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Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum
100 Main St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(513) 765-7000
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(513) 765-7000
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
3 reviews for Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum
I've been a baseball fan all my life, and even though my loyalty to the game is bound around the San Francisco Giants, I found the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum one of the most special and inspiring tributes to the game.
A small $10 fee gains admission for an entire year. That's a great deal!
Unfortunately for me I had all of 90 minutes to take in all of the rich history of Cincinnati's Reds. The names are so familiar ... Bench, Concepcion, Geronimo, Morgan, Rose, Seaver and so many more. Growing up as a young baseball fan I admired the organization known best as "The Big Red Machine" and this exhibit brings back great (and sometimes haunting) memories. These guys use to beat up on my Giants, and who could ever forget how they swept our cross-bay Oakland Athletics to capture the 1990 World Series.
The first floor gives a nice overview of the Reds organization through the years, but I found myself lost in time with all of the great exhibits on the third floor. What I love most is that Pete Rose is included in it all. I'm one of many fans who believes that Rose belongs in baseball's hall of fame and shouldn't be punished for his off-the-field mistakes, but politics will always rear its ugly head in sports, and I'm just happy there is a place where his on-the-field achievements are recognized.
If you're a baseball fan visiting the Cincinnati area the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum should not be missed. Inspired, I became a Reds fan for a day!
I'm not a huge Reds fan, I actually prefer the Cubs and Red Sox, but I went to the museum as a sports fan after enjoying the previous night's Reds game. The price is great and I enjoyed the interactive exhibits. The first floor is about the Reds history and the short film is fun to watch showing off the old stadium. Upstairs they have fun exhibits where you can find out how fast you pitch, announce some of the great Reds moments of all time and call balls and strikes as a catcher. The Hall of Fame section is very well done. I've become a bit of a bandwagon fan after going to 4 games and wandering through the museum.
The newest addition to the Great American Ballpark complex is the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame opened just two years ago in a building right next to the stadium, the Hall and the ballpark share the same address.
To be perfectly honest, I don't think I would ever take a trip downtown JUST to visit the Hall of Fame...it's just not that great. If, though, I'm actually at a Reds game, I don't mind paying an extra few dollars to stop in and wander around after the game is over.
The Hall of Fame features the entire history of the Reds in a 3-dimensional way. The first floor shows models of the previous stadiums the Reds have played in and gives stories about turn-of-the-century players.
The next floor takes the team into the more modern age; almost everything is dedicated to the Big Red Machine (and hey, why wouldn't it be?). There are quite a few interactive exhibits on this floor. I personally enjoyed the "call your own game" booth, where I was able to be the announcer for various historical moments in Red's history (I chose to grab the mic for Griffey's 500th HR).
Other interactive exhibits include a throwing cage where users can test the speed they can pitch (a whopping 32 MPH! I'll be pro before you know it) and a kids area where little ones can dress up in their favorite player's uniform and parade around a miniature locker room. Great for photo ops. There's also a lounge area where visitors can watch reels of historical high-lights of the Red's organization.
As you leave the museum you wind through a cool dedication to the players that have actually been inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame; each player's likeness is on a frosted glass panel with their stats and claims to fame. The end of the "Hall of Fame" dumps you directly into the Red's gift shop, so be prepared to buy souvenirs!