Hi All,

My partner and I are taking a 10 day midwest baseball trip for our anniversary. We, obviously, enjoy baseball, but also like tours and we like to try local beers/beer bars. I would love to hear what folks think about good places to stay and also things to do. In terms of lodging, we prefer something nice and, if possible, close to the ballpark or to a brewpup where we might have dinner.

Here is the plan thus far:

We plan to fly into KC, rent a car and drive to St. Louis. (Sept 1-4). We will stay in St. Louis 3 nights and see games on Sun, Sept 2 and Monday Sept 3.

On the 4th we will drive to Cinn and spend one night and see a game.

On the 5th, we will drive to Detroit for one night and see a game. We will have some free time on the morning of the 6th. Could do the Henry Ford if that is good?

We will spend the night of the 6th in Munster, IN so we can go to Three Floyds Brewery.

Then on the 7th, we will go to KC where we will go to games on the 8th and 9th and also go to the Negro League Museum. We fly home from KC on the 10th.

Thanks for any tips! I am really looking forward to this trip.

It sounds like you have a fun trip planned. For the drive from KC to St Louis, be prepared for the fact that I70 is not in the best shape in many areas and is crowded with semis. Normally I would suggest that you use I40/64 (exit I70 at Wentzville) to get downtown to the stadium, but there is a lot of construction on it right now. Info is at www.thenewi64.org

Hope you have a great trip!

WHAT? You are going as far as Cinn but yet can't come a little further east to see the Pittsburgh Pirates in our fabulous new stadium? I'm hurt.

Seriously, have a great trip - it sounds like a lot of fun!

Swaymock ...We went to Pittburgh last year for 3 games .. GREAT stadium. That is why we are not going this year!!!

Good. I feel better now. I just had to get that out

I've been to all you are going to. Are you staying at Cupples Station Westin in St. Louis by chance? When we did we looked right down into the old park. Now I hear it is great as well. My very favorite of any hotel I've ever visited myself.

In Detroit, Greektown and some good restaurants are walking distance from Comerica. Anyone there will point out the way. A walk over to the GM building is not a bad idea either. And there is a casino in Greektown area as well, if you have the inkling. If you do a search here on Greektown Detroit you will get the name of the restaurant we went to, I can't remember the name- but many choices there are fine.

KC was fantastic, but the stadium is way out of town, so it is a trip back into KC if you want a more lively downtown type dinner or brewery/pub etc. Enjoy the waterfall!

The fans at St. Louis and KC are phenomenal. Quite a different style, IMHO than Detroit, Chicago, or NYC fans- immensely friendly in KC and super, super worship of baseball in St. L.

Have a good time, baseball vacations are my favorite kind. swaymock, my son and his friend are going to Pittsburg for the a couple of White Sox games in just a few weeks, I sure wish I was going with them.

Wow - I'm jealous! Sounds like a wonderful trip.

When in Detroit, check out Rivertown. There were some really nice microbrews down that way.

Henry Ford Museum and Village may be worth the trip. One part is an outdoor village that Henry Ford assembled by bringing together actual buildings of historic relevance. Edison's laboratory and Daniel Webster's house are two examples. The museum is fun as well, especially if you like cars. It is a good slice of American life as well.

If you want to stay in Detroit, check out the Art Institue. They have a nice collection. There is also the MoTown Museum as well.

Have a great trip!

When in Cincinnati, consider staying across the river in Newport...nice restaurants and shops, but since your interess lie along the lines of beer, don't miss the Hofbrauhaus Newport. The food is respectable German cuisine, and the freshly brewed Hofbrau is excellent. I just returned from there, doing the Reds/Astros and then the Hofbrauhaus afterward. You can walk across the river on a pedestrian bridge and back - probably a 15-minute walk or so.

How much time do you have to spend at The Henry Ford? You can easily spend 2 days and not see the entire complex.

As the prior post said, Greenfield Village has historic buildings from around the US. The Henry Ford Museum has decorative arts, machinery and implement collections and the transportation collection.

There are 4 hotels in downtown Detroit close to Comerica Park, The Marriott, Courtyard, Atheneum and Hilton Garden Inn.

If you don't mind staying near The Henry Ford, The Dearborn Inn is a historic hotel built in 1931. In addition to the Georgian-style main building, there are replicas of famous Americans' houses in the rear that are divided into suites.

The best-known restaurants in Greektown in Detroit are Pegasus or Hellas. If you want great Italian, go to the Roma Cafe in the Eastern Market. It's about a half mile from Greektown and has been in the same spot since around 1891.

You won't be able to visit the Art Institute because it will close May 27 to complete the final phase of its expansion and renovation and reopen in November.

Citylghts -- thanks for the info on the Henry Ford. I will have about 5-6 hours and was hoping to go on the Rouge Factory Tour. I see that they have a tour leaving at 930, so I could get on that. But would that be enough time or is it not worth it with only 5-6 hours? Thanks

You can do the Rouge tour in about 2.5 to 3 hours. With the other 2-3 hours, you could see a couple highlights in either the village or museum or you could head elsewhere. The Motown Museum is fun and you can easily see it in about 2 hours.

While in St. Louis, you may want to check out The Hill, an Italian neighborhood southwest of downtown. It's where Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola grew up (there's a park named for Yogi there.) There are several Italian restaurants there - you can't really go wrong with any of them.

Also, the Anheuser Busch brewery just south of downtown offers free tours. For a local beer, check out The Tap Room downtown, home of Schlafly beer.

There is also a small brewery in Lafayette Square, just south of downtown, called Square One. Both Square One and the Tap Room have great food.

If you enjoy shopping, don't miss Country Club Plaza while in Kansas City. Lots of good places to eat there also. I think George Brett has a restaurant in The Plaza, so you can continue with your baseball theme.

Also, if you don't want to drive to Kauffman Stadium in KC, they have a great bus service that swings by most of the hotels. I use it when I go to Chiefs football games. http://www.kcata.org/royals.html

I just did a similar trip a few weeks ago. I started in Chicago to see the White Sox, then on to St Louis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Detroit, back to Chicago to see the Cubs, and Cincinnati. Along the way, I stopped at the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville, Iowa, visited the Louisville Slugger Museum, and took in a Toledo Mudhens game. You will have a great time!
Swaymock...I have been to 19 of the 30 parks and Pittburgh is by far my favorite. Not only is the park beautiful, but the city is far nicer than people think.

When in KC you have to visit the Boulevard Brewery. They have a tasting room and you can sample all of their beers. They also have a great view of downtown. In my opinion, the best beer in the world! They also serve it at the stadium and all local restaurants. Their website is blvdbeer.com

I was going to suggest the free Budweiser Brewery tour in St. Louis, too. Neat, old, historic buildings, and the Clydesdales are a highlight, not to mention the 3 free beers at the end. While you're there, stop by John D. McGirks Irish Pub in a neighborhood called Soulard. It's just a few blocks northwest of the brewery. It's on your way back to the baseball stadium, as well. McGirk's has the nicest outdoor patio area I've ever seen. Lots of greenery and fountains, I just love it there. The food is great, too.

I totally agree w Idnas71 about McGurks. It's hopping every night with live, free Irish music and is quick cab ride from the stadium.

Before you head to Soulard (the neighborhood where McGurks is located), take a 3-minute walk from Busch to the Broadway Oyster Bar and BBs Jazz, Blues and Soups. These are great bars that you should hit.

On Mondays, the Soulard Blues Band lights it up outside on the patio at the Oyster Bar. You should not miss them. After their show, head to BBs for a night cap (BBs is open to 3 am).

www.broadwayoysterbar.com

www.bbsjazzbluessoups.com

And I 100% agree with Peteandem about BB's Jazz, Blues and Soup. (Thanks for the save on my mis-spelling of "McGurks") I love their homemade gumbo and cornbread, and pecan pie! Live music is great, too. Lots of atmosphere in that place. Stone's throw from the stadium.

Since you'll be in St. Louis for a few days and will have a car, there's another place I'll suggest if you have any interest in beautiful churches. The St. Louis Cathedral Basilica is a true gem in this country, more jaw-dropping than some cathedrals I've seen in Europe. They have the largest collection of mosaics than any other church in the world. It's open during the days 8:00-5:00 and you can just walk in and look around if there is not something special already going on.

There's another great pub (Scottish, this time) just a few blocks from this cathedral. It's called the Scottish Arms. Not as nice of an outdoor patio as McGurks, but great food and atmosphere, nonetheless.

Just so you know that drive at the end of your trip from Indiana to KC is going to be quite the haul -- but you probably know that already.

Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions. We leave in a little over 2 weeks and we are so excited about this trip. I will post a trip report when we return.