Good Sports

What educational niche is occupied by sports halls of fame and museums? You could make the argument that they encompass just about all of them. From the science of how Olympic athletes run faster, to the history of how Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier, to the artistry and fashion of the Kentucky Derby, your students can experience a wide range of American culture in its sports museums.

And it isn’t just names on a wall. Many of the most popular sports museums across the country invite students to get hands-on and test their skills alongside some of the greatest athletes in history. As they have these one-of-a-kind experiences, they make memories for a lifetime.

MIDWEST

Where else to start in the Midwest but with hockey? The “State of Hockey” is Minnesota, and it’s no wonder that’s where you’ll find the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum. It might seem odd the museum is in a small town called Eveleth—a three-hour drive north from the Twin Cities—until you realize that 12 of the inductees inside hail from this tiny but hockey-mad community. Groups that make the trip will see artifacts from the “Miracle on Ice” team that played in the 1980 Olympics, see how fast their slapshot is, and pose with the world’s largest free-standing hockey stick—110 feet long—on display in downtown Eveleth.

Like Minnesota and hockey, several Midwest states have sports they’re known for. In Indiana, some might say basketball, but Indianapolis is also known as the “Racing Capital of the World.” The Indianapolis 500 is the largest single-day sporting event on earth, but if you can’t be there on race day, the next-best thing is to visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in the track’s infield. There, students can see winning cars of the past, get behind the wheel in racing simulators, and much more.

“The Museum now has a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) classroom for groups as well,” says Kelsey Burr, communications manager for the museum. “The Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation Innovation Workshop includes hands-on activities for K-12 students, such as building and coding robot cars, as well as a chance to explore racing careers.”

Move east one state and you find yourself in one of America’s capitals of football. Ohio is up toward the top in terms of producing NFL players, so it’s fitting that it’s the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Located in Canton, the hall offers tours, interactive exhibits, and Super Bowl rings from every champion in history. Groups of 15 or more receive significant discounts on admission.

NORTHEAST

The Northeast is home to some of the most iconic and oldest franchises in baseball, and in upstate New York lies perhaps the most famous sports museum in the country. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown contains more than 40,000 artifacts from the history of America’s pastime alongside bespoke bronze plaques of its more than 350 inductees.

Your group can discover more baseball history in Maryland at the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum. Perhaps the most iconic ballplayer in history, Ruth was born in this modest home in 1895, and it now houses rare artifacts from his life and career. And, as luck would have it, there is now an MLB ballpark, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, just a few blocks away from the museum.

Springfield, Massachusetts, is where basketball was invented, and the sport’s hall of fame now bears the name of its inventor. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is a bucket list item for any hoops fan, featuring educational programs, a court to shoot on, and highlights from basketball history.

SOUTHEAST

When you think of the Southeast, two big sports come to mind: college football and racing. College football is a passion that runs through many Southern communities, and Atlanta, Georgia, is one of its capitals—home to Georgia Tech, the SEC Championship Game, the Peach Bowl, and the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame. The hall is more than 90,000 square feet, including a 45-yard indoor football field. The highlight for youth travelers is the immersive exhibits, including a new AI-based experience that allows visitors to “get in the game.”

Southerners also love their racing, and Charlotte, North Carolina, is the home of stock car racing. Not only is the Charlotte area home to almost all the teams in NASCAR, but it’s also where your group will find the NASCAR Hall of Fame, blending “NASCAR’s rich heritage with hands-on, interactive exhibits that captivate youth of all ages,” shares Ryanne Howard, public relations specialist for the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.

Those interactive experiences include the “Pit Crew Challenge,” in which students form their own team of mechanics and see how they measure up to the pros in changing tires and refueling a NASCAR stock car. Visitors can also drive in a simulator and see a replica track demonstrating the steep banking these machines navigate. “The hall offers an educational experience that’s as exciting as it is enriching,” says Howard, “a perfect destination where learning meets fun.”

A NASCAR stock car makes up to 750 horsepower. In Louisville, Kentucky, you can see the muscle of one horsepower at the Kentucky Derby Museum, on the grounds of world-famous Churchill Downs. The museum features many engaging exhibits, including “The Great Escape” film, presented in 360 degrees and translating the thrill and prestige of authentic thoroughbred racing. “With two floors of interactive exhibits and a guided tour of Churchill Downs,” says Jennifer Hagan, director of group sales, “students are not just learning; they are stepping into the action.”

And, while in Louisville, you could add a stop at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory to see the history of this iconic piece of America’s pastime and the science of how it is engineered and made. Among many other baseball destinations in the region, another worthy stop is the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. While Negro League players have a presence in Cooperstown, the Kansas City museum is the only one dedicated solely to these pioneering athletes and their achievements.

The South is of course also known for its golf, and the World Golf Hall of Fame opened last year in Pinehurst, North Carolina, after originally spending nearly 30 years in Florida. The new hall of fame also includes the “USGA Experience,” offering a behind-the-scenes look at the science of golf and how the United States Golf Association puts on major tournaments. According to Senior Manager Maggie Lagle, your group can even get up close with “the game’s most prized championship trophies and view personal memorabilia from World Golf Hall of Fame members in the member’s locker room.”

WEST

Your students can live out their Olympic dreams out west at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum (USOPM) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Located on the same campus where Team USA athletes train, the museum “provides an immersive journey through the history and achievements of Team USA athletes, highlighting values such as determination, equality, and courage,” says Hannah Henthorne, manager of sales and development. The USOPM features 12 galleries—displaying Olympic torches, medals, and more—and six interactive exhibits, including one that offers the opportunity for students to virtually race against world-class sprinters.

The West might no longer be quite so wild, but students can get a sense of its untamed past at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy, also in Colorado Springs. Here, students can learn the history of rodeo as a sport and how some of the best riders in history develop their skills. Visitors in summer can even see some of the animal athletes up close.

Texas is of course a global center for rodeo as well, but it might surprise you which major sport has its hall of fame in the Lone Star State. The National Soccer Hall of Fame is located in Frisco, Texas, within the home ground of FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. “It’s not just a museum,” says Director Djorn Buchholz. “It’s an immersive experience where young athletes can connect with the history of the sport they love, celebrate U.S. Soccer’s greatest players and moments, and engage with interactive exhibits that bring the game to life.”

Those interactive exhibits include a virtual reality goalkeeper to test your shot against and facial recognition technology that customizes the experience for each guest—“which is why we are called the ‘Most Personalized Experience in Sports,’” adds Buchholz. Stay tuned for new displays following the U.S.-hosted FIFA World Cup next year.

The magical thing about sports is the power they have to bring people together. The same can be said of these halls of fame and museums. Even if every student in your group isn’t a sports nut, they can all still have fun as they play, learn something about teamwork and leadership, and develop a deeper appreciation for the culture of sports.

By Todd Kortemeier

Main Image: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Credit: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum