The National Tour Association (NTA) recently presented Jay Smith, founder of Sports Travel and Tours, with the 2019 Bob Everidge Lifetime Achievement Award for dedication to the organization’s mission for over 20 years. At NTA’s annual conference, called Travel Exchange, in Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 12, Jay accepted the honor from NTA President Pam […]
Read MorePosts in category News
West Coast Classic: From Seattle to San Diego
From Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington, to the iconic Dodger Stadium, and down to the Padres’ Petco Park, Sports Travel and Tours’ West Coast Classic trip features stops at every major league park down the West Coast, ensuring baseball fans won’t miss a thing! The trip begins on Friday, June 10, when travelers will arrive in Seattle, Washington, for a trip reception that gives them an excellent opportunity to meet and greet their host and fellow travelers over dinner. The following morning, the trip kicks quickly into high gear with a tour of Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners. Then, get an unmatched, 360-degree view from the Space Needle’s observation deck. At a height of 520 feet, guests can spy mountain ranges covered in Douglas Firs, the waterfront of the Elliott Bay and Mount Rainer, as well as the sparkling city lights nearby. After a half-day city tour to give travelers an idea of everything Seattle has to offer, return to Safeco Field for a game between the Mariners and the Texas Rangers at 7:10 p.m. On Sunday, the two teams face off again, this time at 1:10 p.m., leaving travelers with significant morning and evening leisure time. Consider a dinner featuring mouthwatering seafood from the Space Needle’s SkyCity Restaurant, or take a tour of the Museum of Flight. Fans of the Seahawks can visit CenturyLink Field, or head to Discovery Park for endless nature trails and relaxing beaches, just to name a few attractions. While in Seattle, guests will lodge at the Maxwell Hotel adjacent to the Space Needle. The Maxwell boasts an indoor pool and fitness room, a business center, room service from The Rock Wood Fired Kitchen, drinks at the Pineapple Bar, a separate espresso bar for your morning pick-me-ups, afternoon receptions featuring coffee and fresh-baked pineapple cupcakes, and even complimentary bicycles for guest use! Three days spent in the luxury of the Maxwell will help revive guests for their departure on Monday, when they’ll fly to Oakland, California, in time for a game between the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers at 7:05 p.m. at O.co Coliseum. On Tuesday, travelers will get to tour AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, followed by a half-day tour of the city. See the Golden Gate Bridge, explore Chinatown (the largest outside of Asia) or stop in to one of the intriguing museums like the Exploratorium. In the evening, travelers return to AT&T Park for a game between the Giants and the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:15 p.m. On Monday and Tuesday nights, guests will room at the Holiday Inn Express Fisherman’s Wharf, offering spacious rooms, a fitness center, a 24-hour business center and the complimentary Express Start Breakfast Bar each morning. On Wednesday, travelers will board the planes once again, this time to Anaheim for a game between the LA Angels and the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium starting at 7:05 p.m. Then, on Thursday, travelers reach the iconic Dodger Stadium for a behind-the-scenes tour, followed by a four-hour city tour of Los Angeles, California. Stroll down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, or get your photo taken in front of the Hollywood sign. Later, travelers return to Dodger Stadium for a game between the Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers starting at 7:10 p.m. On Wednesday and Thursday nights, guests will stay at the Wyndham Anaheim Garden Grove Hotel, which offers a 24-hour fitness center, an outdoor pool with poolside dining, a whirlpool, summer movie nights and multiple dining options. On Friday, travelers will move along to San Diego, where they’ll explore the city’s historic Gaslamp Quarter, featuring restored Victorian buildings and filled with cultural offerings like theaters, art galleries, symphony halls and museums. After an evening game at Petco Park between the Padres and the Washington Nationals, guests will spend the night at the Hotel Indigo, within walking distance of the stadium. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the Hotel Indigo is a rooftop bar, allowing guests to take in all the sights and sounds of San Diego. Finally, on Saturday, June 18, after nine days of adventure, travelers can depart for home at their leisure, though additional pre- and post-trip nights are optional. Travelers also receive a trip souvenir, 24-hour trip assistance and transportation to/from events in a deluxe motor coach, ensuring you will ride in style from beginning to end! Learn more about the West Coast Classic trip.
Read MoreWest Coast Classic: From Seattle to San Diego
For immediate release For more information, contact: Teresa Weybrew Director of Sales Sports Travel and Tours (800) 662-4424 Sportstravelandtours.com West Coast Classic: From Seattle to San Diego HATFIELD, MASS.— From Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington, to the iconic Dodger Stadium, and down to the Padres’ Petco Park, Sports Travel and Tours’ West Coast Classic trip features stops at every major league park down the West Coast, ensuring baseball fans won’t miss a thing! The trip begins on Friday, June 10, when travelers will arrive in Seattle for a trip reception that gives them an excellent opportunity to meet and greet their host and fellow travelers over dinner. The following morning, the trip kicks quickly into high gear with a tour of Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners. Then, get an unmatched, 360-degree view from the Space Needle’s observation deck. At a height of 520 feet, guests can spy mountain ranges covered in Douglas Firs, the waterfront of the Elliott Bay and Mount Rainer, as well as the sparkling city lights nearby. After a half-day city tour to give travelers an idea of everything Seattle has to offer, return to Safeco Field for a game between the Mariners and the Texas Rangers at 7:10 p.m. On Sunday, the two teams face off again, this time at 1:10 p.m., leaving travelers with significant morning and evening leisure time. Consider a dinner featuring mouthwatering seafood from the Space Needle’s SkyCity Restaurant, or take a tour of the Museum of Flight. Fans of the Seahawks can visit CenturyLink Field, or head to Discovery Park for endless nature trails and relaxing beaches, just to name a few attractions. On Monday, travelers fly to Oakland, California, and arrive in time for a game between the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers at 7:05 p.m. at O.co Coliseum. On Tuesday, travelers will get to tour AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, followed by a half-day tour of the city. See the Golden Gate Bridge, explore Chinatown (the largest outside of Asia) or stop in to one of the intriguing museums like the Exploratorium. In the evening, travelers return to AT&T Park for a game between the Giants and the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:15 p.m. On Wednesday, travelers will board the planes once again, this time to Anaheim for a game between the LA Angels and the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium starting at 7:05 p.m. Then, on Thursday, travelers reach the iconic Dodger Stadium for a behind-the-scenes tour, followed by a four-hour city tour of Los Angeles, California. Later, travelers return to Dodger Stadium for a game between the Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers starting at 7:10 p.m. On Friday, travelers will move along to San Diego, where they’ll explore the city’s historic Gaslamp Quarter, featuring restored Victorian buildings and filled with cultural offerings like theaters, art galleries, symphony halls and museums before an evening game at Petco Park between the Padres and the Washington Nationals. Learn more about the West Coast Classic trip.
Read MoreCouple Closes in on Visit to 30th Major League Stadium
For immediate release For more information, contact: Teresa Weybrew Director of Sales Sports Travel and Tours (800) 662-4424 Sportstravelandtours.com Couple Closes in on Visit to 30th Major League Stadium Don and Laura Vickery will be inducted in the Sports Travel and Tours Stadium Hall of Fame in May 2017 MASON, MICHIGAN—Thirty-eight years ago, Laura and Don Vickery drove through Detroit, into Toronto and to Boston, Massachusetts, on their honeymoon. They passed many major league ball parks, but back then, it never occurred to Laura Vickery to encourage her baseball-fan husband to stop and explore. “I was young and would just say, ‘That’s nice,’” Laura says. “Baseball is such a big interest of his that I always regretted that.” Sports Travel and Tours of Hatfield, Massachusetts, has helped Laura to reconcile this grief as the Vickerys have visited 29 of the 30 major league stadiums on the firm’s trips over the past seven years. This summer, the two will visit the 30th major league stadium. Next May, they will be inducted into Sports Travel and Tours Stadium Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and they plan to celebrate surrounded by their children and grandchildren. The Vickerys first trip with Sports Travel and Tours was in 2009, when the firm teamed up with an organization in Michigan to take baseball fans to Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. “My original thought was, we’ll go on this trip, and, hopefully, we’ll find more men like Don who are walking encyclopedias of knowledge on baseball,” Laura says. “I thought, how could we go wrong?” The trip turned out to be even more than Laura had expected. “I thought all of the travelers would be men, but no, no, no,” she says. “There are always plenty of women and plenty of people through all walks of life. There are guys who are my husbands’ equal, but also people like me who are fans but don’t remember every statistic there is. “I was so pleased to find a peer group,” Laura adds of her first trips with Sports Travel and Tours. “From the onset, we were not disappointed.” Don and Laura initially visited five stadiums in 2009, and continued to travel consistently from 2011 to 2015, checking four or five stadiums off the list each year. Now, only one remains: Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners. To tackle the final stadium, Laura and Don are taking an independent trip to Seattle for a game between the Mariners and the White Sox on July 20, accompanied by Don’s cousin Jerry Brown and his wife, Joan. “Because Don’s favorite team is the White Sox, we planned to see that game in particular,” Laura says. As part of their summer plans, the couple will room in a Seattle beach house before voyaging on to Vancouver. A favorite sports travel memory for the couple was on a Sports Travel and Tours Oriole Park at Camden Yards trip. While eating dinner at Dempsey’s Brew Pub and Restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland, Don was accosted by none other than the announcer for the Baltimore Orioles to participate in the restaurant’s trivia challenge. “In 1970, there were seven Baltimore Orioles players who made it to the All-Star team,” the announcer asked. “Name five of those players.” As Laura sat in the audience with her camera at the ready, she couldn’t help but feel anxious. Her husband’s favorite team was the Chicago White Sox. How much, she wondered, could he know about the Orioles? Turns out the question was easy for Don, who Laura describes as a walking plethora of knowledge about America’s great pastime. With ease, he rattled off five from the list of Mike Cuellar, Dave Johnson, Dave McNally, Jim Palmer, Boog Powell, Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson, a feat which earned him an autographed photo of one of the Orioles. To learn more about the Sports Travel and Tours Stadium Hall of Fame, call 800-662-4424.
Read MoreHeaded South for Sports Travel and Tours Texas Two Step High
For immediate release For more information, contact: Teresa Weybrew Director of Sales Sports Travel and Tours (800) 662-4424 Sportstravelandtours.com HATFIELD, MASS.—This baseball season, pack your bags for six days filled with games and attractions galore during Sports Travel and Tours’ Texas Two Step High program. With stops at the Space Center Houston, the National Ballpark Museum and 16th Street Mall in Denver, Colorado, there is truly something for everyone. The trip hosted by the travel firm in Hatfield, Massachusetts, begins Tuesday, May 31 with a trip reception in Denver, and on Wednesday, the trip truly kicks into high gear with a 75-minute tour of Coors Field featuring stops at the dugout, the visitor’s clubhouse, the press level and the Wells Fargo Club. Following the tour, travelers can take advantage of some retail therapy at the mile-long 16th Street Mall before moving onto the National Ballpark Museum. The museum prides itself on one-of-a-kind treasures, including those from all 30 major league teams. If you have a soft spot for the state, the museum also has plenty of memorabilia from the Denver Bears and the Colorado Rockies. Later, travelers will return to Coors Field to see the Rockies in person as they take on the Cincinnati Reds starting at 6:40 p.m. On Thursday, travelers will embark, by plane, to Houston, and, on Friday, it’s time for a tour of Minute Maid Park, which highlights the historic Union Station, the broadcasting booth, the press box, the luxury suite, the dugout and the bullpen. Moving on to the Space Center Houston, a marvelous museum of space artifacts and exhibits, travelers will go behind the scenes of America’s exciting space program, even touring NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The trip is rounded out with two more games: the Houston Astros versus the Oakland Athletics at Minute Maid Park Friday at 7:10 p.m., and the Texas Rangers versus the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Park in Arlington Saturday at 8:05 p.m. Learn more about the Texas Two Step High trip.
Read More