Day Trips From Hartford And Tolland Counties: Sports Halls Of Fame

HARTFORD-TOLLAND COUNTIES, CT — With summer in full swing and vacations being taken by thousands of Connecticut residents, there is no shortage of activities on the local and regional levels. In recent years, however, many folks have eschewed their traditional week-long travel plans in favor of "staycations," or day trips which do not necessarily require overnight accommodations.

Today, Patch sites in Hartford and Tolland counties are beginning a series aimed at highlighting enjoyable jaunts which do not require a ton of time in the car. We debut this column with a look at three halls of fame - two within an hour's drive in any point in the region, and one which is about three hours away, but well worth the time investment.

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

To borrow a phrase from renowned sportscaster Keith Jackson, "the granddaddy of them all" is the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., a quaint village where myth and lore claim the game was invented in 1839. Despite research and studies which have basically disproven that notion over the years, the museum opened its doors in 1939, with the original five inductees being Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson and Honus Wagner.

Over the past 85 years, the shrine to the national pastime has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country, annually averaging more than 260,000 visitors. The museum contains about 40,000 artifacts, more than a quarter-million photographs and over 14,000 hours of moving images and sound recordings.

The showpiece of the museum is the Plaque Gallery, highlighting the more than 340 players, managers, executives and umpires elected to the Hall of Fame. Other popular exhibits include an entire room dedicated to Ruth, several theaters and a tribute to the career of Hank Aaron.

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Located on the banks of the Connecticut River, the Basketball Hall of Fame is named in honor of James Naismith, who invented the game at Springfield College in 1891. The first class was elected in 1959, though an actual facility was not opened until February 1968.

For its first 17 years of existence, the Hall of Fame was located on the Springfield College campus. In June 1985, a more modern facility opened on the riverfront, and in 2002, the current 80,000 square-foot shrine, a metallic silver basketball-shaped sphere, opened just 100 yards south of the previous site.

Among the memorable features is Center Court, a full-sized basketball court on which visitors can play. Inside the building are a game gallery, many interactive exhibits, several theaters and an honor ring of inductees. To date, more than 440 coaches, players, referees, contributors and teams have been enshrined.

International Volleyball Hall of Fame

By far the least-known of the three halls of fame is this gem at 444 Dwight Street in Holyoke, Mass., where the game was invented by William G. Morgan in 1895. Despite efforts to establish a hall of fame which began in the early 1970s, it took until June 1987 for an actual exhibit to be created.

In 1998, the exhibit was expanded and moved to a permanent 5,000 square-foot location in the Skinner Mill Warehouse in Heritage State Park. The shrine shares the building with the Holyoke Children's Museum.

The hall of fame features exhibits honoring each year's inductees, a replica of a full-size volleyball court, timelines, photos and unique memorabilia of the sport, along with an interactive video kiosk, a special inductee display area and a gift shop. To date, more than 150 men and women from 25 countries around the world have been enshrined.

Travel Distances and Times

Here are the approximate travel distances and times to drive to each hall of fame from three outlying communities in the region - Mansfield, Southington and Granby.

Baseball
from Mansfield - 203 miles (3:00)
from Southington -199 miles (2:58)
from Granby - 158 miles (2:46)

Volleyball
from Mansfield - 56 miles (62 minutes)
from Southington - 51 miles (52 minutes)
from Granby - 26 miles (27 minutes)

Basketball
from Mansfield - 47 miles (52 minutes)
from Southington - 42 miles (43 minutes)
from Granby - 18 miles (26 minutes)