Canton, OH: Pro Football Hall of Fame

On every guys bucket list

Growing up I always wanted to visit the two major sports hall of fame’s in the US: the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, which I have yet to visit; and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton which we just recently visited.  On the outside, the hall looks as advertised, but the inside is much bigger than it appears; and better yet, it is undergoing a major renovation and expansion which appears will really make this a world-class facility.

Outside the iconic main entrance

Admission was actually more expensive than I had anticipated, at $21 per person, but it does include a tour of the neighboring stadium, the 360 movie, and access to every exhibit; parking was free.  The first exhibit was actually my favorite, which covered pre-NFL football.  They did offer exhibits on the history of professional football, which I also found interesting and new – most of the history (pre-NFL) I was not aware of previously.  You then enter the room where all the player busts are, which is as advertised and exactly what you see on TV.


A huge hall of player busts

 There were various other exhibits on the different teams and era’s of professional football, which really covered the extensive history of football in America.  There was an additional exhibit on the Super Bowl, complete with the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

A real Super Bowl Trophy

I did enjoy the 360 theatre they had, where the room actually rotated around the screen.  It recapped the previous year’s Super Bowl, and although the theatre effect was entertaining, the video itself was similar to what you see on ESPN or anywhere else.  This followed by exhibits on famous players, records, and there were famous artifacts (game balls, jersey’s, and other memorabilia) throughout many exhibits.  If you are really into football memorabilia you will likely find this museum very entertaining...

Playing football in a kids activity area

They did have a few fun areas for kids, including some video games and other hands-on football activities.  Given that football is so popular with kids nowadays, I was happy that there were kid-friendly activities and exhibits.  Our tickets did include a tour of the stadium, which we had to skip due to timing, but it looked like it would have been fun (especially since growing up I always watched it on enshrinement weekend).

Overall the Pro Football Hall of Fame is just one of those places every boy wants to visit, and I am glad I finally got the chance.  They are starting a major renovation & expansion, which looks very exciting and should dramatically alter the museum.  Hopefully I'll make it back one day when it is complete!