Rental Car
Pick Up Your Rental
Pick upKansas City · Jul 22
Drop offChicago · Jul 31
Total miles618 mi
Getting There · Step 1
Stay Tonight · Kansas City, MO
Hotel
Kansas City Overnight
Check-inWed, Jul 22
Check-outThu, Jul 23
First pitch2:10 PM ET
Book near downtown or the ballpark so your first-game arrival stays simple.
DAY 1
Wednesday, July 22
First pitch at 2:10 PM ET — Kansas City Royals vs. San Francisco Giants at Kauffman Stadium today. Don't leave without KC Burnt Ends.
Stop 01 of 04
Kansas City, MO · Wed Jul 22
Kauffman Stadium
Kansas City Royals · MLB
2:10 PM ET
vs. San Francisco Giants
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-inWed, Jul 22
Check-outThu, Jul 23
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 3
Friday, July 24
Kansas City to St. Louis is 5h — a solid drive, so leave early and plan a stop along the way. First pitch at 8:15 PM ET — St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium tonight. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard Route 66 is worth 15 minutes off the highway.
Stop 02 of 04
St. Louis, MO · Fri Jul 24
Busch Stadium
St. Louis Cardinals · MLB
8:15 PM ET
vs. Cincinnati Reds
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-inFri, Jul 24
Check-outSat, Jul 25
First pitch tomorrow at 7:10 PM ET. Leave by 12:05 PM.
Sat Morning
When to Depart
Leave by12:05 PM
Drive to Chicago324 mi · 5.6h
Game time7:10 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 · +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
324 mi · 5.6h · regional run
DAY 4
Saturday, July 25
St. Louis to Chicago is 5.6h — a solid drive, so leave early and plan a stop along the way. First pitch at 7:10 PM ET — Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros at Guaranteed Rate Field tonight — City Connect Warmup Jacket tonight. Gemini Giant Wilmington is worth 10 minutes off the highway.
Stop 03 of 04
Chicago, IL · Sat Jul 25
Guaranteed Rate Field
Chicago White Sox · MLB
7:10 PM ET
vs. Houston Astros
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-inSat, Jul 25
Check-outSun, Jul 26
First pitch tomorrow at 2:20 PM ET. Leave by 12:47 PM.
Fri Morning
When to Depart
Leave by12:47 PM
Drive to Chicago3 mi · 0.1h
Game time2:20 PM ET
Leave on time to allow for fuel, food, and parking.
Breakfast Stop · Chicago, IL
Before You Hit the Road
Ann Sather
Boystown since 1945. The cinnamon rolls are mythological — the size of your head, fresh every morning. Swedish-American diner that has defined Wrigleyville breakfast culture for 80 years.
Giant cinnamon roll + eggs
Open 7 AM 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 detourChicago → Chicago
3 mi · 0.1h · easy leg
DAY 10
Friday, July 31
First pitch at 2:20 PM ET — Chicago Cubs vs. New York Yankees at Wrigley Field today. Gemini Giant Wilmington is worth 10 minutes off the highway.
Stop 04 of 04
Chicago, IL · Fri Jul 31
Wrigley Field
Chicago Cubs · MLB
2:20 PM ET
vs. New York Yankees
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
Shift 2 days to catch City Connect Warmup Jacket at Rate Field.
• City Connect Warmup Jacket at Rate Field
• Oversized Big Bobby Witt Jr. Powder Blue Bobblehead at Kauffman Stadium
• Cardinals Bobblehead (TBD) at Busch Stadium
• Oversized Big Bobby Witt Jr. Home Whites Bobblehead at Kauffman Stadium
What to Budget
Estimates only — prices vary by availability
Tickets · 4 games (avg $46)$184
Hotels · 9 nights (avg $155)$1,395
Fuel · 618 mi at $0.18/mi$111
Ballpark food & drinks$200
Total Estimate$1,890
* 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 ...