Tampa makes cigars but Tampa also produces baseball talent. The Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House, which opened on September 25, 2021, showcases 135 years of Tampa’s iconic baseball heritage, from the early leagues and Spring Training to the Tampa Bay Rays. Nearly 90 Major League Baseball players who grew up in Tampa and surrounding Hillsborough County are featured. For many, their journey to the Majors began in local sandlots and Little Leagues, continued through high schools abounding with baseball talent and took off on title-winning college teams.

The museum also features Tampa’s three Minor League teams, the Smokers, Tarpons, and Tampa Yankees, and the local baseball community is known for managers with winning records and coaches at every level who inspired players and influenced their game. Artifacts are showcased throughout. The biggest artifact of all — the childhood home of Al Lopez, Tampa’s first MLB player, manager and Hall of Fame inductee.