National Ballpark Museum

Does it surprise you to learn that Denver is home to the National Ballpark Museum, which is recognized by the Smithsonian as “one of the top 21 finest private baseball collections in the world”? This small, quirky museum is located about a block from Coors Field, at 1940 Blake Street, and is worth a visit, particularly if you are interested in the historic, old time ballparks.

The National Ballpark Museum, a non-profit organization, was founded by Bruce Hellerstein, who wanted to share his vast collection of jerseys, pictures, seats from vintage stadiums, tickets, and programs from the opening and closing days of ballparks. The original goal was to concentrate on ballpark memorabilia.

Remember the days when someone sat way up high behind the scoreboard at a baseball game and changed the numbers by hand when a run was scored? Do you recall how the old turnstiles worked? This museum is packed with fascinating memorabilia, including bricks from the old, classic stadiums, usher uniforms, baseball hats, bats and gloves.

The National Ballpark Museum is more about ballparks than ball players. For baseball history enthusiasts, it’s a perfect place to visit before enjoying a Rockies game.