On the minor league side, there are ample opportunities for day trips to watch some of the Reds’ best prospects working their way toward the majors. The Louisville Bats, in fact, have several guys on their roster who either started the year with the Reds or who’ve been called up and sent back down for various reasons. Just up the freeway in Dayton, the Reds’ single-A affiliate showcases some of the team’s younger prospects — more recent draft picks who might be a little further away from the majors but are still among the organization’s most intriguing talents. And if the cultural panache of downtown Milwaukee is calling your name, there’s also a perfect weekend to cash in those hotel points and cram about 10 brats during a conveniently scheduled Brewers-Cubs road trip.
Dayton Dragons (Reds Single-A affiliate)
When: Home games: June 1-4, 13-15, 22-25 and 30; July 1-3, 7-10, 19-24; Aug. 2-8, 14-17, 22-24 and 30-31
Where: Fifth Third Field, 220 N. Patterson Blvd., Dayton
Drive Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
The Dayton Dragons’ stadium, Fifth Third Field, is located just a few blocks from Dayton’s Oregon District, where you’ll find bars, restaurants and live music before and after games. The team boasts the longest sellout streak in the history of North American professional sports — it broke the Portland Trail Blazers’ record in 2011 and is still going strong. The Dragons began this season at 1,177 consecutive sold-out games. (Remember to call ahead for tickets!)
Inside the 7,230-seat stadium, the Dragons are dedicated to entertaining families and even the most screen-obsessed children. There’s a brand-new hospitality area called the Dragon’s Lair — a picnic area beyond the outfield fence where large groups can congregate. The team has five mascots, performs on-field singalongs and keeps things lively on its $1 million video board between innings.
Tom Nichols, the Dragons’ director of media relations, says the organization is hugely committed to family entertainment.
“The whole idea is to create a Disney-style environment that is fun for everyone,” he says, “whether you’re a baseball fan or not.”
The baseball isn’t half-bad, either. As of this writing, the Dragons had 32 wins on the year, among the most out of more than 100 minor league teams in the country. The organization counts among its alumni current Reds Joey Votto, Zack Cozart, Homer Bailey and Devin Mesoraco.
Something to see: Outfielder Taylor Trammell entered the season ranked as the Reds’ No. 4 prospect. The 19-year-old was also a high school football star who scored 36 touchdowns his senior year.
Louisville Bats (Reds Triple-A affiliate)
When: Home games: June 14 and 9-11 and 19-25; July 4-9 and 17-23; Aug. 1-6, 15-20 and 28-31
Where: Louisville Slugger Field, 401 E. Main St., Louisville, Ky.
Drive Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
It’s easy to make a day out of a Louisville Bats game. The team’s stadium, Louisville Slugger Field, is just a block from the city’s huge riverfront lawn park and near the NULU entertainment district, home to galleries, specialty stores and fancy restaurants. The 25-story Galt House hotel has a rooftop garden and terrace with views of downtown and the river. If you’re up for a short drive — or longer walk — you can hit up the Louisville Slugger Museum for a factory tour and even hold game-used bats by legends like Mickey Mantle and Johnny Bench. The museum also has a LEGO exhibition titled Big Leagues Little Bricks on view the rest of 2017 featuring sculptures, portraits and stadium replicas built out of LEGO bricks.
The Bats’ in-stadium offerings, like the Dragons’, are extremely family-friendly. There are two playgrounds, a merry-go-round and lawn seats available. The team is known for bringing in circus acts that typically run the NBA halftime circuit. Ballpark Digest actually named Louisville Slugger Field the top Triple-A park in America last year.
“There’s not really a bad seat in the place,” says Greg Galiette, the team’s senior vice president. “And the best thing about our product is it’s only $10 for a field reserve ticket — the cheapest Triple-A tickets in the country.”
Adults in attendance will appreciate the vast selection of food options — the park staple is fried bologna — along with Angel’s Envy Distillery and Against the Grain microbrewery. And the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience is right down the way on Main Street.
Something to see: On June 3, the Bats will host Muhammad Ali Night on the anniversary of the Louisville native and iconic boxer and civil rights icon’s death. Players will wear special Ali jerseys and hats, which will be auctioned off to benefit the Muhammad Ali Center.
Milwaukee Brewers/Chicago Cubs
When: Reds @ Milwaukee: Aug. 11-13; Reds @ Chicago: Aug. 14-17
Where: Miller Park, 1 Brewers Way, Milwaukee; Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison, Chicago
Drive Time: 6 hours; 4 hours 45 minutes
Every baseball fan should visit Wrigley Field during his or her lifetime, and why not do double duty by hitting up Milwaukee’s Miller Park on the same trip? The Reds’ late-summer schedule offers the perfect chance to cross two of MLB’s best stadiums off your list”
Miller Park has a retractable roof and a giant yellow slide the team’s beer-maker mascot tumbles down after home runs. The iconic Wrigley Field, with its ivy-covered outfield fence and seating atop buildings on the other side of Waveland Avenue, is more than a century old. Until last season it was the home of the “Lovable Losers,” America’s nickname for the team that hadn’t won a World Series title since 1908. It seemed inevitable that the Cubs would never win it again, especially in 2003 when they were five outs away from winning it all only to have a poor guy named Steve Bartman interfere with a catchable foul ball, extending an opponents’ at-bat and basically being blamed, forever, for the team losing the game and series. Unfortunately, the Cubs did in fact win last year’s World Series and now everyone expects their horrible fans to become even worse. Chicago is a fantastic city to visit.
Something to see: Bernie Brewer’s home run slide; Cubs fans drinking during the day.