Rental Car
Pick Up Your Rental
Pick upPhoenix · May 5
Drop offHouston · May 11
Total miles1374 mi
Getting There · Step 1
Stay Tonight · Phoenix, AZ
Hotel
Phoenix Overnight
Check-inTue, May 5
Check-outWed, May 6
First pitch9:40 PM ET
Book near downtown or the ballpark so your first-game arrival stays simple.
DAY 1
Tuesday, May 5
First pitch at 9:40 PM ET — Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Pittsburgh Pirates at Chase Field tonight. Don't leave without Sonoran Hot Dog.
Stop 01 of 03
Phoenix, AZ · Tue May 5
Chase Field
Arizona Diamondbacks · MLB
6 Games This Series
Tue May 59:40 PM ET
No PromoWed May 69:40 PM ET
No PromoThu May 73:40 PM ET
No PromoFri May 89:40 PM ET
No PromoSat May 97:15 PM ET
Star Wars Night: Gabriel Moreno Mandalorian BobbleheadSun May 104:10 PM ET
Mother's Day: Diamondbacks Pink Jersey Replica (Moms)Must Eat at the Park
Sonoran Hot Dog
A bacon-wrapped hot dog topped with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, jalapeño sauce, mustard, and mayo on a bolillo roll.
Local Beer
Four Peaks Kilt Lifter
Tempe-based craft brewery. The Kilt Lifter Scottish-style ale is the Arizona craft standard.
Four Peaks Brewing
The 2001 World Series and the Greatest Game Ever Played
Pilgrim Notes · Phoenix Baseball History
More Games This Series
May 6 · Wed
9:40 PM ET · Pittsburgh Pirates
May 7 · Thu
3:40 PM ET · Pittsburgh Pirates
Stay Tonight · Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix Overnight
Check-inTue, May 5
Check-outWed, May 6
First pitch tomorrow at 8:05 PM ET. Leave by Previous evening — overnight drive recommended.
Fri Morning
When to Depart
Leave byPrevious evening — overnight drive recommended
Drive to Arlington1085 mi · 18.7h
Game time8:05 PM ET
Long drive — consider stopping overnight in Phoenix overnight.
Breakfast Stop · Phoenix, AZ
Before You Hit the Road
Matt's Big Breakfast
The definitive Phoenix breakfast. Tiny corner diner open since 2004. Cage-free eggs, house-ground sausage, thick-cut bacon. The Griddle Cake plate is legendary. Line forms before it opens.
Griddle cakes + house sausage
Open 6:30 AM–2:30 PM daily
Worth the Detour · +15 min
Terry Allen's Juarez Sculpture
Two bronze trees intertwined in a courtyard outside the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock. The taller is a cottonwood. The shorter is a huisache. They represent the Texas borderlands. More moving than it sounds.
Lubbock, TX · 15 min detourPhoenix → Arlington
1085 mi · 18.7h · long haul
DAY 4
Friday, May 8
First pitch at 8:05 PM ET — Texas Rangers vs. Chicago Cubs at Globe Life Field tonight — Jack Leiter 'City Connect' Bobblehead tonight. Terry Allen's Juarez Sculpture is worth 15 minutes off the highway.
Stop 02 of 03
Arlington, TX · Fri May 8
Globe Life Field
Texas Rangers · MLB
6 Games This Series
Fri May 88:05 PM ET
Jack Leiter 'City Connect' BobbleheadSat May 97:05 PM ET
No PromoSun May 102:35 PM ET
No PromoMon May 118:05 PM ET
Rangers Captain 'Tractor' BobbleheadTue May 128:05 PM ET
No PromoWed May 138:05 PM ET
No PromoMust Eat at the Park
Lockhart Smokehouse Brisket
Authentic Central Texas BBQ style brisket. Properly smoked, not steam-table. The jalapeño sausage is exceptional.
Local Beer
Shiner Bock
Czech-Texan amber lager brewed in Shiner, Texas since 1909. Cold, amber, distinctly Texan.
Spoetzl Brewery
Texas Baseball and the Ballpark in Arlington
Pilgrim Notes · Arlington Baseball History
More Games This Series
May 9 · Sat
7:05 PM ET · Chicago Cubs
May 10 · Sun
2:35 PM ET · Chicago Cubs
Stay Tonight · Arlington, TX
Arlington Overnight
Check-inFri, May 8
Check-outSat, May 9
First pitch tomorrow at 8:10 PM ET. Leave by 1:41 PM.
Mon Morning
When to Depart
Leave by1:41 PM
Drive to Houston289 mi · 5h
Game time8:10 PM ET
Leave on time to allow for fuel, food, and parking.
Breakfast Stop · Arlington, TX
Before You Hit the Road
Normas Cafe Dallas
Dallas institution since 1956. Multiple DFW locations. Chicken-fried steak at breakfast is a Texas sacrament. Scratch biscuits, real gravy, pies under glass domes. Pre-Rangers game fuel done right.
Chicken-fried steak + eggs + scratch biscuit
Open 6 AM daily
Worth the Detour · +25 min
Waco Mammoth National Monument
24 mammoths who died together in a Texas flash flood 67,000 years ago. Still in place.
Waco, TX · 25 min detourArlington → Houston
289 mi · 5h · regional run
DAY 7
Monday, May 11
First pitch at 8:10 PM ET — Houston Astros vs. Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park tonight. Waco Mammoth National Monument is worth 25 minutes off the highway.
Stop 03 of 03
Houston, TX · Mon May 11
Minute Maid Park
Houston Astros · MLB
6 Games This Series
Mon May 48:10 PM ET
No PromoTue May 58:10 PM ET
No PromoWed May 62:10 PM ET
No PromoMon May 118:10 PM ET
No PromoTue May 128:10 PM ET
No PromoWed May 138:10 PM ET
No PromoMust Eat at the Park
Texas Smoke Brisket Sandwich
Central Texas-style brisket sliced thick and served on white bread with pickles, onions, and sauce on the side.
Local Beer
Karbach Love Street
Houston's most popular craft blonde ale. Easy drinking for a retractable roof afternoon.
Karbach Brewing
The Astros and the Comeback City
Pilgrim Notes · Houston Baseball History
More Games This Series
May 5 · Tue
8:10 PM ET · Los Angeles Dodgers
May 6 · Wed
2:10 PM ET · Los Angeles Dodgers
What to Budget
Estimates only — prices vary by availability
Tickets · 18 games (avg $46)$828
Hotels · 6 nights (avg $155)$930
Fuel · 1374 mi at $0.18/mi$247
Ballpark food & drinks$900
Total Estimate$2,905
* Estimates only. Prices vary.
How This Trip Was Planned
Our Algorithm
We evaluate many stop orders (up to seven parks: every permutation; larger trips: smart samples plus nearest-neighbor paths from home) and keep the version that preserves the most ballparks on your list with the least driving between games, inside an expanded or standard date ...