Growing up, my dad and I always talked about how cool it would be to go see a game at every MLB stadium. He got cancer in 2006, and when he went into remission in 2007 I decided this was something we needed to try and do. Even though I had a newborn and a toddler at that time, the reality was setting in that my dad wasn't going to be around forever. So we took a day trip to Wrigley that summer for a Cubs/Reds afternoon game. Mark DeRosa went 5-for-5 for the Cubs, and some guy named Josh Hamilton made two outstanding plays in centerfield for the Reds.

Fast forward to 2018 ... we've added my brother-in-law and his dad as travel companions, we're now 18 stadiums in (plus Cooperstown) and these trips have evolved into more than just one-day jaunts. We really try to take some time to see the cities, eat at some cool places and appreciate what makes these areas unique. We've also been more strategic about hitting multiple games in the same region.

This year we'll be taking in Giants and A's games in September. We get to San Francisco early Friday morning and have the entire day to tool around before a night game in Oakland, then we'll have all morning and evening in San Francisco sandwiched around an afternoon Giants game before leaving early Sunday morning for home.

I was hoping to get a little advice on what to do in our downtime, and also some places to eat. Alcatraz is high on the list, and I was also thinking about the Muir Woods (we'll have a car). As for eating, I'd love to hear some suggestions for great places to sit with a Bay view and have a beer.

Any feedback would be great!

And as a side note, if you are thinking about doing something similar, I'd be happy to give you some feedback or answer questions on the stadiums we've visited.

Awesome thing you are doing!

I started the same quest some years ago, and after having kids (all boys), I've made it a point to see each ballpark with each of them. I buy a fitted hat at each park as a memento.

I've seen 25 of the 30. I lack the Twins, Mets, Braves, Marlins, and Rockies, though we'll see a game at the Mets in a couple of weeks. The last 4 will be trickier since they are a little more isolated. We did a big Midwest driving trip a couple of summers ago and saw games at KC, St. Louis, Chicago (both teams), and Milwaukee. I couldn't convince my wife to let us drive to MN as well. It was already a haul from San Antonio!

Other ideal trips: upper Midwest, start in Detroit, Toronto, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, and end in Cleveland.

Northeast: begin in DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, NY (both teams), and end in Boston.

Southern CA is a good trip. We've done that a couple of times and included Disneyland.

My 14-year old has seen 20 of the 30 ballparks, and he'll get to 22 this summer when we see the Mets and Baltimore.

My 11-year old has seen 15 of the 30 and my 4-year old has seen 7. It's a great way to see the country.

Enjoy your journey!

Garlic fries at AT&T.

Dress warmly. Especially for a night game.

Observe the ethnic differences between the two crowds. It's an interesting study.

Awesome! I am doing the same exact thing with my wife. I also buy a hat as a souvenir. I'm at 15 stadiums so far. Hoping to knock out a Nationals game this summer.

Definitely visit Muir Woods. Book your parking in advance. Requires a reservation where you have to show up in a 30 minute window. Print or screenshot the reservation before you go because cell service sucks up there. And do not show up even 1 minute late for your reservation. About a 40 minute drive to/from

If interested in Alcatraz, book now. It's sold out into parts of August. An alternative is to book an hour long bay cruise that will take you out under the Golden Gate and then a slow, close pass by Alcatraz.

We did a SF/Monterey visit recently and didn't have a ton of time for SF (one night). So we did a bay cruise and Muir Woods in the same afternoon (noon-ish bay cruise and Muir mid/late afternoon). You could spend hours at Muir if into hiking more, but an hour or so is also plenty of time to check it out.

Go to 21st Amendment just a couple of blocks from AT&T, their Watermelon Wheat is the bomb and the food is not bad either.

Go to Muir Woods early in the morning... I love the serenity of the woods

No matter how warm the weather is, once the sun goes down, it'll instantly be cold in the Giants stadium (AT&T Park)... so be aware! AT&T Park is right on the water... but it's pretty easy walk to lots of eateries for my age... not sure if it's easy walk for your dad. We didn't bother with parking near the stadium since we just walked straight from our hotel (took 10 minutes with a toddler in stroller).

3 other buddies and I have been doing this exact same thing for about 10 years now.

We did SF 5 years ago, and I agree: Muir Woods is awesome and must do.

I don't remember any of the restaurants we tried. We usually do one really nice meal out and then talk to locals to find out the hidden gems. I'll ask the guys and report back if they remember any of them.


We are going to Minnesota this year and appreciate suggestions if you've been.