The most excellent Sports museums in North America
''New York City is the museum capital
of North America,'' said Bill Shannon, the museum president. ''New York City is
also the sports capital of North America.The museum will be dedicated to events
that took place within 75 miles of midtown Manhattan and athletes,
broadcasters, writers and executives who performed and worked in New York.
The museum, chartered by the New York
State Board of Regents, is seeking to raise $25 million in start-up costs.
Baseball Hall of Fame: Cooperstown, N.Y.
Nestled into the quaint village of Cooperstown, in upstate New York, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history of America, as well as its beloved past time. The large modern building houses thousands of artifacts that cover 150 years of the history and cultural significance of the sport.
The museum is modern and user-friendly, with several interactive exhibits, including a clubhouse with games and experiences for kids.Visitors start their tour with an inspirational short film on the history of baseball and then walk through a timeline show signs of that follows baseball from the 1860’s to today.
The museum is heaven for memorabilia collectors—from the
130,000 baseball cards to old tickets and stadium giveaways from the last
century. There are enclosed belongings set up like individual lockers for all
30 Major League teams and a long hall filled with plaque for inductees who have
made outstanding contributions on the field and off.
Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, Mass.
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The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is
a state-of-the-art flair that engages fans of all ages. Located in Springfield,
Mass., where Dr. James Naismith made-up the game in 1891, the striking
building’s structural design features a metallic silver basketball-shaped
exterior. Inside, the open floor plan allows visitors to tour three
floors of exhibits on winding circular ramps, which overlook a full-sized
basketball court on the ground floor.
Three-dimensional plaques reverence the nearly 300
inductees cover the high walls of the museum and historical artifacts--
including a retrospective of paraphernalia and uniforms-- are encased in glass.
The hall goes beyond the NBA to celebrate a variety of basketball
contributors, from college and WNBA stars to Nike founder Phil Knight.
The museum is a slam-dunk for brood, with many
interactive opportunity including skill challenges, jumping tests, and a media
booth where you can record your own play-by-play video of game highlights.
There are also clinics, shooting contests, and games on the full-court, which
has baskets to accommodate every player’s size.
Hockey Hall of Fame: Toronto, Canada
Motivated by the reputation of Cooperstown, hockey
fans decided to launch a shrine to their beloved sport back in the 1940’s in Kingston, Canada, whispered
to be hockey’s birthplace. The collection of artifacts and memorabilia in the
first hall opened in 1961, but now reside in downtown Toronto. Its central
location, extensive interactive exhibits, and international appeal have made it
a popular tourist spot, even for those not devoted to the ice.
One
virtual experience allows you to take slap shots with real pucks and a stick
against a life-sized computer-generated goalie, while another lets you suit up
and defend the net against video images of stars Wayne Gretzky and Mark
Messier, who fire sponge pucks at you at speeds of up to 70 mph.
Hockey Hall of Fame (Cooperstown, New York)
The museum entrance draws visitors in with a display of 30 goalie masks and nearly 1,300 hockey pucks, collected from various arenas and tournaments around the world. One virtual experience allows you to take slap shots with real pucks and a stick against a life-sized computer-generated goalie, while another lets you suit up and defend the net against video images of stars Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, who fire sponge pucks at you at speeds of up to 70 mph.
. All museum information is provided in French and English and there are
several exhibits that showcase hockey’s reach around the world, as
the game has grown well beyond Canada and the U.S.