Atmore native Lou Vickery is taking a trip.

Vickery, a former professional baseball player and current author, is traveling around the country, visiting places where he played ball. His trip begins next month.

“I head out to Texas and Arkansas first,” Vickery said in an email from the road.

The avid tennis player will also be participating in a tennis tournament in Little Rock, Ark. as well.

“Then in October, I take in five states on a three-week trip, including where I began my career in Wytheville, Va.,” he said.

Vickery said other stops include Ashville, N.C.; Bristol, Tenn.; Wytheville and Richmond, Va.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; Greenville, S.C.; and Atlanta, Ga.

Vickery said he just wants to see the changes over the past 50-60 yards, along with the great sights along the way.

“Next spring, the plan is to head west, where I spent a large portion of my career,” he said.

Vickery was once a New York Yankees teammate with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, according to Atmore Advance archives.

He never played a regular season Major League Baseball game, but was a member of the Yankees when they faced the newly named Houston Astros in the first baseball game ever played at the New Orleans Superdome, during spring training in 1965.

Vickery spent nine seasons playing professional baseball all over the country, from Billings, Mont., to Atlanta, back when it was the AAA affiliate of the Cardinals.

He was a pitching coach in the Cardinals organization for one year and coached football at Charles Henderson High School for a season before working at Merrill Lynch in New York City.

Vickery said he plans on providing a blog/newsletter called “Where’s Lou?” starting with his October travels.