Entry No. 24 — the Tampa file — filed under: baseball history
Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House
Set inside the relocated 1905 childhood bungalow of Hall of Famer Al Lopez, this site focuses exclusively on Tampa's 135-year local baseball heritage. Exhibits chronicle local cigar-factory leagues, spring training archives, Negro League pioneers, and hometown MLB stars.
The story
Before Tampa was a Major League expansion city, baseball was hammered into existence by the local cigar industry. Immigrant rollers stepped out of humid factories directly onto neighborhood diamonds, forging local competitive leagues long before corporate spring training arrived in Florida. At 2003 N 19th Street sits the relocated 1905 wooden bungalow where Al Lopez—Tampa’s first Major League Baseball player and eventual Hall of Fame manager—spent his childhood. Saved from demolition and moved down Ybor City's streets, the structure is a living remnant of that era.
The site holds a rare distinction: it is one of only four museums in the entire United States set inside a former baseball player's actual home. Rather than acting strictly as a monument to Lopez, the bungalow houses a deeply localized archive spanning 135 years. Within its wood-framed rooms, you'll uncover the history of Ybor's cigar-factory teams, the Negro League pioneers who played across segregated Florida, early spring training stays, and the neighborhood kids who eventually made it to the big leagues.
What it's like
You step off the street into what feels like a modest residential home rather than a grand institutional museum. Navigating the exhibits means walking room-to-room through tight domestic quarters filled with vintage leather mitts, historic cigar-league uniforms, and archival photos. The atmosphere is quiet and unhurried. Hours can vary, so confirm opening times before visiting, and consider arriving via the free TECO Line Streetcar before heading down to 7th Avenue for guava pastries after your walk through.
The move: Take the TECO Line Streetcar into Ybor City to examine vintage leather mitts and cigar-league uniforms, then grab authentic guava pastries nearby.
- 📍 Ybor City, Tampa
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 2003 N 19th St, Tampa, FL 33605
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- The Cuban Club (El Círculo Cubano de Ybor) — Located just four blocks away, this historic 1917 social club represents the exact immigrant cigar-worker culture that birthed Tampa's earliest baseball leagues.
- Madame Fortune Dessert + HiFi Parlour — Follow up a stroll through Ybor's sports history by slipping into this hidden speakeasy tucked behind a neighborhood deli for vinyl records and craft drinks.
- Dysfunctional Grace Art Co. — Trade vintage sports memorabilia for macabre oddities, taxidermy, and caskets in this upper-floor Ybor showroom on 7th Avenue.
Good to know
What makes the building itself historically significant?
It is the relocated 1905 childhood home of Al Lopez, Tampa's first Major League player, making it one of just four museums in the nation located inside a player's former residence.
What history is covered inside the museum?
The exhibits detail over 135 years of Tampa baseball, focusing on local cigar-factory leagues, Negro League pioneers, spring training history, and hometown MLB players.
Who owns and operates the Tampa Baseball Museum?
The museum is owned and operated by the Ybor City Museum Society.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia
last checked: 2026-07-21