Rental Car
Pick Up Your Rental
Pick upChicago · Aug 7
Drop offKansas City · Aug 9
Total miles615 mi
Getting There · Step 1
Stay Tonight · Chicago, IL
Hotel
Chicago Overnight
Check-inFri, Aug 7
Check-outSat, Aug 8
First pitch7:40 PM ET
Book near downtown or the ballpark so your first-game arrival stays simple.
DAY 1
Friday, August 7
First pitch at 7:40 PM ET — Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field tonight. Don't leave without Maxwell Street Polish Sausage.
Stop 01 of 03
Chicago, IL · Fri Aug 7
Guaranteed Rate Field
Chicago White Sox · MLB
7:40 PM ET
vs. Cleveland Guardians
Must Eat at the Park
Maxwell Street Polish Sausage
Jim's Original Maxwell Street Polish — a grilled Polish sausage with mustard and grilled onions on a bun.
Local Beer
Revolution Anti-Hero IPA
Chicago's largest independent craft brewery also serves the South Side.
Revolution Brewing
The Friendly Confines and the Longest Drought in Sports
Pilgrim Notes · Chicago Baseball History
Stay Tonight · Chicago, IL
Chicago Overnight
Check-inFri, Aug 7
Check-outSat, Aug 8
First pitch tomorrow at 7:15 PM ET. Leave by 12:10 PM.
Sat Morning
When to Depart
Leave by12:10 PM
Drive to St. Louis324 mi · 5.6h
Game time7:15 PM ET
Leave on time to allow for fuel, food, and parking.
Breakfast Stop · Chicago, IL
Before You Hit the Road
Lou Mitchell's
Jackson Blvd since 1923. A Chicago institution older than most Wrigley Field renovations. Double-yolk eggs, homemade marmalade, complimentary Milk Duds while you wait. Cubs and Sox fans both claim it.
Double-yolk omelette + fresh OJ
Open 5:30 AM–3 PM Mon–Sat
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 detourChicago → St. Louis
324 mi · 5.6h · regional run
DAY 2
Saturday, August 8
Chicago to St. Louis is 5.6h — a solid drive, so leave early and plan a stop along the way. First pitch at 7:15 PM ET — St. Louis Cardinals vs. Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium tonight — Fireworks Saturday tonight. Gemini Giant Wilmington is worth 10 minutes off the highway.
Stop 02 of 03
St. Louis, MO · Sat Aug 8
Busch Stadium
St. Louis Cardinals · MLB
7:15 PM ET
vs. Colorado Rockies
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-inSat, Aug 8
Check-outSun, Aug 9
First pitch tomorrow at 2:10 PM ET. Leave by 7:39 AM.
Sun Morning
When to Depart
Leave by7:39 AM
Drive to Kansas City291 mi · 5h
Game time2:10 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 · +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 detourSt. Louis → Kansas City
291 mi · 5h · regional run
DAY 3
Sunday, August 9
St. Louis to Kansas City is 5h — a solid drive, so leave early and plan a stop along the way. First pitch at 2:10 PM ET — Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago Cubs at Kauffman Stadium today. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard Route 66 is worth 15 minutes off the highway.
Stop 03 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
What to Budget
Estimates only — prices vary by availability
Tickets · 3 games (avg $46)$138
Hotels · 2 nights (avg $155)$310
Fuel · 615 mi at $0.18/mi$111
Ballpark food & drinks$150
Total Estimate$709
* 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 ...