Every St. Louisan remembers their first Cardinals game. If you’re lucky enough to have grown up in Cardinals Nation, then certain staples—Fredbird, iconic red hats, the stadium’s electric energy—are woven into the fabric of that St. Louis childhood.
Baseball is generational, Amy Berra, museum manager and curator says. To honor those memories and that legacy, the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum debuted a new exhibit, Growing Up Cardinal, on Sunday, March 23. “The exhibit will explore the childhood baseball experiences of Cardinals fans across the three St. Louis Cardinals’ stadiums,” according to the press release.
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Through February 2026, families can visit the museum, located on the second floor of Cardinals Nation at Ballpark Village, to explore such artifacts as baseball cards, toys, books, and promotional materials. Other features of the exhibit include displays about team branding and player endorsements, stories of mascots and bat boys, and the beginnings of the Knothole Gang. Visitors will also have the opportunity to share personal Cardinals stadium memories on a community wall, and an interactive vintage game brings history to life. “Children are future fans,” Berra says. “All ages, boys and girls both, can love baseball. It started with tobacco cards in cigarette packages and now there are so many ways kids and their parents and grandparents can share this passion and pastime.”
Drawings from members of the Redbird Rookies can be seen throughout the exhibit, and Berra and her team hand-constructed decorations to give the 700-square-foot space a kid-friendly feel. From examining the tradition of fan certificates and memorabilia to Fredbird’s evolution since his hatching on April 6, 1979, Berra says this exhibit and the museum as a whole celebrates one of her favorite parts of the game–that despite a jersey update or a rule change, from grandparent to grandchild, the “base of baseball, both the game and the fandom” remains the same.
“Generations of fans have cheered on the Cardinals from Sportsman’s Park to Busch Memorial Stadium to today’s Busch Stadium,” Berra said in the press release. “We are proud to unveil this one-of-a-kind special exhibit that celebrates the memories, traditions, and timeless joy of growing up a Cardinals fan through the eyes of young fans across the decades.”
Entrance to the exhibit, open daily from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and through the seventh inning during home night games, is included with admission. Purchase museum tickets online at cardinals.com/museum.
