Museum Members experience Cuba’s take on the National Pastime

After visiting 29 major league ballparks in the United States – including four or five which have since been knocked down – Museum Members Gene and Nancy Pugliese had thought they’d seen it all. That is, until they embarked to Cuba on the Sports Travel & Tours’ Cuba Baseball Experience.

“We are both supporters and members of the Hall of Fame,” said Gene, a retired New York City fireman. “We heard about the Experience from Memories & Dreams, since (Sports Travel & Tours) is the only travel agency affiliated with the Hall of Fame. When we travel to ballparks, we often visit art museums too, which was another reason to visit Cuba – we were able to see historical landmarks, art museums and more.”

Embarking with a group of 11 other travelers for an eight-day long trip, the Cuba Baseball Experience gave visitors a whole new perspective on the National Pastime. A sport that is deeply embedded in the fabric of the Caribbean island, baseball was represented in the Experience from the grassroots level to the professional.

“We sat down with the ‘Derek Jeter of Cuba,’ (Carlos Tabares) he had lunch with us,” said Nancy Pugliese. “We also met Ismael Sene, a Cuban intelligence officer turned baseball historian and TV commentator. He showed us his collection of baseball memorabilia and welcomed us into his home. Everyone was very eager to share their experience with us.”

But the Experience went beyond baseball, allowing the tour group to visit locations like Ernest Hemingway’s house and a tobacco factory where workers rolled cigars.

“I really enjoyed seeing all of Cuba – the architecture was fabulous, the old cars, the people were charming,” said Nancy Pugliese. “There wasn’t one thing I could say was my favorite – it was the whole experience.”

Due to certain government restrictions, the itinerary changed frequently during the trip. But owner and operator of Sports Travel & Tours Jay Smith says that the change in plans made the Experience all the more authentic, and contributed to the overall trip.

“The changing itinerary was another piece of the Cuban experience that showed the way Cuba operates,” Smith said. “Everything you do there has to go through one Cuban government travel agency. The day to day itinerary changed daily, because they’re just not set for the tourism world as it is. We threw them a curveball by adding the sports flair to it. So it was an ongoing daily itinerary that got changed numerous times. The end result was incredible. We thoroughly exceeded people’s expectations.”

But despite all of the changes in scheduling, the first-time Experience went smoothly, and will be offered again in November of 2017.