How can you visit all 30 baseball stadiums in a season?

Baseball stadiums have gone through some major changes over the years. The original stadiums, like most buildings of the day, were beautifully designed and for the most part, functional. Sure, there were obstructed view seats here and there and not every section had convenient access to restrooms, but they were cathedrals, monuments to the country's beloved pastime. As attendance and revenues increased over the years, many of the original stadiums were razed in favor of larger, less intimate stadiums designed by architects who, some might argue, knew more about building codes than batting averages.

It made sense for ballparks to become larger, but the design choices of the 1960s and 1970s didn't retain the classic look and feel of what makes baseball parks unique. The oddly shaped, charming ballparks of days gone by were replaced by circular behemoths with limited architectural value that did little to honor the game. Old favorites like Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field and Fenway Park remained, but many others were lost over the years.

In 1992, the Baltimore Orioles made a change that would reverberate through Major League Baseball, when they opened Oriole Park at Camden Yards. This was the first of what would become a trend in new stadium design and construction, and a major shift in how professional baseball was marketed. Starting with Camden Yards, new ballparks became a destination for fans, eager to see modern amenities coupled with a classic look. Retro was suddenly in fashion in MLB and the design mistakes of the past were destined to be corrected, city-by-city.

Because of the new throwback ballparks, attendance increased dramatically and a new summertime activity caught fire -- the baseball road trip. Fans of the game were inspired to travel to as many of the new stadiums as possible and drink in the atmosphere that the new digs provided. Road tripping to cities, mainly along the East Coast, became a rite of passage for the most diehard fans. But this kind of fanaticism comes at a price. In 2009, the average cost of a MLB ticket was $26.74 [source: food and lodging.

Now imagine trying to go see one game in all 30 ballparks in a single season, the ultimate baseball road trip. Can it be done? Yes. Fear not, baseball fan -- we'll give you some tips and tricks on the next page.

So, you want to visit all 30 MLB ballparks in a single season? You better have some time, money and serious organizational skills. Let's assume that you'll want to undertake this challenge with a partner. Here's some advice -- choose wisely. If you're going to marathon through 30 cities with a friend or loved one, it's going to take you at least 40 days or so. Sixty days is more realistic, allowing you to avoid a breakneck pace that could lead to burnout. So pick someone who has an equally undying passion for the game and who you generally get along well with in close quarters for extended periods of time.

Now that you have your partner lined up, you'll want to start plotting your course. It's best to start this process as soon as the schedules are released in the offseason. Planning the logistics of this kind of trip is difficult. You'll want to avoid backtracking to make it as efficient and inexpensive as possible. That means carefully plotting out a geographical map that aligns with the baseball schedule. Obviously, showing up in Philadelphia when they don't arrive home from a road trip for several days only adds to the time and expense incurred. You'll want to arrive on game day or the day before at the earliest, with a day of travel built in for each city.

Luckily, there are a couple of Web sites that can help you during the planning process. ESPN's "Baseball Road Trip Planner" site and baseball-roadtrip.com both offer helpful tools to assist you in your quest. The ESPN site allows you to browse scrollable schedules by city or by league. Baseball-roadtrip.com will even plot your course for you if you input your dates and starting points.

If you've managed to establish your timeline and plan your route, the only thing left to do is to get to each stadium and buy a ticket. This means making the trip financially viable. Here are some tips: