So im going on a baseball trip (advice)

[ELCABALLO45]

Well my loving sister and her (rich) husband have invited me to go along with them on a baseball trip.

 

Between Aug. 3 and Aug 10th. im going to Kansas City to St. Louis to Chicago (both) and ending up in Milwaukee on the 10th for my birthday.

 

Any places that I should see from any of the 4 cities? Any places to eat? Any advice or help would be awesome.

 

THANKS

[bball123h2]

Arthur Bryant's BBQ in KC and the Negro League Museum in KC were both awesome.

[cubfan1126]

Stroud's restaurant in KC is excellent. There's two of them - I've been to the south one it's old and small and don't take reservations but the pork chops are worth the wait. If you happen to like chicken livers they have a plateful that will send your cholesterol up 200 points.

 

Since you'll be at Kauffman, see if you can get a tour of Arrowhead, it's a great facility.

 

Isn't the IRS located in KC? I'm sure you could get a tour there for about 33% of your budget. Just kidding

 

There's so much to suggest in Chicago and it looks like your Wrigley game will be a day game. Morton's, Gibson's, or the Chicago Chop House are 3 name steak houses and definitely $$$$$. At the game, don't just show up and go inside and leave after the game. Absorb the ambiance of the entire experience. Go to one of the places across the street (try Bernie's) have a Chicago style hot dog (for God's sake don't eat inside the park except for nachos and french fries) and enjoy talking to Cubs fans. (We're really not bad people.)

[BadgerBen in KC]

I moved out of KC 2 years ago, but I believe the Stroud's on the south side has recently moved.

If you are a fan of college basketball, I would highly suggest going to the College Basketball HoF located adjacent to the Sprint Center downtown. It just opened last fall. I went there last November and had a great time. The exhibits are not all that great, but it is very interactive. They have a court you can play on and have several games you can play. 3 point contest, shooting FTs with a loud crowd behind the basket, and others. If you go, prepare to sweat.

When I lived there, on Saturday's I would catch lunch at an excellent little butcher shop on Ward Parkway south of 75th street. They had a grill set up in the parking lot and had a bunch of options, but the BBQ chicken was awesome. I would also suggest JackStack as an eating option. They have 3 locations.

There is a pretty cool indoor go-kart place in Olathe where the cars reach 50 mph. There are also several nice golf courses in the area. I liked Deer Creek in Overland Park. It plays like U Ridge in Madison and I liked it b/c I could walk there!

Avoid Westport at all costs. Seriously, people suggest it, but there is nothing there and limited eating options.

If you are looking for a good local bar sceen where you don't have to dress up and can wear shorts and a t-shirt, try the waldo/Brookside area. Plenty of great bars in that area. If you like to dress up to go out, try the Plaza.

Note there is a complete lack of things to do around Kauffman/Arrowhead, unless you like hanging out at Taco Bell.

[lodiness]

Me and a couple of buddies did that exact same trip last summer, except substitute Nashville for Chicago. In St. Louis you gotta go to a place called Ed's Chili Mac, it's about 2-3 blocks from the Crown Plaza. Best breakfast I've ever had. They put chili on everything ( I know, sounds sick, but it's great, worth trying once. Also, at night there's an area called the Landing that has Micro brewerires, bars, and a pretty good night scene. For the game, there's a ton of places to go, there's one place (by the Bowling hall of fame?) that was pretty sweet. It looked like an old warehouse, but then they opened a bunch of garage doors, and it was a huge open air bar.

[berniebrewer4life]

Giordanos pizza is a must after every game i go to at Wrigley(there is one a few blocks away, IIRC). You wait about 50 mins for it, but it's worth every minute.

[ELCABALLO45]

Thanks for all the advice guys, And if anyone has some please keep it coming.

[tristarscoop]

I second the Jack Stack suggestion in KC. Spectacular bbq and hit their little store and bring home some sauce and rub - it's cheap and it really added another option for summer grilling, which was cool.

 

Are you going to have kids with you?

[ELCABALLO45]

No kids involved

[rwa12]

I live in the STL area, and there is plenty to do depending on time/interest. There is the Bowling HOF right across from Busch, Forest Park is full of museums, a fantastic zoo, and other activites. There is also the Arch and the Landing Area (decent food during the day/ decent night life after dark. Food-wise, "the hill" area is known for its Italian fare. There are also plenty of places downtown to explore, and the U-City area has a preferrable night life IMO (more bar scene than night club).