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Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitor Center facts for kids
Exterior of the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitor Center
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| Location | Beaumont, Texas |
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| Type | Sports museum |
The Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitor Center is a special place in Beaumont, Texas. It celebrates the amazing life of Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias. This museum is open to everyone for free, Monday through Saturday, from 9 AM to 5 PM. It's also a helpful visitor center for people exploring Beaumont.
Inside the museum, you'll find many of Babe's trophies and awards. There are also cool items like old newspaper clippings and photographs. The money raised by the museum helps provide scholarships for female students at Lamar University.
What's Inside the Museum?
The museum is like a giant display case filled with incredible achievements. One of the most important items is a silver cup trophy Babe won in Chicago in 1932. You can also see her three medals from the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. A set of her own golf clubs is also on display. More of her trophies can be seen at the Babe Zaharias Golf Course clubhouse in Tampa, Florida.
Who Was Babe Didrikson Zaharias?
Babe Didrikson Zaharias was born in Port Arthur, Texas in 1911. Many people consider her one of the greatest female athletes of all time. She was famous from the 1930s to the 1950s. At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she won two gold medals and one silver medal.
Babe was amazing in many sports. She was excellent at basketball, golf, and track and field. In basketball, she was even named an All-American three times. She also competed in other sports like billiards, bowling, diving, and roller skating.
Babe's Lasting Legacy
In 1950, Babe Zaharias helped start the Ladies Professional Golf Association. She did this with her husband, the wrestler George Zaharias. Together, they also created the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Foundation. This foundation still helps fund cancer research today. It also supports women's athletics and the museum.
Babe Didrikson Zaharias passed away in 1956 at the age of 45. She was buried in Beaumont. The city honors her with an annual golf tournament, in addition to the museum. The Beaumont Convention & Visitors Bureau calls her both the "world’s greatest female athlete" and a "hometown legend."