Over the course of the winter I am going to write up a few ideas for different baseball trips someone in the Northwest could do pretty easily. The trips will include: a Northwest League trip hitting all eight teams in the Northwest League; a Pacific Coast League trip going from Washington, to California and across to Nevada; and (the trip I’m most excited to put together) an I-5 trip, which will include major league baseball, minor league baseball, some wood bat league games and maybe a little league field or two.
Starting my series is a West Coast Major League trip. From Seattle to San Diego there are 6 major league clubs for fans to visit. If the timing is just right a fan could possibly visit all 6 stadiums in an 8 to 9 day trip.
I would start in San Diego with a Padres game. The entire San Diego area is a beautiful location and I would highly recommend taking at least a day to see the city and Balboa Park. The Gaslamp Quarter is also a nice place to spend a couple of hours. As for the ballpark I haven’t been there, but here is a link to someone who has and has some great advice for going to a game on a budget. Petco Park San Diego
The next stop on the trip is going North to Anaheim with the Angels. 95 miles / 1 hour and 43 minutes drive time.
This stadium takes full advantage of the beautiful southern California weather. I am not an Angels fan but the last time I went I got caught up in just how amazing the stadium and fans were, and even let out a cheer or two for the home team. They weren’t playing the Mariners so I don’t feel guilty for it. Also while you’re down there you might as well take the morning to swing by Disneyland. Nothing says amazing day like Disneyland and baseball in the same day.
The next stop on the road trip is on the other side of Los Angeles to watch the Dodgers. 31 miles / 43 minutes drive time.
Dodger stadium isn’t the most amazing stadium I’ve ever been to but it isn’t that bad. Personally, for me, the best part of the Dodger stadium is the museum they have upstairs with all of the old Dodger memorabilia. I’ve always been a huge fan of Jackie Robinson because of what he did for the game and for our country, so seeing items from when he played is really cool for me. Like Anaheim I would recommend taking a few hours in the morning to swing by Disneyland (Yes, I love Disneyland).
The fourth stop on the trip is in Oakland. 371 miles / 5 hours and 47 minutes drive time.
The ballpark isn’t the greatest and neither is the neighborhood, but a baseball game is a baseball game. Honestly I would recommend you stay in San Francisco for the night only because there is so much to do before you go to a Giants game. I haven’t been to the Oakland Coliseum so here is an article with some information. Oakland Coliseum.
The next stop on the trip is San Francisco and AT&T Park. 15 miles / 25 minute drive time.
For the Giants I recommend planning a day or two to visit the city. There is Pier 39 on the wharf which has some of the best Clam Chowder I’ve ever had. At the other end of the wharf is the Ghirardelli Chocolate factory. The factory isn’t running any more but the store still is open. You should also make time to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and maybe even take a ride out to Alcatraz.
The final stop in this trip is in my favorite city: Seattle. 806 miles / 13 hours and 16 minutes of drive time.
The Mariners may not be the best team you will see on this trip but the city and the stadium are arguably the best. In Seattle there are some great places to visit during the day before a game. Pikes market, the Space Needle and even the Seattle Art Museum are close enough to Safeco field that you can enjoy these great attractions and still get to the stadium with plenty of time to spare.
[…] about what types of baseball trips I could do in the Northwest. I’ve already written up a West Coast MLB trip, but I wanted to focus in on a smaller area to both highlight baseball in the northwest and because […]