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Kentucky: Head for the park


Legends Park, courtesy Kentucky Dept. of Travel

There’s no better way to spend a warm summer evening in Kentucky than by taking in a baseball game. The state’s minor league teams play in beautiful, intimate stadiums, giving visitors an up-close encounter with rising sports stars.

Consider a home game with one of these teams as a chance to make America’s pastime an evening activity for your tour group.

Louisville Bats — This AAA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds plays at the beautiful Louisville Slugger Field, a brick stadium built in classical ballpark style that has become one of the most acclaimed minor league parks in the nation. The entrance is incorporated into a former brick train shed on Main Street, the outfield features a grass berm where spectators can sit, and the Ohio River is visible over the outfield walls.

Lexington Legends — Evenings out at Legends games have become a favorite summertime activity for Lexington residents. Groups can reserve a space on the right-field party deck or enjoy dinner before the game in the on-site restaurant at charming Whitaker Bank Ballpark, which is beginning its second decade.

Bowling Green Hot Rods — The two-year-old Hot Rods, a Class A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, are the newest minor league baseball team in Kentucky. Several group packages are available at Bowling Green Ballpark, among them buffet dinners in a picnic area in left field or on a party deck above the first-base-side concourse.

More on Kentucky:

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Paducah named best of the best
Where sports win, place and show!
Head for the park
WEB EXCLUSIVE! Kentucky Hot Brown Recipe

Brian Jewell

Brian Jewell is the executive editor of The Group Travel Leader. In more than a decade of travel journalism he has visited 48 states and 25 foreign countries.