Rental Car
Pick Up Your Rental
Pick upKansas City · Aug 9
Drop offChicago · Aug 14
Total miles616 mi
Getting There · Step 1
Stay Tonight · Kansas City, MO
Hotel
Kansas City Overnight
Check-inSun, Aug 9
Check-outMon, Aug 10
First pitch2:10 PM ET
Book near downtown or the ballpark so your first-game arrival stays simple.
DAY 1
Sunday, August 9
First pitch at 2:10 PM ET — Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago Cubs at Kauffman Stadium today. Don't leave without KC Burnt Ends.
Stop 01 of 03
Kansas City, MO · Sun Aug 9
Kauffman Stadium
Kansas City Royals · MLB
2:10 PM ET
vs. Chicago Cubs
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, Aug 9
Check-outMon, Aug 10
First pitch tomorrow at 7:45 PM ET. Leave by 1:14 PM.
Mon Morning
When to Depart
Leave by1:14 PM
Drive to St. Louis291 mi · 5h
Game time7:45 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 2
Monday, August 10
Kansas City to St. Louis is 5h — a solid drive, so leave early and plan a stop along the way. First pitch at 7:45 PM ET — St. Louis Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium tonight. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard Route 66 is worth 15 minutes off the highway.
Stop 02 of 03
St. Louis, MO · Mon Aug 10
Busch Stadium
St. Louis Cardinals · MLB
7:45 PM ET
vs. Philadelphia Phillies
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
Stay Tonight · St. Louis, MO
St. Louis Overnight
Check-inMon, Aug 10
Check-outTue, Aug 11
First pitch tomorrow at 2:20 PM ET. Leave by 7:14 AM.
Fri Morning
When to Depart
Leave by7:14 AM
Drive to Chicago325 mi · 5.6h
Game time2:20 PM ET
Leave on time to allow for fuel, food, and parking.
Breakfast Stop · St. Louis, MO
Before You Hit the Road
Goody Goody Diner
St. Louis breakfast institution. Pancakes and biscuits-and-gravy have anchored pre-Cardinals mornings for decades. No-nonsense diner that has stayed exactly itself while the city changed around it.
Pancakes + bacon + coffee
Open 7 AM–2 PM daily
Worth the Detour · +10 min
Gemini Giant Wilmington
A 28-foot spaceman on Route 66 since 1965. The drive-in still serves burgers.
Wilmington, IL · 10 min detourSt. Louis → Chicago
325 mi · 5.6h · regional run
DAY 6
Friday, August 14
First pitch at 2:20 PM ET — Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field today. Gemini Giant Wilmington is worth 10 minutes off the highway.
Stop 03 of 03
Chicago, IL · Fri Aug 14
Wrigley Field
Chicago Cubs · MLB
2:20 PM ET
vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Must Eat at the Park
Chicago-Style Hot Dog
A Vienna beef hot dog on a poppy seed bun, dragged through the garden: yellow mustard, bright green relish, onions, tomato wedges, a pickle spear, sport peppers, and celery salt. No ketchup. Ever.
Local Beer
Old Style Lager
Served at Wrigley since 1950. The single most identified brand with Cubs baseball. The bleachers run on Old Style.
Pabst Brewing
The Friendly Confines and the Longest Drought in Sports
Pilgrim Notes · Chicago Baseball History
What to Budget
Estimates only — prices vary by availability
Tickets · 3 games (avg $46)$138
Hotels · 5 nights (avg $155)$775
Fuel · 616 mi at $0.18/mi$111
Ballpark food & drinks$150
Total Estimate$1,174
* 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 ...