There is college football, and then there is college football south of the Mason-Dixon line. In the South, we take our college football seriously.
College Football Hall of Famer Marino Casem said it best.
“On the East Coast, football is a cultural experience.
In the Midwest, it’s a form of cannibalism.
On the West Coast, it’s a tourist attraction.
And in the South, football is a religion, and Saturday is the holy day.”
The numbers bear it out. Over the past 23 consecutive years, the South East Conference (SEC) has led the country in attendance with 72,195 fans per game.
So it should come as no surprise that the Chick-Fil-A College Football Hall of Fame would reside in the heart of the South. 250 Marietta St NW, Atlanta, GA, to be specific.
Visiting the Hall of Fame has been on our to-do list for some time. Though if we’d known it was this much fun, we’d have made the trek to downtown Atlanta months ago.
The Impressive Quad
The College Football Hall of Fame has had multiple homes since its founding in 1951 by the NFL. On August 23rd, 2014, the $68.5 million museum opened its doors here in Atlanta.
This modern-day shrine to college football pays tribute to 977 first-team All-American players, 217 coaches, and its indomitable fan base. The immersive experience starts the moment you enter the building.
Passing beneath the building’s football exterior, visitors enter a tunnel wrapped in video boards. This design feature gives you the sensation of running down a stadium entry tunnel onto a collegiate field.
The low tunnel leads to a light-filled three-story atrium they call the Quad. The back wall of this area has a truly awe-inspiring display of over 775 helmets from every school that fields an NCAA football team.
All told, this engaging facility spans 94,256 square feet, has 50 interactive exhibits, and boasts a 47-yard turf-covered indoor field. In addition, there are five themed galleries and three distinctive floors.
A mural by Steve Penley of important places and moments in college football hangs over the check-in kiosks. The sheer scale and featured installations make this the most impressive space in the building.
The first thing you do when entering this museum is activating your college game day pass at the registration desk.
Then, based on your favorite college football team, RFID chips in each ticket give you a unique interactive experience throughout the museum.
2nd Floor Fun
The second floor is where you’ll probably spend most of your time. You can learn about your favorite team’s awards, accomplishments, and championships on this floor.
You can also sing your favorite fight songs and compete in a 40-yard dash. In addition, we enjoyed hearing coaches explain different famous offensive formations and how football equipment has changed over the years.
Seeing inside different stadiums and hearing their marching bands was a fun experience, as was learning about exciting stories of players on and off the gridiron.
There is also an area that gives you a broader social history of the sport featuring historically black colleges and universities. Finally, for veterans, there is a section about inter-service games and their importance in developing collegiate football.
They also have a virtual sports anchor area where you can practice and record yourself doing sports commentary. You can then play it on the screen and see yourself doing the broadcast with famous sports broadcasters.
The evolution of tailgating, band uniforms, cheerleading outfits, and mascots will pique your interest. You can even take on the role of a coach and make decisions for your team.
While on this floor, be sure to watch the 10-minute video that gives you the sensation of a college game day at a large university stadium.
Think You’ve Still Got It?
The first-floor atrium has a great hands-on experience called, The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Skill Zone. Here you can kick a football 20 yards over a goalpost, try your hand at throwing footballs into targets, and participate in various training exercises.
The 47-yard turf indoor playing field is under a roof made of a translucent fabric similar to the Georgia Done. You start by walking through the Touchstone Tunnel with some historic touchstone replicas from famous universities.
The museum staff gave pointers to aspiring athletes while keeping the lines moving quickly. We couldn’t help but ask ourselves, “Do you think you’ve still got it from your glory days?
Well, you wouldn’t be alone in asking yourself that same question. At least judging by the number of people of all ages who took their crack at it.
From a strict entertainment value proposition, this was worth the price of admission.
We spent an inordinate amount of time watching one after another take their shot at glory. Some we thought would easily succeed ultimately failed miserably, while others, astonishingly, made it look easy.
We couldn’t help but recall the opening music and legendary sportscaster Jim McKay’s familiar words, “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport…the thrill of victory…and the agony of defeat…the human drama of athletic competition…This is ABC’s Wide World of Sports!”
Perhaps this wasn’t the Wide World of Sports, but every contestant left with a big smile on their face, as did we.
The Love Of The Game
For those who love the game, the National College Football Hall of Fame is worth a visit. You begin to feel the chill bumps of game-day excitement when you walk (or run) down the tunnel into the Quad area.
This shrine celebrates this all-American pastime’s meanings, traditions, and legacies. For us in the South, college football isn’t merely a societal interest, a cultural phenomenon, or a religion.
All those things combine into a shared sports experience that often unites communities and vast swaths of our nation.
Gallagher & Associates, in collaboration with TVS Design, accomplished their goal of immersing visitors into the spectacle and tradition of this decades-old sport. The museum is nestled in the heart of Atlanta’s sports, entertainment and tourism district.
It is adjacent to the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, CNN Center, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and Centennial Olympic Park.
If you’re looking for a future Corvette club activity, this is one to consider. As we witnessed for ourselves, the College Football Hall Of Fame scores big with fans of all ages.
Museum Information
Address: 250 Marietta St NW, Atlanta, GA 30313
Phone: (404) 880-4800
Website: https://www.cfbhall.com/
This facility has complimentary wheelchairs available and has closed captioning at all exhibits. In addition, complimentary tour guides are available for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or have low vision.
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