National Football Hall of Fame

Another perk of living in Northeast Ohio is you are pretty close to the National Football Hall of Fame.
All I knew is....I cannot leave this place without having gone inside that building at least once. Living so close to it and not entering, would be akin to sin. So we went during the winter of 2013.
Another perk....I saw some real sparks of athletic passion in Brenden. Up to this point, his encounters with all things athletic were about as interesting to him as watching underwater basket weaving. He didn't have a whole lot of interest. He would play only after we got all the equipment out and the bases set up and everyone in the house participating...but then would always be the first one to quit and go back inside or find a shovel and dig in the dirt or a stick to vecinity some trees.
However, he voluntarily picked up the headphones and listened to the game plays over...and over...and over at the museum/hall of fame. It. Was. Awesome.
Trent and I slowed our pace anytime Brenden stopped to check something out. I can't help it...I was geeking out more watching Brenden get into sports than I was over all the cool history and memorabilia surrounding me.

Some famous football snow scene. Trent knew a lot of the famous stuff in here, but we both had to read many of the plaques to see what we were looking at.

Cool to see the evolution of their jerseys and helmets.

I think this was one of the first uniforms. In the 1920s I think.

B has suddenly turned into a tough guy in this hall of fame.

Old Green Bay Packers stuff.

Kyleigh is writing on her questionnaire sheet. When you walk into the Hall of Fame, they give you a paper of about 15 questions...some obvious ones and others not so much, but all things you can find around the museum. When you're done, you turn it in for a chance to win a hefty gift card to their massive NFL gift shop.

And the kids wore their Football stuff to get a big sack of various NFL gear. They really scored there. Color changing cups, pro team stuffed animals, cards, posters, drawstring bag, keychain, and puzzles. It was one of their two kid days a year at the Hall of Fame.

AND they had Santa walking around to give the kids candy canes and a special card to get a poster at the end.

K Mae was too scared to stick around for a picture, but B happily complied.

B won.

And so did Kyleigh. Of course.

Sideline coach training.

Kids liked watching famous plays and picking out some cool moves by the football players.

I'm telling ya....they were here for awhile...

Free pizza to anyone who can guess who the guy is in the video shot below:

These guys' hands are huge!!

This room was cool. A guy sculpts the busts of the ones who make it into the Hall of Fame.

We found his matching jersey!

It was shortly after this photo that we went home. Our tour of the National Football Hall of Fame was complete with the discovery of Brenden's jersey namesake.
As you walk out of the museum, you turn in your ticket stub and they give the kids a sack FULL of football paraphernalia. Coloring books, sticker books, trading cards, stuffed animals of the mascots, bags, posters, etc. Even a t-shirt for Kyleigh, but they didn't have any her size yet. :)
The shop was also very large. Every imaginable item that can be made to represent one's favorite team was there. Mugs, pens, clothes, toys, decor...you name it, it was there. And for every team I believe. The museum was very well done. If you're in the vicinity, you should check it out.