Baseball season is in “full swing,” and if you’re in the New York City area it’s the perfect time to visit the best-kept baseball secret in town.
Located next to Yogi Berra Stadium on the campus of Montclair State University in New Jersey, the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center features an impressive collection of historical pieces and baseball memorabilia. It’s a dream for Yankees fans like me, but baseball lovers and history buffs will equally appreciate all that this unique museum has to offer.
Yogi Berra lived most of his life in my hometown of Montclair, New Jersey. My childhood home was down the street from his house — the very location of the “fork” he referred to when he infamously gave Joe Garagiola directions with the Yogi-ism, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” I still remember my Yankees-loving-parents being a bit starstruck at the fact that our neighbor was the sports legend they grew up with. But over the years, running into Yogi at St. Cassian’s Church or the local salon (not barber) became regular things to us. He had a beloved presence in Northern New Jersey and was a true hometown hero.
So it was no surprise when the community decided to honor one of their most cherished residents with a stadium and museum on the campus of Montclair State University. The Friends of Yogi Inc. raised more than $2 million to dedicate a stadium and museum to Yogi, both of which opened in 1998. For almost thirty years, this hidden Jersey gem has sat unassumingly on the college campus, offering perhaps the most impressive collection of baseball history outside of Cooperstown.
The Building
The Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center is a simple but striking structure. Its glass facade is modern and inviting, and in 2018 Architectural Digest named the museum the “Best Designed” facility in New Jersey. A statue of Yogi sits outside and is the perfect photo opportunity for any baseball fan.
On the inside, the museum is large enough to comfortably accommodate large groups while still not feeling overwhelming in size. Exhibits are housed in a few connected rooms, with a layout that flows easily for visitors to make their way between the spaces. There is also a small “Yankee Stadium” where films are shown and presentations are made.
Admission
Upon arrival at the museum, tickets can be purchased at the front counter. Tickets for adults are $15, senior citizens and kids under 18 are $10, and veterans and MSU students can enter for free. You’ll find a small gift counter when you reach the back of the museum that sells souvenirs, and also accepts donations.
If you’re looking to visit with your group or school, tours can be scheduled ahead of time by emailing yogimuseum@montclair.edu.
Educational Programs
Various programs are available for school trips, and information can be found here. Students can participate in STEM presentations like the Science of Baseball. They can hear history and social studies lessons about overcoming adversity and prejudice, like Yogi faced because of his Italian immigrant family or his teammates faced because of the color of their skin. There’s even an option to participate in a truly unique writing class entitled “Poetry, Spoken Word, and Yogi-isms.”
Teachers and parents who wish to use baseball history as a learning tool can do so with or without a visit to the museum. Great virtual lesson plans in various areas of academics are available for download on the YBMLC website. In the summer, the museum also offers various sessions of baseball camp to children ages 6-13.
Points of Interest
The front vestibule includes The Mitt Mobile, a collection of vintage catchers’ mitts through the years, as well as a fun, computerized game simulator called PITCH: The Indoor Interactive Pitching Experience. Kids and adults alike will love pitching real baseballs to an animated catcher, as the speed and accuracy of each throw is calculated. It’s a great way to get a little friendly family competition going! Be sure to step up to the plate as soon as you enter the museum, and don’t forget to play again before you leave.
You’ll discover true baseball treasure when you enter the main room and see Yogi’s own Yankees attire and equipment on display.
Fans will be amazed to see that Yogi Berra’s record-setting ten World Series rings are also here, representing the ten championships he won to make him the winningest baseball player of all time!
Of course, Yogi Berra is synonymous with the New York Yankees, so his lifelong relationship with subsequent generations of the franchise is woven throughout the exhibits. The museum features remarkable pieces of Yankees memorabilia and artifacts, like jerseys and bats from other famous players. Don’t miss the incredible opportunity to connect with history as you sit in some of the original Yankees stadium seats from the first game played in 1923!
Other baseball displays within the museum include a wall of 76 oil paintings of baseball players by Andy Jurinko, a miniature model of Yankees Stadium, and a collection of rare baseball cards.
Not to be missed is the documentary shown in the “stadium room” at the back of the museum. Hosted by Tom Brokaw, “The Boys in the Hall” is a short film about Yogi Berra, his peers, and the history of America’s pastime. It is shown in a large meeting space designed to look like Yankees Stadium. The film is excellent, but just being in this room is a treat in and of itself. On the wall you’ll see the original World Series championship banner that hung in Yankees Stadium in 1951!
It’s important to note that baseball isn’t the only thing you’ll learn about at this museum. The permanent collection of rare photographs and treasured artifacts will leave any history lover in awe.
These displays not only teach visitors about Yogi, but also how the world has changed and evolved since the early years of baseball. As the museum states, the exhibits “tell the unique story of Yogi Berra while exploring history, culture, science, and society within the larger context of baseball and sports.” One visit to the YBMLC illustrates how well they have done just that.
Examples of such priceless historical artifacts include newspapers from WWII during Yogi’s service in the Navy, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to Yogi shortly after his passing in 2015 in recognition of his military service and positive contributions to American culture.
“The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be” – Yoga Berra
The Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center is truly one of baseball’s best-kept secrets. It’s remarkable how much memorabilia is housed in this modest space, and how artfully it has all been curated for fans to appreciate. The fusion of baseball with history gives visitors a unique perspective on what a significant role baseball has played in America’s culture. You can’t visit without feeling an incredible sense of nostalgia.
Yogi Berra was a true hero. But not just because he was the winningest baseball player in the history of the game. He was known for so much more than that. He was an honest sportsman who embodied the qualities of service and community. He overcame the adversity of being the son of Italian immigrants at a time when they were shown little respect. He was a man of simple (and iconic) words through which he spoke volumes. He was a decorated veteran who honorably served his country during a horrible war. And he was a devoted husband and father who put his family above everything. In a world where it often feels like everything changes, baseball remains one of the few things that doesn’t. Maybe that’s why it’s a sport we cherish so much.
We need more Yogis, and we need more ways to tap into the nostalgia he and America’s pastime bring us. If you need a dose of that feeling, you can find it — hidden right in New Jersey — in this museum. Leave the weight of the world outside, connect with the good ol’ days, and you’re sure to feel that “It’s deja vu all over again.”
What Lara Wrote 