There are many things synonymous with life in the South - sweet tea, sweet accents, and sweet Saturdays filled with college football just to name a few.
This week marks the official kick off of the season and we can't wait.We already have our team colors all laid out for school spirit day and our game day recipes prepped for the first official tailgate of the season. All this football fun reminded me to share a local attraction we went to this summer.
Earlier this summer we planned a trip to visit the College Football Hall of Fame. It opened a few years ago in Atlanta, but this would be our first time visiting the local attraction.
I pre-purchased our tickets online, and it was definitely the way to go. We arrived right as they opened for our scheduled time, but there was already a line. Luckily, it moved very quickly and there were a few fun things outside to hold everyone's attention. Because we pre-purchased our tickets we were able to bypass a large amount of waiting.
We were given lanyards with access passes as we entered. Each pass you could register in your name and then attach a school of choice too. Once you entered your choice, your school's football helmet would light up on the wall above. This wall was huge and literally had every school you could think of - even our alma mate, which just started their football program last year.
We each loaded our pass with a different school that we wanted to learn about. The kids thought this was so fun. Mr. Cute not so much as they each picked one of our teams biggest rivals. No amount of bribing was about to sway them from learning all about "the school with an alligator head".
After we registered we headed toward the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl Skill Zone.
Let me just say now that The Cutes would have stayed here and played all day if we would have let them. And Mr. Cute was not far behind in that sentiment. I am not really sure who had more fun, them or him?
Everyone was able to try their hand (foot?) at kicking a field goal.
It was set up just like it would be for college players, and I was pretty impressed with how well even the kids did.
On this level there is also a spot where you can hold a replica Peach Bowl trophy and put on some replica gear. I couldn't believe how heavy the actual helmets are. Mr. Cute and I were dying laughing because the kids could barely keep their heads up - the kids were cracking up.
Once you get up stairs the levels become more informative about the history of both players and teams. It is a lot of information and I was so impressed with how interactive everything is. The badges customized your experience to what information you were seeing.
Each screen you walked up to said "hello" to specifically you and then proceeded to show you information and history on the team(s) that you attached to your badge. It also saves the information you've seen and remembers where you stopped if you leave and come back to that section later.
The kids loved that they were able to interact with this section of the HOF, and to be honest it was probably the only reason it kept their attention. I would say they were still a few years too young to appreciate learning any history even if football related.
The museum portion of the HOF was fun. There is a history of tailgating section, and L.C. thought it was so funny that these were the clothes everyone used to wear. Fancy!
There were also cases set up dedicated to replica trophies. Each bowl game had representation here as well as special top awarded trophies - as well as a history of the trophy and its winners.
The most recent winners of each trophy were also given special representation. How fun for those winners and families to instantly be able to come and see their place in history solidified.
The memorabilia from the past was fun to see, and I loved how the HOF gave special nods to Atlanta here and there. These specialty Coke bottles were sprinkled throughout and loved the Atlanta tie in.
Gracing the walls were fun souvenirs from football past, and it was interesting to see how the game has changed over time.
And the tailgating through history section continued even right up to modern day.
Ahem, crockpots! :)
Needless to say Mr. Cute just rolled his eyes.
I checked. None contained chicken.
This section was also fun for the kids because there were a ton of fun interactive and hands on things they could be a part of. From creating their own team face painting, to doing their own broadcast for College Game Day and seeing it projected onto t.v., to playing tailgate games it was all there for them to play and enjoy.
The HOF also included an impressive selection of both cheerleading memorabilia throughout history as well as pay homage to each schools mascots. The Cutes loved this part, and thought it as fun to see what both players and team supporters wore throughout history. The school mascots clothing was their favorite.
I didn't take any photos, but there are also several movies and short films that play throughout each section. We watched a few of the shorter films but they didn't hold L.C.s attention so we just kept it moving through the museum.
We circled our way back downstairs for one last run through the Skills Zone before leaving. Overall we really enjoyed spending time at the College Football Hall of Fame. It's definitely a fun a must see attraction in Atlanta if you are a football fan, and we were able to get a little college football fix in during the off season.
Now let the countdown to Saturday begin!
Who will you be cheering for this weekend?
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