We didn’t settle on our summer vacation destination until June 17, when we booked a set of 5 round-trip flights from Chicago to Burlington, Vermont. We’d kicked around taking the summer off from travel which turned out to be easier said than done. After a couple of enjoyable stops in Tennessee and Indiana on our way back from our Georgia spring break trip, I’d wanted to return there, but it seemed like too hot of a destination for the middle of summer. I’d also outlined a plan to visit Detroit and Toronto, but it seemed pretty city-heavy relative to preferences from Amanda and the kids and it would have been a ton of driving.
Flying out of Chicago was much cheaper than Des Moines, but a 10:45 a.m. departure meant we needed to stay near the airport the night before. After some coordination with Grandma and Grandpa Mac, we decided to meet in Beloit, Wisconsin, for a minor league baseball game on our route to O’Hare. We visited Beloit in 2014, but it was their old ballpark and the team had a different nickname. Seeing the Beloit Sky Carp play at ABC Supply Stadium felt like a brand-new experience.
En route, we stopped at Pullman in Iowa City, which delivered a solid lunch. (Emmie was up for a photo by their fun entryway mural.
We arrived about an hour before the game, providing plenty of time to peruse the stadium grounds. Some combination of Amanda, Grandpa, Noah, Emmie, and me, walked the concourse a dozen or more times. While we only saw bits and pieces of the game, everyone was in their seats for the 9th inning, which featured a come-from-behind walk-off victory for the Sky Carp. We even saw a player steal home to tie the game!
Between Grandpa, Amanda, Noah, Emmie, and me, we likely made it around the stadium’s concourse at least a dozen times.
Eilidh kept a rotation of adults sitting in the shade during the warmest parts of the game.
Grandpa kept Eilidh company as she finished her soft pretzel.
The mascot’s name was Poopsie.
The fireworks show surpassed our expectations, and we had a happy ride in the van to our Chicago hotel.
