History buffs visiting Phoenix will have an abundance of riches in spring training 2026, as the new Arizona Baseball Museum in Mesa showcases the Cactus League and its impact in Arizona over the years.
The museum, located on the campus of the Mesa Historical Museum, opens on Feb. 21—the same weekend Cactus League games launch. Housed in the 111-year-old former Lehi Elementary School, the Arizona Baseball Museum gives the Mesa Historical Museum the opportunity to showcase a large collection of baseball memorabilia, including photos and artifacts. A permanent exhibit will be joined by special exhibitions.
The history of baseball in Arizona extends far prior to the emergence of the Cactus League; wherever there were railroads or mines it seems there was baseball, and during the early days of the Arizona Territory you could find baseball in cities like Bisbee, where baseball has been played since 1909 in Warren Ballpark, built the Phelps Dodge copper company. We cover the earliest days of baseball in Arizona in The Complete Guide to Spring Training 2026 / Arizona, when the Detroit Tigers trained for a short time in Phoenix’s Rendezvous Park and the Chicago Cubs would barnstorm in the state returning from spring training at California’s Catalina Island. Those stories, we assume, will be part of the Arizona Baseball Museum.
For the Mesa Historical Museum, investing in a new Arizona Baseball Museum makes economic sense: museum officials say attendance traditionally doubles during spring training, and it’s not outside the realm of possibility that that jump is even more pronounced in 2026.
Don’t forget that you can experience some history at Phoenix-area spring-training ballparks. The concourse at Goodyear Ballpark features a history of Arizona spring training, while the Scottsdale Stadium concourse features plaques commemorating members of the Arizona Fall League (AFL) Hall of Fame.
Arizona Baseball Museum, 2345 N. Horne, Mesa; 480/835-2286; arizonabaseballmuseum.org. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Adults, $7; seniors and military personnel, $5; youth (6-17), $4; kids 5 and under, $5.
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