A map of Indiana and Ohio with text overlaying that says "Midwest Baseball Road Trip" that includes logos for the Columbus Clippers, Dayton Dragons, and Indianapolis Indians.
ballparks,  craft beer,  travel

Midwest baseball road trip preview

Summer travel is in full swing and I am back in the United States for the next two months.  So that means time for an old-fashioned baseball road trip.  After a full week working in Cincinnati, Ohio, I will embark on a Midwest baseball road trip.  Trip plans are focused on visiting new baseball stadiums, but I will be doing some other sightseeing, too.  Most importantly I will visit two new ballparks.  Without further ado here are the plans for my Midwest baseball road trip.

Baseball games

The trip is built around visiting new ballparks close to Cincinnati.  As I made a swing through Kentucky last summer, I am heading north and making stops in Ohio and Indiana.

Sunday, June 9: Norfolk Tides at Columbus Clippers, 2:05 p.m.

Monday, June 10: Fort Wayne TinCaps at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.

Wednesday, June 12: Buffalo Bisons at Indianapolis Indians, 7:05 p.m.

Of the three ballparks on this trip, I have only been to Dayton’s Fifth Third Field.  I have previously attended two Dayton Dragons games, one each in 2012 and 2013.  However, I attended those games before I began writing about my baseball stadium visits.  I will be making my first visit to Huntington Park in Columbus and Victory Field in Indianapolis, which will also mark the first professional baseball game I have attended in Indiana.

Huntington Park and Victory Field will be the eleventh and twelfth Triple-A ballparks that I have visited.  They will also be affiliated ballparks No. 79 and No. 80 all-time for me.  If I include independent league stadiums and professional stadiums in Japan, they will be stadiums No. 86 and No. 87, respectively.

Presidential sights

Another passion of mine is visiting presidential sights.  More specifically, I am working toward visiting all presidential birthplaces, burial places, and National Archives-operated libraries (complete list of presidential sights I have visited).  Although Ohio has several presidential sights, but I will only be visiting one of them on this trip.  I plan to visit Rutherford B. Hayes’s birthplace, which is just north of Columbus, Ohio.  Although born near Cincinnati, Ohio, Benjamin Harrison spent the majority of his life in Indianapolis.  So I will visit Harrison’s former home, which is now the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, and his burial site at Crown Hill Cemetery.

Breweries

As usual, I will be visiting a few breweries on this trip.  As someone who has spent the majority of his life in the U.S. South, I am not especially familiar with breweries in the Midwest.  Additionally, traveling early in the week means that some breweries I am interested in visiting are not open.  However, I have compiled a list of breweries I aim to visit in each city.

Columbus: Elevator Brewing Co., Platform Beer Co., and Wolf’s Ridge Brewing.

Dayton: Lock 27 Brewing and Toxic Brew Co.

Indianapolis: Sun King Brewery.

In each city there are plenty of other breweries I should visit, and I am open to shuffling around my plans.  So if I receive recommendations I can act upon, I may change my brewery lineup.  I am also seeking out quality beer bars, but have not settled on any place that I must visit yet.

Running routes

Over the past nine months I have taken to running, and hit a lot of milestones along the way.  I run almost every day now and plan to incorporate running into my regular travel routine.  My goal with running while on the road is to continue my healthy lifestyle choices, but also to provide myself with an opportunity to explore a community outside of traditional sightseeing.

So far I have not found a running route in Columbus or Dayton, but hope to get recommendations on downtown routes in both cities.  I currently plan to run along the Canal Walk in Indianapolis, which is part of the White River State Park.  I would like to run on the Monon Trail, which is rails to trails path just north of the city, but I feel like it is too far out from downtown for me.  However, I am considering some routes along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail (see routes here), but have not settled on a specific route yet.

Recapping the plan

After a full week in Cincinnati I will embark on a Midwest baseball road trip with stops in Columbus, Dayton, and Indianapolis.  Besides attending a trio of baseball games, I will visit a pair of presidential sights and visit some new breweries.  I am anxious about incorporating a run into my travels, too.  As much as I look forward to the baseball games, I am excited about exploring new cities while running.

As usual, I will share content about my trip on social media.  So if you don’t follow me already you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  If you are a craft beer drinker, you can find my check-ins on Untappd.  Whatever social media platform you prefer, I hope you’ll join me on my Midwest baseball road trip.

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