This page has been optimized for printing through your browser.

International Bowling Museum &
St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum

DESCRIPTION: This is actually two museums in one building -- with one admission price.

Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame:
This three-level museum, described as "The Cooperstown of Bowling," documents the history of bowling -- from caveman to modern league play and pays homage to the greatof the sport. Today 100 million people enjoy bowling in more than 90 countries worldwide.

The Cardinals Hall of Fame:
The wing of the building is dedicated to the history of baseball in St. Louis, including the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Browns and the St. Louis Stars of the Negro Baseball League.

SLOGAN: 5,000 Years of Bowling and the Cardinals, too.

ADDRESS: 111 Stadium Plaza Drive (at Walnut and 7th Streets)

LOCATION: Downtown St. Louis

PHONE: 314-231-6340

WEB SITE: www.bowlingmuseum.com

METROLINK: Take MetroLink Light Rail to the Busch Stadium exit and walk half a block to the Museum.

HOURS: 11 a.m.-4 p.m., daily, October-March; Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day

SUMMER HOURS: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., seven days a week. Open until 6:30 p.m. on Cardinal home game evenings. Last admissions are sold 30 minutes before closing.

ADMISSION: Museums: $7.50, adults; children, $6. Stadium tours: $7.50, adults; $6, children. Museum/Stadium tour: $12, adults; $10, children. Group rates available for 20 or more. Call 1-800-966-BOWL

ANNUAL ATTENDANCE: 50,000

HIGHLIGHTS:

The Cardinals Hall of Fame:

• The 1962 Corvette the Cardinal baseball franchise gave to Mark McGwire when he hit his record-breaking home run.
• A remarkable collection of St. Louis Cardinals' World Series trophies, rings and ephemera, and awards, uniforms and other items owned by Stan Musial.
• A reconstructed 1950s child's bedroom complete with posters, baseball cards and other baseball items. The "boy" himself is dressed in a baseball-theme robe.
• A "Mark McGwire bench" made from bats he has used and baseballs he has hit.

Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame:

• "Tenpin Alley," a walk through 5,000 years of bowling history, including a replica of a bowling game found in the tomb of an Egyptian boy carbon dated to 3200 B.C.
• The Halls of Fame of the professional bowling organizations including ABC, BPAA, PBA, , PWBA, WIBC and World Bowling Writers.
• A 1950's era living room with a television on which the visitor can watch "TV Goes Bowling," the story of how bowling became a TV sport.
• Old time bowling lanes that require pinsetters to hand-set the pins.
• A collection of children's bowling games.
• A collections of German beer steins with bowling themes.

ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS: Kids will love the chance to play bumper bowling and to see a car made out of a giant bowling pin.

HISTORY: The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame opened in June 1984. St. Louis was selected as the site because of its role in the development of bowling in the U. S. and because it donated the land for the museum. The building owes its unique triangular shape to the fact that it had to be designed to fit on the pie-shaped piece of land it occupies.

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBILITY: Fully handicapped accessible

GIFT SHOP: The museum's gift shop offers a variety of bowling and baseball related items.

WHAT'S NEARBY: All of the downtown attractions including the Gateway Arch, the Old Courthouse, the Old Cathedral and the Laclede's Landing entertainment district.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: 314-231-6340

Readers should call 1-800-916-0040 to request a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitor Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis at www.explorestlouis.com