Kiwi fell in love with baseball when she was 10. She watched as two boys in her class traded baseball cards and got a peek at a card featuring Jose Conseco, an Oakland A’s outfielder. Kiwi’s brother was happy to point Jose out for her when an A’s game was on TV, and Kiwi’s been devoted to following the team ever since.
A resident of San Jose, California, Kiwi decided in 2008 that she wants to see all 30 of the major ballparks in the United States. She began the quest on her own, but then one day several years ago, a flyer for Sports Travel and Tours of Hatfield, Massachusetts, landed in her mailbox, and she’s been thrilled to have the firm plan her trips for her ever since.
Kiwi in the stands.
So far, Kiwi has seen 13 ballparks. This summer, she’ll venture out with Sports Travel and Tours on its Major/Minor: Heartland trip. Scheduled from June 8 to 14, the trip will feature seven games at seven different ballparks across Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.
Last October, Kiwi traveled with Sports Travel and Tours to see the Dallas Cowboys play a football game. Kiwi raves about the firm, and its director of sales, Teresa Weybrew.
“I think they’re awesome,” Kiwi says. “They save you a lot of headaches. Teresa is so helpful every time I ask questions about which airport I should leave from, the cities themselves and how to get from one place to another. I always take her advice. I wish I had known about this company a long time ago because I think I would have been done with all 30 stadiums.”
Kiwi was attracted to the Major/Minor: Heartland trip in particular because it will allow her to see the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field, the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. She has never been to any of the three parks and will be able to check them off her list.
Previously, Kiwi has traveled with friends; this time, she is traveling alone, but she knows that after the opening reception on the first day of the trip, she will be among friends.
“These trips offer a nice way to be with a big group and not by myself,” Kiwi says. “It’s a good way to make friends.”
In fact, after going on the football trip with Sports Travel and Tours last year, Kiwi remained in contact with four new friends, including a father-daughter pair. The two keep in touch with Kiwi and let her know about their various travel plans, and vice versa. Kiwi values these newfound relationships.
Kiwi also enjoys the “extras” that Sports Travel and Tours provides on their trips. For example, on the Major/Minor: Heartland trip, travelers will get to tour the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, the Phoenix Bat Company in Columbus, Ohio, and the Louisville Slugger Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. However, Kiwi doesn’t intend to go to all of these locations; she’ll end her trip in Cleveland, so she can visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and A Christmas Story House & Museum.
Kiwi is also signed up for Sports Travel and Tours’ Four Bagger trip, which is scheduled for July 1 to 5 and will feature four games at four ballparks: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field both in Chicago, Illinois.
Learn more about or register for Major/Minor: Heartland or Four Bagger.