Iowa Father-Daughter Dream Team Visits Every MLB Stadium

An Iowa father-daughter duo is about to complete a huge milestone that any baseball fan would only dream of doing.

Sioux City, Iowa residents Mark and Leah Caputo have spent the last seven years traveling to every Major League Baseball stadium in the country. This summer, their "major league" journey comes to an end with trips to Toronto and New York.

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Dakota News Now (with permission)

According to a report with our friends at Dakota News Now, Mark and Leah Caputo started this adventure after Leah graduated college. She approached her father Mark with the idea just as he was nearing retirement. He was speechless! Mark wanted to spend as much time with his daughter as they could. Baseball games were a perfect way to do that!

The Iowa natives not only enjoy the games, but also discovering new cities and touring new stadiums:

“There’s a nice little book that we created to commemorate all of our stadiums, and in there, it lists out what we have. The five are: the neighborhood, is it indicative of the city that we’re in? The fanbase; does the stadium really fit in with the city, I think a great example is St. Louis, you can see the St. Louis Arch right from that stadium. Unique qualities: is there something unique and special about it? And then primarily for my benefit, the beer selection.”

So what's next after Toronto and New York? Mark and Leah say they will visit the iconic Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Eventually, they will travel to Las Vegas to see the new home of the A's in 2028!

You can read more about Mark and Leah Caputo's baseball travels here.

Iowa Born Sports Stars

What do each of these stellar athletes have in common? They all hail from the Hawkeye State.

Gallery Credit: Johnny Marks

Dives Worth a Drive in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota

Almost every small South Dakota town has a watering hole. It’s where the locals go to kick back a few brews and engage in conversation.

Some of these establishments are located in buildings almost as old as the town itself. There might be a fresh coat of paint on the walls or new vinyl on the booth seats, but the ambiance is still reminiscent of a good ol’ dive.

If you think a "dive" is all about the sketchy clientele, the smell of the Devil’s lettuce, and stale Grain Belt, you’d be wrong. Not every dive has a bad reputation.

What makes a dive, a dive?

A dive has character. Neon beer signs and local memorabilia adorn the walls.

You might find a pool table, dart board, and a few video lottery machines.

The bartender knows the regulars by name and they know what you drink.

Some dives don't even serve food except for bags of chips and pickled eggs that sit in a jar of brine on the bar.

Dives aren't fancy. You might see 70's-style wood panels on the walls and wobbly tables leveled with a folded napkin.

Finally, the bathrooms. The bathrooms in dives are in a class by themselves and could be a whole topic on its own.

There are several small-town dives in our area with friendly faces, cheap booze with a burn, and even really good food! We use the term "dive" in the most affectionate way.

Here are some of the best and why you should go there.

Gallery Credit: Karla Brown

Source: Iowa Father-Daughter Dream Team Visits Every MLB Stadium