The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (10 page)

Two other missions worth creating a trip around are the following:

 
La Purisima Mission, Lompoc.
Now a California park, about 60 miles from Santa Barbara, this site offers a chance to see what mission life was like 200-plus years ago. The park offers living history programs with costumed interpreters throughout the year, so you can watch weaving, potmaking, candlemaking, blacksmithing, and leatherwork—all tasks the original settlers performed.
The building fell into ruins but was resurrected, first by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934 and then as a state park. In addition, there’s a 5-acre garden with native and domestic plants typical for the time period, and a corral with burros, horses, longhorn cattle, and goats.
Chain lodging can be found in the area, while
Angela’s Restaurant
(115 S. J St., 805-737-0184) has tasty Mexican dishes—20 combo plates at $8.49 apiece.
La Purisima Mission State Historic Park, 2295 Purisima Rd., Lompoc, 805-733-3713,
www.lapurisimamission.org
, $6 per car.

 
San Antonio de Padua, Fort Hunter-Liggett.
One of the most remote missions, this site is on a military post, Fort Hunter-Liggett, about 100 miles north of Lompoc. The third mission built—they weren’t constructed in a neat geographic order south to north—it’s said that San Antonio’s the only one Father Serra might recognize today. Located in a valley filled with oak trees, it’s owned by the Diocese of Monterey and is home to a tiny working parish.
The museum ($5 donation) displays settlement artifacts, including a grape-stomping vat, wine cellar, and scale models. And a music room offers an audio tour with period music. Since it’s located on a military base, drivers and all passengers older than 18 must show identification and proof of insurance. Fill your tank before coming, as nonmilitary visitors can purchase only five gallons of gas on the post.
Despite its location on Army property, civilians can stay in the historic
Hacienda Guest Lodge
(831-386-2511,
www.liggett.army.mil/sites/newcomers/lodging/lodging.asp
), which was designed by famed architect Julia Morgan and constructed as a hunting lodge for William Randolph Hearst. Rooms from $45.
San Antonio de Padua, P.O. Box 803, End of Mission Rd., Jolon, 831-385-4478,
www.missionsanantonio.net
.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

For more information about the California Missions, visit
www.thecaliforniamissions.com
.

take in a minor league game

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA

I like my players to be married and in debt.

That’s the way you motivate them.

—
ERNIE BANKS, FORMER MINOR LEAGUE COACH

11 |
A handful of stars hit the headlines as soon as they hit the diamond. But most baseball players are more like Kevin Costner’s
Bull Durham
character than New York superstar Alex Rodriguez. (And even A-Rod did a short stint in the minors with the Seattle Mariners’ affiliate before moving to The Show.)

Minor leaguers are the true Boys of Summer, underdogs playing for dreams and love of the all-American pastime. (They also play for money. In his first contract season, a minor leaguer could earn a maximum of $1,100 per month in 2010, with $25 per day for meals while on the road.) On opening day, nearly 7,000 players may be listed on minor league rosters; historically, about 10 percent of minor leaguers will play at least one major league game.

A quick minor league primer: Minor League Baseball is composed of 251 clubs in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. The league’s highest level is Triple-A, where you’re most likely to see the DiMaggios of the future. Down the rankings are Double-A, Class A Advanced, Class A, Class A Short Season, and Rookie. In total, the clubs will play more than 10,000 games each season.

But minor league ball isn’t all about stats and standings—which is why more than 41 million fans catch a game each year. The parks are friendly and the ambience local—even if the rivalry is still intense. After all, some of these teams have been playing each other for a century; Minor League Baseball will celebrate its 110th season in 2011.

Comparatively speaking, a day at a minor league park is a bargain. About a hundred of the minor league teams offer free entry; the rest charge on average $7 per adult. For about $54, a family of four can take in a game—and that includes parking, four hot dogs, two sodas, two beers, and a program. With teams scattered across the continent, chances are good you can drive a short way and catch a game for an afternoon. Check on the Internet at
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com
for information and schedules.

But why not go the whole
Bull Durham
route? The minor league action in Durham, North Carolina, will thrill you, while the city will charm you. The
Triple-A Durham Bulls
(919-687-6500,
www.durhambulls.com
) no longer play in the stadium where the 1988 film was set—they moved to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in 1995, at 409 Blackwell Street—but you will still feel the same level of excitement. Tickets start at $7; the price varies with view and date of play.

Durham retains its tobacco town origins. Former brick warehouses have been transformed into lofts, boutiques, and craft breweries. Duke University, the school that tobacco built, boasts the stunning stone
Duke Chapel
(1 Chapel Dr., 919-681-9488,
www.chapel.duke.edu
), which offers periodic carillon and organ concerts, and the
Sarah P. Duke Gardens
(420 Anderson St., 919-684-3698,
www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens
), where you can stroll among the flowers and watch students sun on the lawn. The university’s
Nasher Museum of Art
(2001 Campus Dr., 919-684-5135,
http://nasher.duke.edu/
) houses special exhibitions as well as a permanent collection of Renaissance, classical, and African art.

MINOR LEAGUE MILESTONES

 
1901
: Minor League Baseball first formed as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues; 14 leagues and 96 clubs played the first season in 1902.

 
1921
: Agreement signed to allow major league teams to own minor league teams.

 
1933
: Joe DiMaggio plays his first pro season for San Francisco (Pacific Coast League).

 
1946
: Jackie Robinson debuts with the Montreal Royals (International League).

 
1954
: Joe Bauman becomes the greatest home-run hitter in pro-baseball history, hitting 72 for Roswell (NM) in the Longhorn League, a record that stood until Barry Bonds hit 73 for San Francisco in 2001.