Rickwood Field

Rickwood Field was built in 1910 by industrialist Rick Woodward, who wanted a first-class park for his Birmingham Barons and modeled it on the best ballparks of the day. That early construction, and the care taken to preserve it, is why Rickwood outlasted nearly every other park of its era to become the oldest professional ballpark still standing in the country.

The Barons played here for generations, and the park saw the passage of the entire modern history of the game. Its steel-and-concrete grandstand, its outfield walls, and its hand-turned scoreboard survive as a rare, tangible link to the way baseball looked and felt more than a century ago.

Rickwood is not only the home of the white Barons. During the long era of segregation, it was also the home field of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, one of the great teams of Black baseball. On its diamond played legends of the segregated game, and a teenage Willie Mays got his start here with the Black Barons before going on to a Hall of Fame career.

This dual history gives Rickwood a special place in the American story. In recent years Major League Baseball has honored that legacy, staging a tribute game at the ballpark to celebrate the Negro Leagues and the players, like Mays, who passed through Birmingham. The park stands as a monument to both the achievements and the injustices of that era of the game.

When the Barons finally moved to a modern stadium, Rickwood might have been lost, but a preservation effort kept it standing and restored its period character. The grandstand, dugouts, outfield signage, and scoreboard were maintained and returned to their historic look, so that visitors step into a park that feels frozen in an earlier time.

That authentic vintage feel has made Rickwood a favorite of filmmakers, standing in for old ballparks in movies such as the 1994 Ty Cobb biopic. It now hosts an annual classic game and other events that bring the old field back to life, letting fans experience baseball as it once was played.

For baseball fans, a visit to Rickwood is a pilgrimage, a chance to stand where more than a century of the game unfolded and where its segregated chapters played out. Tours and events let visitors walk the concourse, sit in the old grandstand, and take in the field.

The park's location in Birmingham ties it to the broader history of the city, from its industrial roots to its central role in the civil rights movement. A stop at Rickwood pairs naturally with the city's other landmarks for anyone tracing the intertwined stories of sport, race, and place in Alabama.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

Rickwood Field, in Birmingham, Alabama, is the oldest surviving professional baseball park in the United States, a beautifully preserved historic ballpark and a cherished monument to the history of the game. Opened in the early twentieth century, Rickwood was long the home of the Birmingham Barons and the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, where legends of the game played, including the great Willie Mays. Lovingly maintained to reflect its historic character, the ballpark hosts special games and events and offers a moving glimpse into baseball's past, including the era of the Negro Leagues. With its deep history, Rickwood Field offers a fascinating destination in Alabama.

Rickwood Field is historically important as the oldest surviving professional baseball park in the country, and for its central place in baseball history, especially the history of the Negro Leagues. It was the home of the Birmingham Black Barons, where legendary players including a young Willie Mays played during the era when Black athletes were barred from the segregated major leagues. Rickwood thus preserves both the story of the game and the powerful history of the Negro Leagues and segregation-era baseball. This rich heritage makes Rickwood Field a meaningful destination in Birmingham, Alabama.

Yes, visitors can experience Rickwood Field, which is preserved as a historic ballpark and hosts special events, vintage and commemorative games, and, at times, opportunities to see the grounds, though it is not a daily-operating stadium, so access varies. Because visiting hours, events, and any tours run on a schedule that changes, checking the current schedule before you go is important. Special games that honor its Negro Leagues heritage are especially moving. Planning around the schedule ensures a rewarding visit to historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

Rickwood Field was home to the Birmingham Barons and, in the era of segregated baseball, the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, and many baseball greats played on its grounds. Most famously, a young Willie Mays, one of the greatest players in the history of the game, played for the Black Barons at Rickwood before his legendary major-league career. The ballpark's connection to these players and to the Negro Leagues gives it deep historical resonance. This storied roster of players makes Rickwood Field a treasured piece of baseball history in Birmingham, Alabama.

Rickwood Field is in Birmingham, within reach of downtown Birmingham with the McWane Science Center and the Civil Rights District, Sloss Furnaces, Vulcan Park and its overlook, and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. That makes Rickwood Field a fascinating stop to combine with the Civil Rights District, the McWane Science Center, and the other attractions of Birmingham on a visit to Alabama.