If you are a basketball fan, you’re going to love The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
After visiting the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts, I headed over to The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which is located in, what else, a basketball shaped building. There are three floors to this Hall of Fame and your tour starts with a photo opp at the main door and an elevator that takes you to the top floor. You’ll work your way down from there.
On the top floor, you’ll find plaques and memorabilia from the Hall of Famers dating back almost 100 years. It’s a lot of reading on that top floor, so plan on spending a good chunk of time if you want to see everyone. Or just look for your favorite players and read about their history and their induction.
Cool personal connection: I found players in the Hall of Fame that I have been lucky enough to interview including
Lisa Leslie
Alonzo Mourning
If you are touring with children, keep in mind that the younger ones may get a little antsy on that floor because they won’t know the players. You can keep their attention by showing them the memorabilia that is showcased in between the plaques, but if I didn’t look for them, I might have missed them. I wish this stuff was taken out on the case and put on display more at eye level. It would definitely get some attention, but even still from championship rings to Olympic medals to way oversized bronzed sneakers, there is a bunch of great stuff to look at if you just look down.
When you are done or if you want the kids to become a little more interested, your tour moves to the second floor where there are more interactive adventures. Check out your wingspan against Kevin Durant or see how tall you are against a variety of pro ballers. The second floor was a lot of fun and great for kids. The women players and coaches are prominently featured in the exhibits — as they should be — as are the refs (although while looking something up for this article, I found that there’s a Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee. and when I get to Tennessee it will be on my list of places to visit! Very cool!)
By now you will probably be aching to take some shots at the hoop and the bottom floor is the perfect place because it’s a basketball court! There is also a great gift shop and, if you are hungry, there are a few places to eat right across the hall from the Hall of Fame.
Overall, we finished everything in about an hour and a half, but you can definitely spend more time there shooting hoops and reading more than we did.
For more information, check out their website. There as a hotel in walking distance but I know nothing about that one. We stopped on our way home from Worcester, Mass. and didn’t stay overnight in the area.
Oh, GO SPURS!
Disclaimer: I would like to thank the Hall of Fame staff for hosting us as their guests. This does not affect my write-up or review of any venue I visit on my travels.
