Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has now taken his rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brees retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns and will now forever be remembered as a first ballot hall of famer. He is the fifth player to be inducted primarily as a Saint, following Rickey Jackson, Willie Roaf, Morten Anderson, and most recently Sam Mills in 2022, and the first Saint to ever be inducted in his first year of eligibility. He is also the 18th
quarterback to be inducted in his first year of eligibility and the first since Peyton Manning in 2021.
With the greatest player in team history receiving the highest honor in the sport, many Saints fans should be planning to travel to Canton to be at Brees’ induction ceremony. I know from experience that the trip is well worth it. I was lucky enough to attend Sam Mills’ induction in 2022, and would like to share some tips and ideas I picked up along the way for any Saints fans looking to make their first trip to Canton this summer.
It is better to stay in Cleveland rather than Canton
Cleveland unfortunately has a bad reputation as a vacation destination, but after staying there for Hall of Fame weekend a few years ago I feel this is unearned. The weather in the winter is obviously brutal, but in the summer when the Hall of Fame induction takes place I can tell you that the city is quite nice. The average temperature in August is 73 degrees, and there is plenty to do and see when you are not at the Hall of Fame. Canton is a small town, meaning the hotels there will fill up quickly and also be quite expensive. Cleveland, however, is a major metropolitan area with a large airport and plenty of hotels that are of good quality and also affordable. The drive from Cleveland to Canton is only about one hour all on Interstate 77, easily doable for a day trip. You will also find there is much more to do in Cleveland compared to Canton for when you are not at the Hall of Fame. There is much more nightlife, good restaurants, and other famous places you may visit such as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, as well as Cleveland Guardians baseball on the Wednesday or Thursday before the enshrinement ceremony. Staying in Canton is certainly an option as it is much closer to the Hall of Fame itself, but you should find it easier and more affordable to stay in Cleveland and will have much more to do when not at the Hall of Fame.
Tickets are on sale only through the Hall of Fame’s official website
Tickets to the enshrinement ceremony, gold jacket dinner, Hall of Fame game, the Hall of Fame itself, and other events during the weekend will be available shortly after the class is announced on the Hall of Fame’s official website. Do not try to buy tickets from a third-party website before they are available on the Hall of Fame’s site as they may be counterfeit, and I would recommend staying away from third-party sites altogether. Tickets are sold in packages that include at the least just entry to the enshrinement ceremony, and at the most tickets to the Hall of Fame game, Hall of Fame, gold jacket dinner, various fan fests and autograph sessions, and the enshrinement ceremony. Visit the Hall of Fame’s website and pick out the package that works best for you as soon as they go on sale.
Don’t feel obligated to go to the Hall of Fame game
The Hall of Fame game always has a lot of anticipation around it as it is the first preseason game of the year and played in the shadow of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But when you get past the anticipation you will remember what it is at the end of the day, a preseason football game. We don’t know if the Saints will be playing in this game yet, but it is fairly likely that they will as they are the team of the headliner of this class in Drew Brees. Despite this, you will probably not see any starters for either team and at best might see one series from their first-round pick. Last year’s matchup between the Chargers and Lions featured a quarterback matchup of Trey Lance vs. Kyle Allen, and the only starter we saw was Chargers rookie RB Omarion Hampton who had 2 rushes for 9 yards. The Saints last appeared in the Hall of Fame game in 2012 when Willie Roaf was inducted, and if you are a big enough football fan that you want to go then you should go, but don’t feel like you are missing much if you decide not to.
Do feel obligated to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame should be on the bucket list of any football fan, and visiting it the week of the enshrinement ceremony is all the more special. The Hall of Fame is everything it is built up to be, featuring an extensive history of the game, numerous artifacts from the most famous players and moments in NFL history, the collection of busts of every hall of famer, and many other exhibits that are well worth seeing. I would recommend setting aside a few hours to see the Hall of Fame and also recommend not seeing it on the day of the enshrinement, as it will be much more crowded and you will feel rushed to get through the museum before the enshrinement starts.
Parking
Parking on the day of the Hall of Fame game and the day of the enshrinement can be tricky. There is a free public lot available about 1.5 miles away that offers a shuttle to and from the Hall of Fame. However, if you do not want to deal with a shuttle or the traffic of entering and exiting a large parking lot, sometimes you will find residents of Canton offering parking in their lawns (for a price) within easy walking distance of the Hall of Fame. This is a great and convenient option if you are willing to pay, but if not, there will be free parking available if you don’t mind dealing with a shuttle and traffic. I would plan on bringing a bit of cash with you as well just to keep all of your options for parking open, and arriving with plenty of time to spare to account for the time it will take to park. If you visit the Hall of Fame on Friday or Wednesday, you should be able to park in the Hall of Fame’s normal parking lot.
There are no bad seats for the enshrinement
For the enshrinement ceremony, the stage is set up against the north side of Tom Benson Stadium, and seats are available both on the field and also in the stands of the stadium itself. The seats on the field closest to the stage are reserved for guests of the Hall of Famers, so don’t expect to sit too close to the stage itself if you buy on-field seats. The video boards they have set up are plenty large for you to get a good view of the player giving their induction speech no matter where you are sitting in the stadium, so don’t feel the need to spend extra for on-field tickets if you are looking to save on costs.
It is definitely worth the trip
My trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022 was one of the most memorable sports trips I have ever taken. If you plan to go you will not be disappointed, and if you are on the fence about going, I would strongly urge you to book your reservations. The Hall of Fame is all it is built up to be, the area of Cleveland-Akron-Canton is much nicer in the summer than its reputation would make you think, and the enshrinement ceremony is something I feel every football fan should do at least once, and what better time to go than to see the greatest Saint of all-time receive the highest honor in football.
