How to Enjoy the Pro Football Hall of Fame Week

Get a map and find out where Canton, Ohio is! It is easy to get to from anywhere because of Ohio's highway system. Canton sits one hour south of Cleveland and about two hours northeast of Columbus and about two hours west of Pittsburgh.

Book a hotel as soon as possible. Many hotels are booked solid long before the festival weekend arrives. Nearby cities such as Akron (20 minutes north), Cuyahoga Falls (40 minutes north), Stow (42 minutes north), and Massillon have hotels within driving distance of Canton.

A dinosaur looms over Canton's HOF parade Check out which events are most important to you. You can find most of them listed at www.cantonrep.com. When you are here, the Repository newspaper will list the things you need to know - such as the parade line-up! The Enshrines Dinner, the Induction into the HOF, the HOF football game, the Grand Parade, Fashion Luncheon, Ribs Burn-off, Balloon Lift-Off, the Festival Fireworks show and other activities are available. Some require tickets long in advance, but many are open to the public. If you don't have game tickets,do not fear, the scalpers will be happy to sell you some!

There are hundreds of restaurants in the area. Most are family-oriented and prices are reasonable. The Ribs Burn-Off is fun and you can try many BBQ ribs and other goodies. Enjoy some great ice cream at local favorites such as Handel's, Taggarts, Milk n Honey and others. Night life is available in downtown Canton at places like Little Chicago, Fideli's, Iris, and others. Or go to the Belden Village area (where you are probably spending the night at a hotel) and visit some of the clubs like The Pub, Fox and Hound and more. In the Belden Village area, stop at Papa Gyro's for their wonderful meals. Also Benjamin's is great for a more intimate gourmet experience.
President William McKinley's monument and Presidential Library is a great place to visit, and his wife, Ida Saxton's home is now the First Ladies Library. There is a wonderful First Ladies Tea Room on East Tuscarawas Street just a block or so east of the city square. Directly below the Tea Room is the faulous Peter Shear's restaurant.

For the youngsters, there is the HOF Experience, a hands-on fun football activity. Teens will no doubt meet up with other teens or of course, can always phone their friends for a little chat.

Getting around Canton is not too hard. Most downtown streets are one-way in either direction, and they will be clearly marked for parking. The Grand Parade starts early and it's really best to go to the start of the parade route around 4th street and Cleveland Avenue SW. Park a few blocks away to the east, plop your seat in a shady spot near the post office and enjoy the parade. Oh, by the way, you only need to stand for the flag at the first color guard, unless you really want to do it each time. The parade first began in 1963...and I was there as a young kid!
Be patient with traffic and you will be in great shape.
If you plan to stay on Sunday and want to go to church, there are several historical churches in downtown Canton, including First Church of the Resurrection on East Tuscarawas just two or three blocks from the town square. It's the oldest church in the city and will be 200 years old in 2010. Then there is President McKinley's home church The Church of the Savior United Methodist on the corner of West Tuscarawas and Cleveland Avenue.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival is loaded with things to do and see, and fun for the whole family. See you there!