Ten Unique Attractions in Akron / Canton, Ohio

I have lived a good portion of my life in the Akron/Canton region of Northeast Ohio, and yet it wasn't until several of my friends from out of state came to visit that I realized the unique character of my hometown. To be sure, it isn't a New York City or Chicago, and it is limited in the conventional activities and museums a tourist might expect in a larger metropolitan area. However, there are many unusual and remarkable sights to see in such a small city. In compiling my list, I restricted myself-in most cases-to the least common activities, in interest of providing a far more colorful record.

10) The Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in 1963 as a repository for the records and memorabilia of the greatest players of America's unique, hard-hitting game. According to the website of the Hall of Fame, Canton was chosen as the location because the first organized football league in America, the American Professional Football Association (later called the NFL) was founded there in 1920. This curiously shaped building, crowned by a distinctive, football-shaped dome visible from the expressway, is packed with the jerseys and equipment of some of the game's greatest athletes, from the early days of thin pads and flimsy helmets to the modern, high-tech jerseys of such greats as Marshall Faulk. From walking into the front lobby, graced with an enormous statue of Jim Thorpe, it is football all the way, including every man's dream: a massive . Admission is $16.00 for adults, $10.00 for children 14 and younger, and $13.00 for senior citizens.