Are you a baseball fan and still trying to decide what trips to take in 2019? With the help of some esteemed writers I have compiled a list of baseball destinations to visit in 2019. The roundup includes teams with wacky names, an exhibit at a highly-rated zoo, and an international locale that may bust your budget. Read through to see Steven On The Move’s top baseball destinations in 2019. What other places would you add? Share your ideas in the comments section below. Colorado Springs, Colorado (Debut of Rocky Mountain Vibes) Minor League baseball team names and logos have grown increasingly wacky over the last 20 years. The trend…
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Reviewing my 2018 ballpark resolutions
Over the past four years I’ve made ballpark travel resolutions based primarily upon seeing Minor League Baseball games, and each year I recap the goals and assess how successful I was in accomplishing my goals. So without further ado, here is how I did with my 2018 ballpark travel resolutions. Resolution #1: In 2018, I resolve to see all three @TweetHomeAla @MiLB teams (@BhamBarons, @Mobile_BayBears, & @BiscuitBaseball) with @DJKati. #NewYearsResolutions #PlayBall #sportstravel — Steven Ericson (@StevenOnTheMove) January 2, 2018 I had previously seen all of Alabama’s Minor League teams play at home, but never during the same season. More importantly, setting the goal of seeing all three Alabama teams at…
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A Minor League Baseball road trip through Alabama
People who enjoy baseball, and especially Minor League Baseball, regularly plan their summer vacations around visiting ballparks. These trips are often based around individual goals, whether it’s to visit new states or new ballparks or to watch top prospects or even the most ambitious goal of seeing all 159 active, affiliated Minor League baseball stadiums. With good timing, visiting all of the Minor League ballparks in Alabama can be done in a matter of four days. I undertook this adventure earlier this summer with my wife Katie. The Basics Currently, Alabama has three Minor League Baseball teams: the Birmingham Barons, the Mobile BayBears, and the Montgomery Biscuits. From north-to-south, the…
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Touring Hank Aaron’s childhood home in Mobile
It is not every day that a ticket to a baseball game gets people admission to the childhood home of a baseball Hall of Famer. However, that is precisely what you will find at Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile, Ala., home of the Mobile BayBears. In 2008, the city moved the childhood home of Mobile-native Henry Louis (“Hank”) Aaron to the grounds of the stadium that bears his name. Following a lengthy renovation, the home was re-opened as the Hank Aaron Childhood Home & Museum. History of the home Herbert Aaron, Hank’s father, built the house in 1942. It initially had three rooms, but the Aaron family gradually expanded the…
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Alabama Memorial Day weekend road trip preview
As the summer travel season is almost upon us, my wife Katie and I will be making our first extended trip of the year over the Memorial Day weekend. The inspiration for our upcoming trip is baseball and craft beer, as we are setting out to see every Minor League Baseball team that plays in Alabama while also visiting more of the state’s craft breweries. Our schedule is built around attending MiLB games, but we will assuredly be visiting craft breweries and seeing other local sights. Here is our schedule… Saturday, May 26:Biloxi Shuckers at Mobile BayBears, 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, May 29:Jackson Generals at Montgomery Biscuits, 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, May…
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Revealing my 2018 ballpark resolutions
Since 2014, I have posted travel resolutions for each new year. They typically related to traveling to see new Minor League Baseball stadiums. As I rung in the new year, I sat down and posted my resolutions. So here are my resolutions for the upcoming year. Resolution #1: In 2018, I resolve to see all three @TweetHomeAla @MiLB teams (@BhamBarons, @Mobile_BayBears, & @BiscuitBaseball) with @DJKati. #NewYearsResolutions #PlayBall #sportstravel — Steven Ericson (@MyGeogLessons) January 2, 2018 Over the past six years, I have managed to see all the MiLB teams in my current home state of Alabama. However, I have not seen them all with my now wife Katie. Since she…
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Reviewing my 2017 ballpark resolutions
As 2017 comes to a close, it’s time for the annual review of my New Year’s resolutions. Unlike people who resolve to lose weight or be kinder to others, which are all great goals, mine focus on travel and more specifically they focus on baseball travel. My first resolution for 2017 was… In 2017, I resolve to see a @FisherCats or @PortlandSeaDogs game with @joshpahigian. #PlayBall — Steven Ericson (@geoSteven) January 1, 2017 While attending the American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting in Boston in April, I organized a field trip to see the Portland Sea Dogs and got to meet Josh at the game. It was great getting…
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Revealing my 2017 ballpark resolutions
I’m now into year three of writing baseball-travel resolutions (read 2015’s resolutions here; read 2016’s resolutions here). These resolutions/goals mostly focus on attending Minor League Baseball games, but sometimes I add a Major League Baseball goal. The first resolution for 2017… In 2017, I resolve to see a @FisherCats or @PortlandSeaDogs game with @joshpahigian. #PlayBall — Steven Ericson (@geoSteven) January 1, 2017 Over the past few years, I’ve gotten to interact with Josh Pahigian, who has written numerous books about attending MLB and MiLB games (see his Amazon author page here). He lives in Portland, Maine, and teaches at the University of New England. During this past season he reached out…
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My night with the Mobile BayBears – May 8, 2015
After arriving late in Pensacola the night before, I was determined to arrive in plenty of time to see the first pitch in Mobile. So after some sightseeing in Pensacola on a Friday morning, I headed over to Mobile, Ala., and visited the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park before getting ready to make a short trip from my downtown hotel to Hank Aaron Stadium, home of the Mobile BayBears. The silhouette is of the stadium’s namesake following through on his prolific homerun swing, but the BayBears commemorate the rich history of baseball in the city with a marker honoring the five members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame who…
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My night with the Birmingham Barons – May 2, 2014
After playing in the suburbs for 25 years, the Birmingham Barons moved back to downtown Birmingham in 2013 when Regions Field opened. I didn’t get to visit Regions Field during its inaugural season, but I put it high on the priority list for 2014. It was also much easier to accomplish now that I live just an hour away. A few days ago, I made the trek to Birmingham for my first visit. The most unique aspect of the stadium is the steel facade that spells out “BIRMINGHAM.” I walked past this as I approached the stadium, and made sure to get a picture. The stadium has three entrances, but…
