One of Birmingham’s newest museums is one of my favorites. The Southern Negro League Museum celebrates the history of the great players and games of the Negro Southern League and the championship Birmingham Black Barons. It also has a section on the industrial leagues from which minor league baseball emerged.

Visit Recommendations

You can fully appreciate the museum exhibits in under an hour to an hour and a half if you read a lot of the historical information (which is my speed). The staff is engaging and passionate about the museum content.

My favorite part is the Satchel Paige exhibit. A holographic Satchel delivers the pitch that you choose (he had fun names for his pitches) and you see how fast his pitches came across the plate.

Don’t go too quickly past the industrial league baseball exhibit at the end. I don’t know of any other exhibit like this.

Enhance Your Visit

• Visit the NSLM website history section and watch the video about the museum.
• If you have plenty of time before your visit and love reading, here are some favorites from my bookshelf:
  • Southern League: A True Story of Baseball, Civil Rights, and the Deep South’s Most Compelling Pennant Race by Larry Colton. It is a captivating look at the history of the Southern League and provides insight into the broader social issues and dynamics surrounding the league. Books on Amazon: Kindle Paperback Hardcover Audiobook
  • Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend by Larry Tye. This is a very well-written biography of one of the greatest pitchers in professional baseball. The museum has a great feature on Satchel, giving visitors the opportunity to stand at the plate and experience Satchel’s fast pitches, which all had colorful names. Kindle Paperback Hardcover Audiobook
  • Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend by James S. Hirsch and Willie Mays. I listened to this book, narrated by the Say Hey Kid himself. Like Satchel Paige, Willie Mays is from Alabama. Willie Mays is arguably the greatest all-around professional baseball player ever. This biography is full of interesting stories and anecdotes providing insight to number 24 as a person, a player, and the teams he played with. Kindle Paperback Hardcover Audiobook
  • There are books I haven’t read about Jackie Robinson and the other legends. Also see the book on Rickwood Field on that webpage.
  • There are also great movies like 42 (story of Jackie Robinson, parts were filmed at Rickwood Field), The Jackie Robinson Story (featuring Jackie), Soul of the Game (1996), and documentaries that you can search.

Pair With

• After visiting the museum, take a walk beside Regions Field and look through the gate at the new home for the Barons. If it is baseball season, be sure to catch a game!
• Hungry? Around the front of Regions Field and down the block is my favorite game day restaurant, Tortugas Homemade Pizza, surrounded by Chicago and Birmingham athletic memorabilia.
• After spending time at the museum, go to Rickwood Field, the home of the legends featured in the museum. Here is my visit guide to Rickwood.

Know Before You Go

• Visit the NSLM website for hours and other information.
• There is no parking lot but usually some street spots nearby.
• Admission is free but donations are appreciated.