College Football Hall of Fame — Attraction in Atlanta

I had the chance of stopping into the store in 2023. I wasn't able to do the tour that day. But I thought I would If I ever had the chance to go again. I was so impressed with the fact that the store had something for everyone. There was a dedicated book section that enticed me with sports nostalgia and I ended up picking up a biography of Kirk Herbstreit. This gave me an ongoing connection to my experience in Atlanta as I read the book and loved it. I looked so forward to going back if I ever had the chance, especially to pick up a new book.

I got the chance to go today. And when I got there I found that the book section is completely gone. I found maybe 5 books in the entire store and they weren’t very enticing books.

Not only this, but I am an Ohio State fan for as long as I have been able to walk. Having just come off of winning the championship, I anticipated a little extra Ohio State memorabilia. So many big schools had a notable amount of memorabilia in the store. From footballs, To hats, To shirts. My gosh it was abundant. But not Ohio State. OSU had one small 6 ft section that consisted of junk like lanyards and obnoxious rally necklaces (extra large chain and huge charm all made in china and from plastic) and the other things that existed to acknowledge teams like footballs and hats had no selection of Ohio state gear either.

There was one Ohio State hat design in the entire place.

I was beyond disappointed. When I look up why the store got rid of the book section, it was cited that the hall aims to entertain people with emphasis on hands on experiences and multimedia. I didn’t go through the museum. And I no longer wish to. They didn’t make a dime off of me today and I felt like it was a tremendous waste of my time.

If I could give a half star I would. Sad how the times change and business...

It wasn't what I expected. Not saying its bad but I was expecting different. Visually it's very cool. The huge wall of helmets walking in is really neat. You take your lanyard to a registration desk, and then it lights up your favorite college helemt. They really do have every single team represented no matter how obscure.

Your lanyard reacts with most of the exibits which is a nice touch and it will email your interactions back to so you can relive them later. The first floor is basically a skill area for you to try your real life football skills from field goal kicking to passing.

Second floor jas a lot of exibits about tailgating, fight songs, and how football equipment has changed over the years. A few interactive events such as virtual stadium etc..

3rd floor is where it kinda of fell apart for me. The actual hall of fame is about as big as a large master bedroom. The names of the inducted for each year are displayed on a wall along this smaller room, and there are some touch screen displays standing in the middle of this room. That's it.

I was expecting more along the lines of the baseball halll of fame with rows of busts of each player, some game worn equipment their stats, the players stories, and what made them great. Unfortunately for me that wasn't the case. It was all interactive touch screen which I could do sitting at home on my tablet.

This attraction is more about the game of college football than the players. That being said it's not a bad time tickets aren't awful pricey but not cheap at around 22 dollars per adult ticket.

All in all when your gift shop is bigger than the room the actual hall.of fame is in it kinda seems like the point of the whole thing...

Had a really good time there on New Years Day 2022! Really appreciate free tickets to active duty soldiers. I like how the museum highlights the unique aspects of college football from tailgating, recruiting, traditions and the evolution of the game as a whole. The scan pass card made many of the exhibits come to life in memorable and engaging ways. As a former college football player myself, the hall brought up a lot of nostalgia and got me excited for the future of the game itself.

I would have liked to have seen something mentioning walk ons. Even an exhibit on the Burlsworth Trophy, given every year to nations most outstanding player who began their career as a walk on. Even more exhibits on the individual trophies such as the Butkus, Thorpe, Guy, Maxwell, etc. As the game evolves, it’d be nice to see the hall incorporate the transfer portal, NIL deals, social media, conference media contracts, etc. into its presentations.

I kicked a field goal the first time I visited but this time around I knew my knees would fall apart if I attempted haha.

Bought a sticker out of the store but I was hoping there would be more representation across the nation in there (I understand SEC/ACC country being down south but the hall should represent the game across the nation). Vinyl stickers/magnets/postcards of stadiums, mascots, traditions, trophies, etc. could all be sold in there.

All in all an awesome place to spend an afternoon, good for all ages no matter what previous experience you have with college football. I think every visitor can find something unique to take away from the college football...