You might ask: why would I time and money on a road trip from New England to Canton, Ohio?
Sports fans will know the obvious answer: The Pro Football Hall of Fame.
I’ve always wanted to visit it and, well, since the pandemic I’ve been on a YOLO (You only live once) kick and have been checking off the things on my list. My younger son, 23, came with me as my trusty companion and navigator.
I discovered, however, that there’s much to see in Canton itself and the surrounding towns, enough to easily fill the three days of the trip. I discovered a comic shop whose backroom/warehouse is heaven for comic geeks. We ate ice cream at a local place that’s been open since 1929 and is the only commercial property in its neighborhood. We enjoyed dinner at an open-air diner decorated with 1950s cars, bikes, and other pop culture memorabilia. We walked around the art installations in downtown Canton and found a superhero.
We toured two other museums besides the Hall of Fame: The McKinley Presidential Museum and MAPS, an air museum with planes from the earliest gliders to modern cargo transports.
As we prepared to check in for our flight back, my son said “This has been a great trip, Mom.” And it definitely was.
Preparing for Canton, Ohio
I’ve learned from traveling in the past that the first thing to do is google their visitor’s center or tourism board. Most towns hoping to attract tourists have one. Frederick, Maryland has a terrific one but Visit Canton was it’s equal. Not only did they send me brochures free of charge, but they also had an all-inclusive admission pass with the Hall of Fame plus numerous other local museums for less than the price of the HoF ticket. SOLD
I planned to fly into Cleveland, the closest major airport, and drive the half-hour to Canton but quickly discovered that doing so meant flying to Detroit or Chicago, then back to Cleveland. That’s too much unnecessary time in the air for me, so instead we flew into Pittsburgh, rented a car, and it was an easy 90-minute drive over the literally rolling hills to Canton.
Our hotel was the Doubletree Hilton in Downtown Canton, Ohio. It’s the only hotel in downtown Canton, with most of the chain hotels being located off the highway about 20 minutes away in a land of strip malls and chain stores. I was a bit apprehensive with another Doubletree, considering my experience with the Doubletree in New York last year. But Doubletree Canton exceeded my expectations. The rooms had been recently renovated, we had a nice view of downtown Canton, and we could walk to outdoor art installations, coffee shops, restaurants, and the aforementioned comic book heaven. The hotel is also directly across the street from the First Ladies Museum, whose existence I was unaware of until I started planning this trip. Parking was ample and easy to find.
The first rule of trips: pre-planning and preparation pay off.
Arrival Day in Canton, OH
We arrived and checked into the hotel at about 2:30 p.m. after a nice drive. However, we were hungry for lunch, as there wasn’t too much that enticed us on the scenic drive. The receptionist recommended Jerzee’s Cafe in Centennial Plaza, a terrific recommendation, as it was an outdoor place in a public open space that is obviously the setting for big events. As we were there in the off-season, it was quiet, and the restaurant had no wait, a fine selection of beers, and good pub food, all enjoyed outside with a view.
We walked downtown Canton after that, up to one of those classic Main Street theaters which, alas, did not have programming until the following week. This area strongly reminded me of the old mill towns of New England that are attempting to re-invent themselves, such as Westfield, Pittsfield or North Adams, all in Massachusetts. There are signs of past glory in some of the early 20th-century buildings, an industrial section clearly centered on the railroad, and state office buildings. Visit Canton had an office downtown as well.
The highlight of downtown Canton, Ohio, however, was the discovery of Comic, Cards, and Collectibles, less than two blocks from the Doubletree. The quiet storefront does not indicate the treasures inside! It is back-issue heaven for superhero geeks, filled with issues of nearly every series of the past 40 years. After I expressed my awe, the owner took me into his backroom, though backroom is a misnomer. It was a warehouse full of back issues. There must have been thousands of boxes. If you are in the area on Free Comic Book Day, all those back issues are for sale at $1 apiece at his store. I almost want to make a special weekend trip to go back.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame
The HoF is located on the outskirts of Canton, Ohio, off a highway exit, though we took the route through downtown Canton instead. Yes, it was everything I wanted it to be, especially the famous exhibit hall of busts of every member inducted into the Hall of Fame.
But for those less in love with pro football, I can also say it’s a well-done museum. You enter first into a circular exhibit hall that takes you through the eras of pro football beginning with the earliest version in the 1920s. That hall not only provides the history of the game but also the history of the American time period. In the center, the Hall features a larger-than-life statue of the great Jim Thorpe, the game’s first star. I’m glad to see the reverence for Thorpe but I did wish for some context on his life as a Native American who was forced to attend a residential school. Thorpe had a sad end and that’s not quite reflected in the focus on his glory.
From there, a staircase leads up to another circular exhibit hall that brings the game to the modern era. Each section has video commentary available at the push of a button, as well as items from the NFL, past and present. There’s an exhibit for fantastic finishes that included the Music City Miracle. I was in the stands for that so, in a way, I’m part of the HoF. My son’s favorite was the chance to perform as a replay umpire, getting under the hood to make a replay call. I was absolutely correct in my call. My son, not so much, but, then, I know the little rules that determine the verdict.
The busts were amazing in their detail and somewhat eerie as well. As John Madden once said, “I like to think that after hours, they all come to life and talk to each other,” and it feels as if they could.
The most amazing part of the hall, however, is a new theater production that features a holographic Joe Namath as well as other stars of the game. The theater is set inside a re-production of an old-school locker room, with benches for seats, and the lockers are decorated as if it’s game day for some of the stars. It’s a terrific show, though those sensitive to noise should note that the echoes of footsteps and sounds of the game are LOUD.
My personal highlight? A guide allowed visitors to handle the late, great Walter Payton’s Superbowl ring. I admit, I got choked up about that, unexpectedly. But Payton was my first football hero, the star of games I watched as a kid. After, it was a visit to the Hall of Fame store where we stocked up on swag.
Next article: The McKinley Museum and MAPS
I went there with my wife and 12 yo daughter in 2016. I loved it, but my companions did not much. https://www.rogerogreen.com/2016/08/14/pro-football-hall-fame/