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Pro-Football Vacations for Pro Fans
September 18, 2012 | Permalink
While the fall signifies undesirable things for many people—like returning to school, cooling weather and the end of the season of locally-grown fresh vegetables—it also signifies the start of a season that some love way more than any of the four calendar seasons: the professional football season.
Just like many children mark off the days leading up to Christmas one by one, entirely focused on that one approaching point in time, many football fans wait for the first day of the season with the most heartfelt and concentrated yearning. Fantasy teams are readied, and up-to-date team clothing is acquired—both in anticipation of that all-important day in early September: the first day of the NFL season. For the ultimate NFL fan—the fan who feels the need to go to where the action is—there are a number of great pro football destinations to visit.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame
For pro football pilgrims, there’s one undeniable mecca: the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The Hall of Fame building itself, which has been made more and more grand and spacious over the years as the sport it celebrates has grown in popularity and prestige, looks from the outside rather like a church crowned by a half-football rather than a cross. It is a very exciting time for this gridiron cathedral.
Opened in September of 1962 (four years before the NFL and AFL joined together to present the first Super Bowl), the Hall is approaching its fiftieth anniversary. Like a couple celebrating its golden anniversary who make sure they are in top form for the celebration, the Hall has pulled out all the good stuff in anticipation of the increase in visitors during its special year. There are many meticulously arranged exhibits, complete with multimedia tools, displaying football gear and memorabilia and telling the hallowed, dramatic story of American professional football.
The Champs
Every football fan has his/her team. If you don’t have a favorite, then you’re just an interested observer, not a fan. The word “fan” is—we must remember—short for “fanatic.” Just as football is about striving for excellence on the part of the players, it is about loyalty on the part of the fans.
Despite who their favorite team is, though, all fans feel a deference and appreciation for the achievement of the reigning Super Bowl champions. Just like we, as loyal Americans, feel respect and admiration for the office of the president, regardless of whether we voted for the current holder of the position or not, the Super Bowl champions get a nod of respectful recognition from all fans—even those who are loyal to their most arch of rivals. A New England Patriots fan will grudgingly allow that the 2011 New York Giants proved in the end to be the better team.
There’s never been a better time to visit the home of the Giants. MetLife Stadium, which opened in 2010, is one of the most modern-feeling (though not at the expense of the classic game), well-designed football stadiums in the country. The NFL expressed its approval of the stadium by announcing that it will be hosting Super Bowl XLVIII there in 2014. 2014’s Super Bowl will mark the first non-dome Super Bowl in a city that gets real winter weather.
A Super Hotel for a Super Fan
If you’re one of those football fans who never wants the action to stop, then you’ll probably want a hotel with a TV, a fully-equipped kitchen, and free in-room Wi-Fi so that you can watch highlights of your favorite team and enjoy a little tailgating food at the end of the day.
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