The Museum | Baseball Hall of Fame

Seeing the meticulously manicured field of a major league ballpark while attending your first game with your family; playing catch as a teenager while talking “life” with dad; the generational debates about the all-time greats – Mantle vs. Griffey or Seaver vs. Maddux.

It’s everyone who has made the pilgrimage to Cooperstown to honor the All-Time Greats who are enshrined in the Hall of Fame. It’s the relationships forged, stories shared, cherished memories created – the Game connects us all. That’s baseball – and that’s what the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is all about. Once inside the Museum, your cherished memories and moments will come flooding back – whether you are 10 years old or 70 years old, a casual fan or a fanatic. It’s not only about your team or your baseball hero, or even the awe-inspiring sight of the cathedral-esque marble and bronze of the Plaque Gallery. It’s about the way the Game connects us all. It is about you. It’s about reliving the feelings that make the Game so dear to you.

The Museum preserves history, honors excellence and connects generations. Beyond the iconic Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery are exhibits that tell the story of baseball’s impact on our lives, and our country. The Museum exhibits draw from a collection of 40,000 lovingly preserved artifacts and more than 3 million library items to bring your stories to life.

There is plenty for the hard-core fan to absorb: plaques, stats, equipment donned by the game’s greatest players, as well as important figures that many have now forgotten. There are uniforms worn on ancient fields and pieces of ballparks long faded from communities across the country.

But guests need not be die-hard fans to appreciate and discover the cultural impact of baseball, a tale told over and over again in exhibit after exhibit. Families have enjoyed this exceptional collection since 1939, learning, reminiscing and making memories of their own along the way. This transformation of sight, sound and touch takes place close to 300,000 times a year for each visitor who walks through the hallowed halls of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Great moments from history come alive when you step into the Museum, creating a thick sense of nostalgia that is driven by your own memories. Baseball is more than a game. It’s America’s story. And for so many, it’s a part of their own story.

We recommend guests start on the second floor, where exhibits cover baseball's history from its humble beginnings to today. The "Taking the Field" exhibit transports observers back in time and explains how a bat, ball and bases became our National Pastime. "Whole New Ballgame" collects artifacts from the most recent decades, complete with pop culture staples. Babe Ruth's life and legend live here, as do the "Diamond Dreams" of the many women who have left their mark on the game.

"Ideals and Injustices" takes guests on a chronological journey through the tribulations and triumphs of Blacks in baseball, while "¡Viva Baseball!" documents the rise of the game in Caribbean nations and the influence Latin players have on the sport today.

The Museum is as eclectic as the Game itself, including exhibits highlighting art and photography that you'll find on the first floor. On the Museum’s third floor, “Chasing the Dream” honors Hank Aaron’s legacy, while “Sacred Ground” examines the evolution of ballparks. Fans can also celebrate baseball’s most revered records in “One for the Books” and cherish memories of past champions in “Autumn Glory.” Download a floor plan and overview with our Museum Guide.

Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball.

Jacques Barzun, French-born sociologist

You will connect here, not only with the game, but with the friends and family who traveled to Cooperstown with you. You will rediscover your history here – the relationships forged, stories shared, and cherished memories created. They all come to life in Cooperstown.

The artifacts you’ll see within the Museum are forever preserved and cared for inside our walls. But the fascination, revelation and nostalgia are yours to keep. Ultimately, you will find – like countless others before you – that the Museum will keep you coming back again and again to relive your personal history. There is no offseason at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum – we welcome diehards and enthusiasts, the casual and curious, all year round. So plan a trip that will make lasting memories and unlock discovery again and again.

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