offer tours of the place so that could be fun as well!

I suggest 2 or 4. 4 seems to have the best park option and two pretty nice stadiums. 2 has two stadium that I highly recommend from personal experience in Progressive and Comerica, and I've heard good things about Great American Ballpark, not to mention that all three teams are pretty good. Plus 2014 is going to be a good year for Kings Island.

I would suggest 4. I've never been to any of those places, but it is exactly the same type of trip I've been wanting to do for a while.

Kauffman Stadium has always been a beautiful park and they just renovated it. St. Louis is a great baseball town as others have said. Going to "souless" Nats Park recently, I really appreciate "real" baseball fans in "real" baseball cities.

Outlaw Run makes this type of trip even more appealing. If your dad is not so in to coasters, SDC has so much for non-coaster fans.

Plus, if your in KC and STL, there are parks there that may require a few hours to pick up a bunch of credits!

Appreciate all the advice. Talked to my dad last night about what I wanted to do and he was ok with the idea. We decided to go with option 4 partly because of all the recommendations for it. We're going to St. Louis, Kansas City and Silver Dollar City (still surprised I talked him into this). Nothing is pinned down yet but this seems very likely to happen. Can't wait to ride Outlaw Run!

It's not on your list, but if you were planning on hitting up the three MLB stadiums in Southern California - Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium, Petco Park - there are a plethora of parks surrounding those stadiums as well.

You'll find Dodger Stadium roughly 30 minutes south of Six Flags Magic Mountain and just down US 101 from Universal Studios Hollywood. Angel Stadium is just a few miles from Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm in Anaheim/Buena Park, which is about 45 minutes south of Dodger Stadium. Petco Park is about 2 hours south of Angel Stadium, and very close to Sea World San Diego, San Diego Zoo, SD Safari Park and Belmont Park.

Just a thought in case you were thinking about heading further west than Chicago/St. Louis.

It's not on your list, but if you were planning on hitting up the three MLB stadiums in Southern California - Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium, Petco Park - there are a plethora of parks surrounding those stadiums as well.

 

You'll find Dodger Stadium roughly 30 minutes south of Six Flags Magic Mountain and just down US 101 from Universal Studios Hollywood. Angel Stadium is just a few miles from Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm in Anaheim/Buena Park, which is about 45 minutes south of Dodger Stadium. Petco Park is about 2 hours south of Angel Stadium, and very close to Sea World San Diego, San Diego Zoo, SD Safari Park and Belmont Park.

 

Just a thought in case you were thinking about heading further west than Chicago/St. Louis.

Appreciate the idea. Me and my family are actually already planning on going to LA and Vegas in 2015. Just waiting until I turn 21. Definitely going to hit up a couple of parks and stadiums during that.

I would appreciate if people that are fans of baseball and roller coasters to give me trip advice. I'm a Yankees fan from NJ and me and my dad plan to travel to a MLB stadium next year and I hope to hit up at least 1 amusement park around that city. So I just want your opinions on which trip idea sounds best. Keep in mind I've never been to any of these stadiums or parks.

 

1. Toronto- 2 nights, main attractions being Rogers Centre, Niagara Falls, Canada's Wonderland and Hockey HOF, dates would be 6/22-6/24

 

2. Great Lakes- 4 nights, main attractions being Kings Island, Great American Ballpark, Comerica Park and Progressive Field (maybe CP too if I do some real begging though I've been there before), dates would be 7/6-7/10

 

3. Chicago- 4 nights, main attractions being US Cellular Field, Miller Park and SFGam (Cubs are on road on days I would go), dates would be 5/23-5/27

 

4. Midwest- at least 4 nights, main attractions being Silver Dollar City, Kauffman Stadium, Busch Stadium and maybe City Museum, dates would be around 5/24-5/28

First of all, good for you. Go Yankees!

Second of all you've got to explain #3 to me. The Cubs are playing the Yankees at home on the 21st... is it at all possible to leave a few days earlier and go to the Yankees and Cubs game at Wrigley on the 21st? The next day they start a 4 game set with the White Sox which seems to be the reason you're going but you're passing up a great opportunity by not being there on the 21st.

No offense to any White Sox fans but Wrigley is clearly the stadium you really want to visit. Wrigley and Fenway should be on every baseball fans bucket list. The fact that it's so easy to see the Yankees play at Wrigley and US Cellular Field in back to back series makes leaving a few days earlier a no brainer if it's at all possible.

I would go for Midwest.

Cinnamon bread and Outlaw Run. Plus St. Louis being a good place for baseball lover.

I would appreciate if people that are fans of baseball and roller coasters to give me trip advice. I'm a Yankees fan from NJ and me and my dad plan to travel to a MLB stadium next year and I hope to hit up at least 1 amusement park around that city. So I just want your opinions on which trip idea sounds best. Keep in mind I've never been to any of these stadiums or parks.

 

1. Toronto- 2 nights, main attractions being Rogers Centre, Niagara Falls, Canada's Wonderland and Hockey HOF, dates would be 6/22-6/24

 

2. Great Lakes- 4 nights, main attractions being Kings Island, Great American Ballpark, Comerica Park and Progressive Field (maybe CP too if I do some real begging though I've been there before), dates would be 7/6-7/10

 

3. Chicago- 4 nights, main attractions being US Cellular Field, Miller Park and SFGam (Cubs are on road on days I would go), dates would be 5/23-5/27

 

4. Midwest- at least 4 nights, main attractions being Silver Dollar City, Kauffman Stadium, Busch Stadium and maybe City Museum, dates would be around 5/24-5/28

 

First of all, good for you. Go Yankees!

 

Second of all you've got to explain #3 to me. The Cubs are playing the Yankees at home on the 21st... is it at all possible to leave a few days earlier and go to the Yankees and Cubs game at Wrigley on the 21st? The next day they start a 4 game set with the White Sox which seems to be the reason you're going but you're passing up a great opportunity by not being there on the 21st.

 

No offense to any White Sox fans but Wrigley is clearly the stadium you really want to visit. Wrigley and Fenway should be on every baseball fans bucket list. The fact that it's so easy to see the Yankees play at Wrigley and US Cellular Field in back to back series makes leaving a few days earlier a no brainer if it's at all possible.

Trust me if that was possible, me and my dad would've booked Chicago as soon as the schedule came out. Chicago was our first choice but the problem is I'm graduating from my county college on the 21st which means I can't see Wrigley. I decided to wait on going to Chicago since I wouldn't be able to see Wrigley. If it was up to me I wouldn't go to my graduation ceremony but my mom really wants me to be there. I was a little annoyed at the conflict of dates myself because like you said, that would've worked out perfectly as a Yankees fan.

Hence my decision to go to St. Louis/Kansas City instead. I figure seeing the Yankees play the Cardinals was my next best option plus Outlaw Run . Now that I made my decision if people would mind answering some local questions it'd be greatly appreciated.

How crowded would you guys expect SDC to be the day before Memorial Day and do I need a full day for the park? I'm trying to decide whether to stay in Branson for the night or drive to Kansas City. If I wanted to add WOF or SFStl to my agenda, how long do you think it'd take to go through each of those parks? This would be a big factor since I'd only have 5-7 hours max for each of those. Also any advice on when to book a flight, rent-a-car or hotels would be great.

^ 5-7 hours should be fine for WoF and SFStL. Memorial Day weekend in Branson is hellishly busy; I'd do a full day there, and maybe even consider Trailblazer Pass if you want to do all the coasters and the dark rides and still have time for the cave. On very busy days, it can be an hour wait for each of the big rides. SDC closes at 7 on Sunday 5/25, so you can easily drive to Kansas City that night after staying to park closing. You'll want to head west on MO-76 to Branson West, then take MO-13 to Clinton, then MO-7 until it intersects with I-49 (former US-71) at Harrisonville, and north from there to Kansas City. Absolutely the fastest way to go, about 4 hours total from Branson to KC.

Good move on seeing the Yankees in St Louis! You'll really like the new Busch Stadium. It's a throwback to the old era with modern amenities, in the vein that really began with Enron Field in 2001. Getting to see the Yankees there is quite a treat. The Cardinals have the most National League wins of any team, and the second most World Series wins, behind only the Yankees. This year is shaping up to be another good one, off the heels of a close World Series last year, so I expect the series against the Yankees to be great. You're absolutely right that St. Louis is a baseball town. I grew up watching Ozzie Smith, and I've loved the Cardinals my whole life. My parents love the Cardinals, my grandparents love the Cardinals. It's so true that whenever you're in St. Louis, even during the offseason, you'll see people in Cardinals jerseys, shirts, and hats, and they'll talk baseball with you, even being perfect strangers. We love our team, and it shows.

Kauffman Stadium was just renovated in 2009, and the improvements look great. The Royals had their best season in the last 20 years in 2013, and they really are making some improvements to the team as well. Overall,though , the team really is average at best, but their stadium is great. It was part of the 1970s rush to build in the suburbs, but the architecture is unique and really stands out, and the fountains in the outfield are beautiful, and showcase the city's prevalence of fountains. Kansas City even has the nickname "City of Fountains," and they really are all over the place.

So come on down to Missouri; we'd love to have you here! And if you haven't booked a flight yet, do so as soon as possible. Prices will only go up from here. Lumiere Place and Hyatt Regency at the Arch often do hotel and baseball packages, so you may look into one of those if you want to stay downtown. If you're looking more toward Eureka, where Six Flags is, then there's all manner of chain hotels and motels around there fairly cheaply.