Rental Car
Pick Up Your Rental
Pick upSt. Louis · Sep 18
Drop offChicago · Sep 23
Total miles800 mi
Getting There · Step 1
Stay Tonight · St. Louis, MO
Hotel
St. Louis Overnight
Check-inFri, Sep 18
Check-outSat, Sep 19
First pitch8:15 PM ET
Book near downtown or the ballpark so your first-game arrival stays simple.
DAY 1
Friday, September 18
First pitch at 8:15 PM ET — St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium tonight. Don't leave without St. Louis-Style Toasted Ravioli.
Stop 01 of 03
St. Louis, MO · Fri Sep 18
Busch Stadium
St. Louis Cardinals · MLB + Low-A
8:15 PM ET
vs. Washington Nationals
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, Sep 18
Check-outSat, Sep 19
First pitch tomorrow at 7:40 PM ET. Leave by 1:09 PM.
Tue Morning
When to Depart
Leave by1:09 PM
Drive to Kansas City291 mi · 5h
Game time7:40 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 5
Tuesday, September 22
First pitch at 7:40 PM ET — Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium tonight. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard Route 66 is worth 15 minutes off the highway.
Stop 02 of 03
Kansas City, MO · Tue Sep 22
Kauffman Stadium
Kansas City Royals · MLB + Low-A
7:40 PM ET
vs. Chicago White Sox
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-inTue, Sep 22
Check-outWed, Sep 23
First pitch tomorrow at 7:40 PM ET. Leave by 9:23 AM.
Wed Morning
When to Depart
Leave by9:23 AM
Drive to Chicago509 mi · 8.8h
Game time7:40 PM ET
Long drive — consider stopping overnight in Kansas City overnight.
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 · +10 min
Gemini Giant Wilmington
A 28-foot spaceman on Route 66 since 1965. The drive-in still serves burgers.
Wilmington, IL · 10 min detourKansas City → Chicago
509 mi · 8.8h · long haul
DAY 6
Wednesday, September 23
It's a 8.8h haul from Kansas City — plan to break this into two days or drive the night before. First pitch at 7:40 PM ET — Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field tonight. Gemini Giant Wilmington is worth 10 minutes off the highway.
Stop 03 of 03
Chicago, IL · Wed Sep 23
Wrigley Field
Chicago Cubs · MLB + Low-A
7:40 PM ET
vs. Miami Marlins
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
2 of your selected parks couldn't be scheduled in this window:
• Minnesota Twins — schedule didn't fit with your other stops
• Milwaukee Brewers — not home during your travel dates
Try a longer window or a different month to include these parks.
What to Budget
Estimates only — prices vary by availability
Tickets · 3 games (avg $46)$138
Hotels · 5 nights (avg $155)$775
Fuel · 800 mi at $0.18/mi$144
Ballpark food & drinks$150
Total Estimate$1,207
* 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 ...