College Football Hall of Fame opens archive for virtual viewing

ATLANTA - This week would have been Spring Break week for area students and families, and many likely had plans to visit Atlanta’s College Football Hall of Fame.  But even though the popular attraction is currently closed to visitors, football fans can still get a look at the fascinating collection housed inside.

College Football Hall of Fame CEO Kimberly Beaudin says while it’s disappointing not to welcome guests inside the facility this week, closing the doors was a necessary movie.  “We also know that we’re doing the right thing right now, so I think everybody’s got a really good attitude because of that.”

Staffers are also finding new ways to connect with fans during social distancing, including using social media to spotlight rarely-seen artifacts from its collection.  “We do Facebook Live twice a week, where you can go in the vault and see our archives and kind of get a peek behind the scenes,” says Beaudin.  “We only have about 5-percent of our entire collection actually on display in the hall, so 85-percent is still back in the archives.”

Along with the live Facebook videos, the College Football Hall of Fame is one of eleven local attractions that have teamed up for ATL Museums at Home, an initiative to provide unique virtual content from each destination.  Weekly “Field Trip Fridays” will allow families to explore the facilities from the comfort of their very own home; says Beaudin, “We are all going to have the opportunity to showcase a part of our experience every Friday for folks that are at home to enjoy.”

You can visit the ATL Museums at Home website for more information on “Field Trip Fridays” — and click over to the College Football Hall of Fame’s Facebook page to check out some very cool items from the vault!