Photos by Marc Viquez, Stadium Journey
The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum is just across the street from Busch Stadium and is part of the Ballpark Village. The museum is an impressive collection of team history dating back to the team’s origins and showcases the many players, home stadiums, and World Series championships won by the club.
The museum boasts one of the largest team-specific collections of artifacts and memorabilia in the world. Seven galleries take you on a chronological journey through the history of the Cardinals; visitors learn about the birth of the franchise, relive special memories, view game-worn jerseys, and interact with great exhibits.
The floorplan is set up in seven different areas highlighting the team's former homes of Sportsman Park and Busch Stadium II, along with its current venue, Look of the Cardinals, Championship Gallery, Cardinals Nation, and the Hall of Fame. There is also a rotation exhibit at the museum.
The Look of the Cardinals illustrates how those two birds got onto the bats and game-worn jerseys are displayed that show the evolution of the famous insignia that has been on every home jersey, except 1956, every year since 1922. The look was inspired by table decorations created by Allie May Schmidt for dinner engagement by the Cardinals Vice President and General Manager Branch Rickey.
The championship gallery features all 11 World Series trophies, rings, and paraphernalia in a beautiful circular-shaped room. There is a collection of great material from the different championship eras from pins, game day programs, press pins, clothing, and photographs.
The museum also dedicates an area to the memory of the St. Louis Browns who played from 1903-1953 and in 1944 played the Cards in the all-St. Louis World Series. All of the galleries offer interactive areas, detailed information, and plenty of nostalgia for fans of the teams.
Visitors are also able to pose for pictures holding game-used bats by former players, call a game in the broadcast booth, and put on an actual World Series championship ring. Even if you are not a Cardinals fan, it would be hard not to be impressed with the massive collection and detail of history.
St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame & Museum
700 Clark St., St. Louis, Missouri 62102
http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/cardinals-nation/hof.jsp
Open Monday-Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM