Visiting the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum

“Come on! It’s Babe Ruth’s Birthplace and Museum. It will be fun!” I said to my wife during a weekend trip to Baltimore. “Let’s do it! I’m game!” She responded, being a good sport. She had little interest in Babe Ruth and even less in baseball itself. 

I could not help but be excited. Like many kids I’d grown up playing Little League, I idolized certain ball players as a child.  Babe Ruth, well before my time, but I certainly knew him. 

George Herman “Babe” Ruth was born February 6, 1895, at 216 Emory Street in a Baltimore row house. The house is located a few blocks away from Camden Yards, where the Orioles play. “The Sultan of Swat,” as he would become known, grew up in Baltimore. He even signed his first professional baseball contract with the then-minor league Baltimore Orioles in 1914.

Visit the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum

Today, you can visit the home he was born in and a museum filled with an incredible array of artifacts. 

“If it wasn’t for baseball, I’d be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery. I have the same violent temper my father and older brother had. Both died of injuries from street fights in Baltimore, fights begun by flare-ups of their tempers.” – Babe Ruth

My wife and I arrived there in the middle of July on a sweltering late afternoon. It was hot, humid, and generally pretty uncomfortable. The Yankees were in town to play the Orioles, a fact I did not think of when we decided to check out the home where “The Bambino” was born.  Outside and inside, the house was crawling with Yankee fans.

We got in quickly, but it was crowded and even hotter. There was no air conditioning, and it was impossible not to touch people. The house was already small and cramped with exhibits. Add dozens and dozens of baseball fans, and you’ve got a recipe for being a bit claustrophobic. It took a second to get comfortable, but once we did, it was pretty awesome. Despite the exceedingly hot temperatures, the exhibits were very cool. 

Museum Exhibits

The bat he used during the 1927 season, the year he hit 60 home runs, was on display, as was a home run ball from 27. Several other home run balls, jerseys, and perhaps the coolest thing: a Babe Ruth rookie card. 

The card shows Ruth as a rookie pitcher in 1914 for the minor league Baltimore Orioles.  A sign explained there were only 10 of these cards known to exist. This one was on loan from a private collection and is worth millions of dollars. Other cool exhibits included one on Ruth’s “Called Shot” home run in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Another detailed him being in the “First 5” to be inducted into Cooperstown’s Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Upstairs, you can see the room Babe Ruth was born in and a couple of other historically accurate rooms of the home.  

We spent about 45 minutes at the home. We could have spent more time inside, but it got more crowded and hot the longer we stayed. Hot or not, it was worth a stop, and if you are in the Baltimore area, I encourage you to go check out the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum.