Asheville Tourists
Minor League Baseball team in Asheville, North Carolina, since 1897.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team from Asheville, North Carolina, playing in the South Atlantic League as the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. The Tourists name has been used by Asheville teams for more than a century, with the first appearance in 1897. The current team has been in the South Atlantic League (briefly called the High-A East in 2021) continuously since 1976. The club has won three South Atlantic League championships—in 1984, 2012, and 2014—while earlier Tourists teams won four additional titles.
The team plays at HomeTrust Park, which opened in 1924. The stadium was renovated in 1959, 1992, and is undergoing further renovations through the 2026 season. It seats 4,000 fans.
Professional baseball in Asheville began in 1897 with the Asheville Moonshiners. Play has been nearly continuous since 1909, with early teams called the Redbirds (1909) and the Mountaineers (1910–1914). The Tourists nickname originated in 1915, when local sportswriters started calling the Mountaineers the Tourists. That year, the original Tourists won Asheville’s first professional sports championship. They played in the Class-D North Carolina State League until 1917, when the league shut down due to World War I.
In 1924, the Asheville Skylanders began play in the South Atlantic League but soon adopted the Tourists name. They stayed in that league until 1930, then moved to the Piedmont League for two seasons before folding. In 1934, the Columbia Sandlappers relocated to Asheville and took the Tourists name. This version won the 1939 Piedmont League championship, but the league suspended operations in 1942 at the start of World War II.
A new Tourists franchise started in the Tri-State League in 1946. During the 1940s, the team shared McCormick Field with the Asheville Blues, an independent Negro leagues team. This franchise folded with its league in 1955. In 1959, a new South Atlantic League (later the Southern League) team arrived. McCormick Field was renovated, and a fan vote to choose a new name resulted in an overwhelming decision to keep the Tourists nickname. That team won league titles in 1961 and 1968. The 1968 championship was managed by Sparky Anderson, who later managed the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers for 26 years in Major League Baseball.
In 1972, Asheville became an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and was rebranded the A
- League
- South Atlantic League
- Affiliation
- Houston Astros (High-A)
- Home Stadium
- HomeTrust Park (opened 1924, renovated 1959, 1992, and through 2026)
- Seating Capacity
- 4,000
- First Use of Tourists Name
- 1915
- Current Team Founded
- 1976
- Total Championships (all incarnations)
- 7 (3 South Atlantic League, 4 others)
Lore & Background
Professional baseball in Asheville dates to 1897, when the Asheville Moonshiners took the field. The 'Tourists' name originated in 1915, when local sportswriters began referring to the Mountaineers team as the Tourists. The original Tourists brought Asheville its first professional sports championship in 1915. Over the decades, various Asheville teams—including the Skylanders, Sandlappers, and Orioles—have carried the Tourists nickname, winning championships in the Piedmont League (1939), Southern League (1961 and 1968), and South Atlantic League (1984, 2012, 2014). The 1968 Southern League championship team was managed by Sparky Anderson, who later managed the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers.
Reader's Guide
The Asheville Tourists represent a century-long tradition of professional baseball in western North Carolina. The team's enduring nickname, chosen by fans in multiple eras, reflects the city's identity as a tourist destination. The Tourists have served as a farm team for several Major League organizations, including the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, and currently the Houston Astros. Their home ballpark, HomeTrust Field (originally McCormick Field), opened in 1924 and has undergone multiple renovations, most recently through the 2026 season. The team's significance lies in its continuous operation since 1976 and its role in developing future Major League talent, including players who passed through the 'Oriole Way' system and the 1968 Southern League champions managed by Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson. The Tourists' three South Atlantic League titles (1984, 2012, 2014) and four earlier championships across various leagues underscore their competitive history.
Did You Know?
- The Tourists name was first used in 1915 when sportswriters called the Mountaineers team the Tourists.
- The 1968 Tourists won the Southern League championship under manager Sparky Anderson.
- The team was briefly known as the Asheville Orioles from 1972 to 1975 while affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles.
- HomeTrust Park opened in 1924 and has been renovated in 1959, 1992, and through the 2026 season.
More in Carolina League teams 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record