Itineraries part two: Southern (days and) nights
So who wants to go on a trip this summer? Here's a suggestion.
Two weeks ago I told you I would give you some summer travel ideas after I was inspired to recount my own a few weeks back, and last week we went up to New England.
Just as a reminder, I decided to come up with three excursions which are based on the various 2023 minor and major league baseball schedules. There are a few ground rules I tried to follow with these potential trips:
The trip lasts from August 3-12, and always begins with the Thursday, August 3 game Delmarva is hosting that evening with the Lynchburg Hillcats.
Each of these trips has at least one game from each professional level: MLB, AAA, AA, Advanced-A, A, and independent leagues.
I made every effort to keep daily trips under 200 miles “as the crow flies.” In reality this may be about 250 miles, but that should be about a five-hour trip or less.
Where I could I had at least one “doubleheader day” where there was a day/night combo of games. I did not have game times for all the games, so I assumed on original compilation the minor league contests were in the evening.
This trip, as I noted above, runs down well below the Mason-Dixon and back here by Sunday, August 13.
Thursday, August 3: Lynchburg Hillcats at Delmarva Shorebirds (Class A, Carolina League.) After you watch our local boys take on the farmhands of the Cleveland Guardians on a Thirsty Thursday, pack your Maryland Pride shirt you got if you were there early enough and gas up the car for the trip south.
Friday, August 4: Charlotte Knights at Norfolk Tides (AAA International League.) It’s a bevy of promotions at Harbor Park on this Friday night, beginning with a pre-game party and then celebrating Coast Guard Night. If that weren’t enough, you get a free car wash out of the deal. The Tides are the “loaded” Orioles affiliate with several top prospects and they’re taking on the top White Sox affiliate on the field. I remember the restaurant in the right field corner being an attraction as well, although it’s been about 15 years since I was last there to watch them take on my Mud Hens. Alas, this trip you get the Knights. Maybe next time. ;) From the starting point in Salisbury we’re at 136 miles and 2 hours, 36 minutes.
Saturday, August 5: Asheville Tourists at Greensboro Grasshoppers (Advanced-A South Atlantic League.) Delmarva used to see both these teams all the time, but they stayed in the SAL while we switched to the Carolina League. First National Bank Stadium is another of those facilities planted smack in the middle of downtown, meaning there are places to eat and stay close by the park. You’re here to not just see the Astros’ minor-leaguers take on the Pirates’ crew, but Dino Night and - as usual for a Saturday night - fireworks after the game. Interesting to see how they pull it off in a downtown setting. From Norfolk it’s a bit of a trip: 236 miles and 3:49 in drive time, but you’re amidst a batch of minor league teams in the Carolinas.
Sunday, August 6: Lexington Counterclocks at Gastonia Honey Hunters (independent Atlantic League.) It’s First Responders Night in Gastonia, although that’s a bit of a misnomer since the game starts at 4:15. The event is part of what the team calls Awareness Weekend, which also covers cancer, mental health, and drug awareness. CaroMont Health Park, just built for the 2021 season and part of the Franklin Urban Sports and Entertainment district, is the home of this fairly new Atlantic League team, although Gastonia itself has a long minor league history. On this trip it’s my only independent league stop. We go 110 miles and 1 hour, 48 minutes on the trip to Gastonia, putting us on the fringe of the Charlotte metro area.
Monday, August 7: Off day. Unfortunately, while I had tried to set this trip up to work its way to Atlanta and back, the MLB schedule maker didn’t cooperate and put the Braves on the road the entire time. (Monday is a tough day because the MLB-affiliated or partner minor leagues are dark and the only close MLB teams to the region are Atlanta and Washington.) So you can either explore Charlotte or head for the beach because that’s the next stop.
Tuesday, August 8: Fayetteville Woodpeckers at Myrtle Beach Pelicans. (Class A Carolina League.) You get a CL Southern Division battle with this one between Astros and Cubs affiliates, but since you don’t see either rival against the Shorebirds this season it’s like going to another league. On this night the kids get an on-field autograph session while the adults get Tacos and Tallboys on this Tuesday at (yes this one’s complicated) TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. Whether you chose to spend the off day in Charlotte or on the beach, the drive over was 202 miles and 3 hours, 39 minutes.
Wednesday, August 9: Memphis Redbirds at Durham Bulls (AAA International League.) I actually audibled for this one: originally I headed back to Charlotte for the Knights’ game - but Durham sounded better and worked better both directionally and time-wise for my trip as Charlotte scheduled a 12:05 game. (Durham’s is a semi-standard 6:35 contest.) Both parks are in downtown or semi-downtown settings, but Durham Bulls Athletic Park has the bull like you saw on Bull Durham behind the Blue Monster in left field. And the kids will like this stop, too, because it’s Kids Eat Free Wednesday at the DBAP. It’s the Tampa Bay AAA farmhands against the St. Louis minor leagues, so it’s sort of a nouveau riche franchise taking on some of the National League’s baseball royalty. The trip up is 206 miles and takes 3 hours, 18 minutes.
Wednesday, August 9 (alternate): However, because the Charlotte game is at 12:05, it’s possible to make this a doubleheader day with the second game being Winning Wednesday at Atrium Health Ballpark, nearly brand-new home of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. The two facilities are only 28 miles and 35 minutes apart. The combination of a second helping of Charlotte and Kannapolis might be tough to resist for White Sox faithful as both teams are affiliates. (In theory I could have put Chicago affiliate Winston-Salem on this trip, too, in the slot where we have Gastonia.) Charlotte plays the Gwinnett Stripers (AAA for Atlanta) while Kannapolis plays the Down East Wood Ducks, who are affiliated with the Texas Rangers.
Thursday, August 10: Augusta Greenjackets at Salem Red Sox (Class A Carolina League.) Now we head for the Shenandoah Valley and perhaps the prettiest part of the country to travel. Shorebird fans are very familiar with the Red Sox (it’s obvious who their parent team is) and they’re hosting the Braves’ affiliate this evening on Area 51 night. Unfortunately, they’re pretty mum on the details for this game at (yes, another long one) Carilion Clinic Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark. Maybe that’s part of the plan? Regardless, the surely very scenic (and almost exclusively non-interstate) trip up is 133 miles and takes 2 hours, 45 minutes.
Friday, August 11: Bowie Baysox at Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA Eastern League.) I may have been able to get into AA with the Southern League but the schedule for their closest team in Tennessee didn’t work out, so I come to the southern terminus of the EL in Richmond (a San Francisco Giants affiliate) against a loaded Bowie team full of Orioles prospects for my lone AA game. I remember The Diamond (described in the Minor League Baseball Guide as a “relentlessly gray concrete behemoth”) as the home of the old Richmond Braves of the International League, and what was once one of the newest IL stadiums is now approaching its 40th anniversary. This Friday evening features a “Ardillas Voladoras Soccer 'Kit' T-Shirt giveaway” as part of MiLB’s Copa de la Diversión promotion, so I’m betting the Flying Squirrels will have that moniker for the evening, too. Or you can just chill at the Funnville Friday Happy Hour before the game. While it’s a little quicker to use the interstate, I think I’d prefer the more direct route eastward through a historic portion of Virginia along U.S. 460 and other surface roads, going 169 miles in 3 hours, 11 minutes.
Saturday, August 12: Oakland A’s at Washington Nationals. What, you thought you were getting major league baseball on this trip? All kidding aside, this matchup of two subpar teams is still the big leagues and satisfies my requirement for a game at all levels. This Saturday evening game means you have a bit of time to check out something in our nation’s capital during the day, and you get one final souvenir: a Racing Presidents bobblehead of George and Tom. (Teddy and Abe are given away in June.) From Richmond the jaunt is the shortest on the trip: 105 miles and takes 1:51, then the trip back to base is 121 miles, and 2 hours, 9 minutes.
Tale of the tape
Games: 9 in 10 days, could be 10 with alternate.
Leagues: 6 (all six levels)
States: 4 (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, plus the District of Columbia.) Games in all of them.
MLB teams/organizations: Atlanta, Baltimore (thrice), Boston, Chicago Cubs and White Sox, Cleveland, Houston (twice), Oakland, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, and Washington. Plus two independent teams. The alternate would bump the White Sox up to thrice, Atlanta to twice, add Texas, and delete St. Louis and Tampa Bay.
Mileage: 1,418 miles (standard trip)
Driving time: 25 hours, 6 minutes
Regrets: Besides missing out on the off day, there really aren’t any. I think my New England trip has better promotions, but that’s entirely subjective and capricious. If I didn’t restrict myself to hitting all the classifications and didn’t mind the long trip there/back, though, I could easily do a trip that doesn’t leave North Carolina. (Brought to you by the North Carolina Department of Tourism.)
In the meantime, next week I’m going home. My last of three journeys takes us to the Midwest.