Rental Car
Pick Up Your Rental
Pick upHouston · Sep 3
Drop offSt. Louis · Sep 11
Total miles1154 mi
Getting There · Step 1
Stay Tonight · Houston, TX
Hotel
Houston Overnight
Check-inThu, Sep 3
Check-outFri, Sep 4
First pitch2:10 PM ET
Book near downtown or the ballpark so your first-game arrival stays simple.
DAY 1
Thursday, September 3
First pitch at 2:10 PM ET — Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox at Minute Maid Park today. Don't leave without Texas Smoke Brisket Sandwich.
Stop 01 of 04
Houston, TX · Thu Sep 3
Minute Maid Park
Houston Astros · MLB
2:10 PM ET
vs. Chicago White Sox
Must 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
Stay Tonight · Houston, TX
Houston Overnight
Check-inThu, Sep 3
Check-outFri, Sep 4
First pitch tomorrow at 8:05 PM ET. Leave by 1:36 PM.
Fri Morning
When to Depart
Leave by1:36 PM
Drive to Arlington289 mi · 5h
Game time8:05 PM ET
Leave on time to allow for fuel, food, and parking.
Breakfast Stop · Houston, TX
Before You Hit the Road
Breakfast Klub
Midtown Houston since 2001. The wings-and-waffle combination redefined Houston breakfast culture. Line goes around the block on weekends. Worth every minute. One of the great American breakfast institutions.
Wings and waffles + fresh-squeezed OJ
Open 7 AM–2 PM Mon–Fri, 8 AM weekends
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 detourHouston → Arlington
289 mi · 5h · regional run
DAY 2
Friday, September 4
Houston to Arlington is 5h — a solid drive, so leave early and plan a stop along the way. First pitch at 8:05 PM ET — Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays at Globe Life Field tonight — Rangers Retro Windbreaker Jacket tonight. Waco Mammoth National Monument is worth 25 minutes off the highway.
Stop 02 of 04
Arlington, TX · Fri Sep 4
Globe Life Field
Texas Rangers · MLB
8:05 PM ET
vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Must 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
Stay Tonight · Arlington, TX
Arlington Overnight
Check-inFri, Sep 4
Check-outSat, Sep 5
First pitch tomorrow at 7:20 PM ET. Leave by 7:56 AM.
Sun Morning
When to Depart
Leave by7:56 AM
Drive to Kansas City574 mi · 9.9h
Game time7:20 PM ET
Long drive — consider stopping overnight in Arlington overnight.
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 · +20 min
Worlds of Fun Deanna Rose Farmstead
A working farm with longhorns and draft horses in a Kansas City suburb.
Overland Park, KS · 20 min detourArlington → Kansas City
574 mi · 9.9h · long haul
DAY 4
Sunday, September 6
It's a 9.9h haul from Arlington — plan to break this into two days or drive the night before. First pitch at 7:20 PM ET — Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium tonight. Worlds of Fun Deanna Rose Farmstead is worth 20 minutes off the highway.
Stop 03 of 04
Kansas City, MO · Sun Sep 6
Kauffman Stadium
Kansas City Royals · MLB
7:20 PM ET
vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Must Eat at the Park
KC Burnt Ends
Kansas City-style burnt ends — the crispy, caramelized points of a smoked brisket. The defining food of KC BBQ.
Local Beer
Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat
Kansas City's defining craft brewery. The Unfiltered Wheat is a KC staple at the K.
Boulevard Brewing
George Brett and the Pine Tar Game
Pilgrim Notes · Kansas City Baseball History
Stay Tonight · Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Overnight
Check-inSun, Sep 6
Check-outMon, Sep 7
First pitch tomorrow at 8:15 PM ET. Leave by 1:44 PM.
Fri Morning
When to Depart
Leave by1:44 PM
Drive to St. Louis291 mi · 5h
Game time8:15 PM ET
Leave on time to allow for fuel, food, and parking.
Breakfast Stop · Kansas City, MO
Before You Hit the Road
Town Topic Hamburgers
Midnight diner on Broadway since 1937. Open 24 hours. The burger is the point but the breakfast menu has fueled Kansas City's night owls and early risers for 85 years. Order at the counter.
Eggs + hash + coffee
Open 24 hours
Worth the Detour · +15 min
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard Route 66
The Route 66 frozen custard stand held upside-down to prove its thickness since 1941.
St. Louis, MO · 15 min detourKansas City → St. Louis
291 mi · 5h · regional run
DAY 9
Friday, September 11
First pitch at 8:15 PM ET — St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago White Sox at Busch Stadium tonight. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard Route 66 is worth 15 minutes off the highway.
Stop 04 of 04
St. Louis, MO · Fri Sep 11
Busch Stadium
St. Louis Cardinals · MLB
8:15 PM ET
vs. Chicago White Sox
Must Eat at the Park
St. Louis-Style Toasted Ravioli
Pasta filled with meat, breaded and deep-fried, served with marinara dipping sauce — a St. Louis original.
Local Beer
Busch Beer
The stadium is literally named for this beer. Historically appropriate in every way.
Anheuser-Busch
Musial, Gibson, and the Cardinal Way
Pilgrim Notes · St. Louis Baseball History
What to Budget
Estimates only — prices vary by availability
Tickets · 4 games (avg $46)$184
Hotels · 8 nights (avg $155)$1,240
Fuel · 1154 mi at $0.18/mi$208
Ballpark food & drinks$200
Total Estimate$1,832
* 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 ...