canadian baseball hall of fame & museum

As a baseball historian and a major collector of sports memorabilia I was one of the original people proposing a Baseball Hall of Fame in Canada in the 1970s ... It took until 1983 to officially open up with floating displays in various locations around Toronto before it settled in this tremendous middle-sized historical rural town in Western Ontario, about halfway between Toronto and Windsor / Detroit ... If you are a ' true ' baseball fan you will most definitely want to take the jog up from Highway 401 to visit this smallish but very appealing little museum which will be a highlight of your trip / holiday ... There are plans to eventually open a much larger facility as there are, as per most museums, only about 25 % of items out in these various displays so even greater treasures will be shown at that time.

This spot looks small (a few rooms in a nice older house) but is crammed with fascinating baseball tidbits everywhere you look. Babe Ruth's bat, Cito Gaston's World Series rings, a ball signed by the Robinson-era Montreal Royals, the home plate from the Jays' World Series win, signed stuff from Votto, Lawrie and every other Canadian star you can think of, Women's League information--it's a blast! The curator was terrific--full of stories and insights that made the visit even better. Highly recommended for serious baseball fans.

This little museum is fantastic. Although they are limited for space due to the size of the building they have packed an amazing amount of baseball memorabilia into this museum. You really need to be prepared to spend a couple of hours going through it in order to grasp the value of this place. The amount of work that has gone into gathering and caring for the exhibits is obvious and anyone who can complain about this facility does not appreciate baseball.

Despite what might be your first impression of the CBHOF building, I sincerely urge anyone who is any kind of a baseball fan to look past the modest outward appearance and actually step inside to experience some of the best baseball memorabilia accumulated under one roof. Zack, the proprietor, was very knowledgeable and personable, answering any questions we had. There was an admission fee, I believe it was around $7 per adult. Once he explained that what we were seeing is only about a third of what he's amassed over the years, and that the displays can change over periods of time, I plan to make a repeat visit the next time I'm in Ontario. We saw such a vast display of all things baseball, Canadian and American players who've played on Canadian soil, from World Series rings & home plates, to old pitching machines to signed jerseys, balls and bats from Canada's two franchise teams, Expos and Blue Jays. The historical plaques commemorating so many of baseballs' greats, from Babe Ruth to Fergie Jenkins, Joe Carter to Gary Carter, Jackie Robinson (who actually began his baseball career in Canada) to Larry Walker, and so much more. Sitting on 32 acres, multiple baseball diamonds are currently under construction in anticipation of future tournaments to be played there. There are autographed balls, bats, etc for sale, along with caps and other miscellaneous souvenirs. We were actually there just a couple of weeks too early to see Devon White and Dwayne Ward guest appearances as part of this years HOF inductees to be honored. Would have loved to be there for that!Right now (June/14), I can see parking likely being an issue, especially if tournaments are held; however, that may be addressed as construction nears an end, I don't know. All in all, totally worth the time and the trip there. Zack is to be commended for a great trip through history and for his commitment to honoring baseball in Canada!!Be sure to sign the visitors log!!

First let me say we were not able to get in being Thanksgiving morning and we were driving through St. Marys to get home...to Chatham. But if first impressions are anything, this building strikes out. If you get into it from the highway, fine, but via the town, it is in a residential area, and on a dead end street to boot. The day we were there, there appeared to be ball diamonds under construction (good), but the museum itself is housed in an old frame two story house that just has no character. For Canada's shrine to baseball, we were not impressed. And i am even more sorry Chatham, Ontario gave up the chance to have the opportunity for this museum. I am sure we would have more visitors, especially from the states. But, good Luck, St. Marys!

We made the trip there and there was nothing of interest. You have to be a die hard serious baseball fan to benefit from this one. One good thing is the museum is wheelchair accessible. There are baseball diamonds and walking trails on this 32 acre site. Cameras are allowed. St Mary's is home to Canada's largest outdoor swimming quarry and with so many beautiful stone house the city itself is worth the visit.

I'd say this was a 5-Star attraction.Who would have thought from the outside (it does look like big house) that inside is such interesting and informative baseball history (both Canadian and American)I was truly 'blown away' by the massive collection of memorabilia, the photos, the displays, the old/antique pitching machine ... everything!IT certainly wasn't on my "list to see", but we passed through St. Mary's (on the way to Stratford) andI thought why miss the opportunity to see a Baseball Hall of Fame? (Plus, I like Baseball. I used to always watch baseball games with my father because he loved it, and I got to be a baseball fan long ago)I sure am glad that I went to The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. My did (if he were still alive) would have loved it! I would reccomend this as a place to add to your "must see list". If you are ever in the Stratford area take a short ride to St. Mary's to see it. There is no entrance fee, but there is a donation box where you can leave a donation to help with the displays etc. I recommend visitors donate and keep this great Museum open.

This is quite unlike Cooperstown, which feels like a shrine. It's a homely, rather cluttered house that offers a perspective on baseball that is absent from the much larger hall of fame in upstate New York, namely the Canadian view. It focuses on Canadians in the game, most notably Fergie Jenkins, as well as non-Canadians who played in Canada at some point, such as Jackie Robinson. For baseball fans this is a must-see attraction.

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame is located in St. Mary's, approx 15 minutes from Stratford.  You get there to find a cute little house.  The memorabilia was crammed to the ceiling in this four room house.  The lady at the front desk said that they had stuff in the basement and stuff upstairs but couldn't show it because they didn't have any more room.  A new 10,000 sq/ft building is in the works and will hopefully be built in the next couple of years.  It took us approx 1 hour to look through all of the stuff.  There are 3 baseball diamonds and 32 acres worth of trails which you can walk on.  Definitely worth the short drive to St. Mary's.

For a true fan this is an amazing little location - they have alot of cool pieces including George Bell's MVP Ring from 1987 and Fergie Jenkins' Cy Young award. Everything from a vintage pitching machine to Babe Ruth's jersey

It's obviously no Cooperstown, but it is a nice look into Canadian baseball.If you're ever in the area, I suggest you check it out!

Unfortanitley there isn't enough room for them to show all of their artifacts. What the do have out is truly amazing. You can also buy some of the lesser memrobilia. I think the should make a second so everything can be on displey. ThanksLucas, 13

then the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame is a good way to spend a couple of hours. It certainly doesn't compare to it's US counterpoint in Cooperstown, or to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, but for the true baseball aficionado this is well worth a visit.

I have never visited the Baseball hall of Fame but people interested should know that this is not in Stratford but in St Marys which is about 20 km SW.

Not at all what I expected.As a baseball fan it was somewhat interesting, but not really worth the time or effort. I had more fun watching a youth game at the park located near the museum.