My company had its annual banquet tonight at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. It has some amazing historical pieces but it's very museum-like and was not very interactive (My view may be distorted since all the activities that may have been open during regular hours were unavailable). The fact the Basketball Hall of Fame held banquets seemed weird to me. Since Springfield is very close, Ill tour it again on a regular day to get a better feel for the atmosphere. Ive always wanted to go to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Has anyone been to the other sports hall of fames and if so, what was the atmosphere and how was it?
Baseball HOF is like nothing else. It's way out there in the country; you would think there would be a lot of businesses on the way, but no. The only business I remember seeing was a batting cage. Anyway, it's a great little small town, Cooperstown that is. There are a bunch of baseball shops right by and across the street from the Hall. The Hall specifically is fantastic. I went once about five years ago, so I forget exactly what it was like when you enter. I do remember seeing a special exhibit with McGwire and Sosa's bats and jerseys. The 66 and 70 home run balls were on exhibit (I was ten yards away from where the Sosa ball landed, btw; it looked like it was coming right at me off the bat, but then it suddenly curved as it tailed off. I can remember that I was getting scared because absolutely EVERYBODY was crowding the area around where it was coming towards. It was something else). Anyway, the actual 'hall' was very nice. It had the many plaques hanging on the walls on either side. It was really like a museum. Then there are various exhibits, including radio clips (one is of the end of Mike Scott's no-hitter) TONS of memorabilia. I enjoyed it very much.
I've been to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. I'm not a hockey fan, but it was a pretty neat place. Lots of interactive games and stuff.
Have visited the Baseball hall of fame several times. It is awesome. Last time I was there they were remodeling the plaque area, so the plaques of all the players were just hung on some makeshift wood walls in a small room. It was still incredible just to see the plaques up close and personal (Babe Ruth's plaque has a lot of wear and tear on it where people have rubbed his face). The exhibits are fantastic. To see how small the gloves were that they used in the early days, and how thick and big the bats were. They have a "Babe Ruth Room" in which they have several of his bats, one bat in particular is the bat he used every year during spring training to get ready for the season. Those who have seen it know what I am talking about. This bat is the size of a small tree. Unbelievable. The Baseball Hall of Fame is 3 floors of "Field of Dreams" for baseball fans. You could also spend a full day (I could anyway) in the many memorabilia shops around the Hall. Just looking at old baseball cards, programs, team's various giveaways (bat day, hat day...etc) over the years, old newspapers and much much more. http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/about/showcase.htm
