Boston is practically synonymous with baseball and fans see this – the oldest ballpark in the United States, opened in 1912 – as a temple of the sport. You can nab tickets to see the Red Sox play from spring through to late autumn, or book onto one of the year-round stadium tours. You'll get a behind-the-scenes, visiting the press area and pausing at some of the most coveted seats in the house, up on the left-field wall, known as the Green Monster.
This is the legacy of the 2002 Winter Olympics, which was held in and around Utah's capital, Salt Lake City. There are plenty of ways to get an adrenaline hit here: you can try bob-sledding (with a professional at the helm, of course) or, in summer, take to the sky-high ropes course. Prefer to keep your feet on the ground? Join a guided tour that relives the 2002 games or visit one of the two museums: the Alf Engen Ski Museum or the Eccles Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum.
Got a need for speed? Then beeline for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, in North Carolina's largest city. The interactive museum chronicles the history of the motorsport, with exhibits showcasing everything from retired racing cars to trophies. Venture into the Hall of Honor, which shines a spotlight on NASCAR titans like Jerry Cooke, Bobby Isaac and Richard Petty. Racing simulators let you put the pedal to the metal yourself too.
Rose City isn't lacking in great bars but, for sports fans, this is the best place in town. Portlanders gather around the giant screen at Spirit of 77 to watch local basketball team, the Trail Blazers, play and there are even nets so you can shoot some hoops yourself. The food and drinks here are a level above your typical sports-bar fare too – expect local craft beers, cocktails and elevated pub grub.
Detroiters are serious about their sports – highflying Motown teams include the Detroit Lions (NFL), Detroit Pistons (NBA) and the Detroit Red Wings (NHL). The latter two call the Little Caesars Arena – a mammoth, state-of-the-art venue opened in 2017 – home. The place is buzzing on game days and the on-site District Market is a swish place to grab lunch, a beer or cocktails.
With great sports cities, come great sports bars, and Nemo's in Detroit is a classic. It's a no-frills kind of place that focuses on cooked-to-order burgers and beer and has framed newspaper clippings spread across the walls. It's pictured here decked out for baseball legend Babe Ruth's birthday.
A whole lot of baseball history is stuffed into this gorgeous red-brick building. You'll find it in the teensy town of Cooperstown, widely credited as the place where the game was invented in 1839. The Hall of Fame was opened 100 years later, in 1939, and it holds a 40,000-piece-strong collection of baseball artefacts, from bats to jerseys. Bronze plaques celebrate legends of the game, with tributes to big names including Babe Ruth and Willie Mays.
This is the ultimate pilgrimage for fans of American football. It's lauded for being the oldest stadium in continuous use by an NFL team – the Green Bay Packers have played here since its opening in 1957 – and it's one of the largest in America too. Football lovers can choose from a host of tours – ranging from hour-long jaunts to two-hour experiences – and see sights, including the players' tunnel.
California serves up some of the greatest surf in the continental US, so it's only right and proper that it should have its own surf museum. Since the 1980s, this centre in the coastal city of Oceanside has showcased surfing relics, including rare boards by famous makers. You can also geek out with displays on the science of surfing, from what makes great swell to how conditions are forecasted.
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Chicago has sports bars in spades, but no place is more legendary than family-owned Murphy's Bleachers in Wrigleyville – the neighbourhood so named for the iconic Wrigley Field baseball park. It's right across the road from the ballpark and it's been going strong since the 1960s. Fans pour into the humble space, which has plenty of TV screens, plus walls covered with framed baseball jackets and black-and-white photos. There's a sizable outdoor area too.
Of course, Wrigley Field itself should make it to the top of sports-lovers' bucket lists too. Narrowly missing out on the title of America's oldest ballpark, it was built in 1914, and it's been the Chicago Cubs' stomping ground for more than a hundred years. Take a weekend tour of the park and get up close to the field, visit the dugout and get the view from the press box.
There's not much Disney can't do and there's a paradise for sports lovers at "The Happiest Place On Earth". The sprawling ESPN Wide World of Sports complex includes multiple sports fields, an athletics centre, a stadium and an arena hosting various tournaments. There's also a big sports grill bar so you can fuel up on classic American comfort food while you catch a game.
Described as "the city where basketball was born", Springfield, in southern Massachusetts, is the home of this museum. A shrine to shooting hoops, it encompasses a big screen showing game footage and commentary, and the Jerry Colangelo Court of Dreams, where you can practice the sport for yourself. Of course, it's also overflowing with tributes to the greats and memorabilia such as jerseys, balls and sneakers.
You get regular sports pubs and then you get Xfinity Live!. This mammoth complex includes Philly dining classics like Geno's Steaks, multiple bar areas and a 32-foot (10m) LED HD television. It's the prime place to base yourself on game day.
The steps of an art museum might seem an unlikely pilgrimage place for sports fans – but these stairs made a cameo in Rocky, the 1976 film that follows fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, portrayed by Sylvester Stallone. You can also snap a pic with the giant bronze statue of Rocky at the bottom of the steps. The statue was erected for Rocky III and then gifted to the city.
The World Golf Hall of Fame, in the oldest city in the continental US, champions the planet's golfing greats. It's packed tight with memorabilia from stars of the sport, such as Tiger Woods and Dennis Walters, plus informative exhibits regaling golfing history. You can even plan an entire vacation around it: book a few nights at the World Golf Village, where the Hall of Fame is located, and tee off on one of its two first-rate courses.
Dedicated to celebrating the legacy of bicycling in the USA, this museum proudly touts the fact that, in the early 1900s, "bicycle racing was a more popular spectator sport than baseball". Though times have changed, the museum unpicks the rich history of pro cycling in the States, covering everything from BMX racing to mountain biking. Its Hall of Fame salutes sporting top dogs that hark right back to the 1880s.
Motorsports fans will be in their element at the Daytona International Speedway. The highlight is the NASCAR racing experience, which allows enthusiasts to get behind the wheel themselves or whizz around the track with a pro. There are also guided tours of the speedway, while races like Daytona 500 are major events in the motorsports calendar.
Even if you're not a sports buff, you'll have heard of the Big Apple's Madison Square Garden. It styles itself as "the world's most famous arena" and is as well known for its big-name concerts as it is for its sporting events. Sports lovers are still well catered to, though. Come here to see the New York Rangers hockey team zoom on ice or catch a New York Knicks basketball game.
This one will satisfy architecture buffs, as well as sporting fanatics. The long-standing venue, describing itself as "the greatest stadium in the world", has a bold peristyle, decorative frescoes and a series of bronze plaques celebrating some of the country's top athletes and other notable figures. It's hosted a glittering roster of events, including two summer Olympics and today it's used for American football games, concerts and more.
Preserving the legend of world tennis superstars, from Bob Falkenburg to Conchita Martínez, this Hall of Fame has been operating since the 1950s, when it filled the old Newport Casino. Visitors will find perfectly kept grass tennis courts and a museum displaying some 2,000 objects relating to the sport. Exhibits tell the story of individual tennis heavyweights and explores the sport's relationship with popular culture through adverts, fashion and more.
Looking to get your sports fix on the Strip? Caesars Palace has got you covered. Tear yourself from the slots and book a pew at Caesars Race & Sportsbook. Giant screens show everything from horse racing to American football, and you can bet on your favourites or just root for them with a drink instead.
This little museum is the former home of a sporting titan – baseball player Babe Ruth was born in this red-brick rowhouse in 1895 and today it's filled with exhibits dedicated to the sport. Focused displays explore the legacy of Ruth himself, and what made him great, as well as his personal life and his early years in baseball.
Another movie location with sporting credentials, this baseball field was created for the 1989 Field of Dreams film. In the movie, the field, built by a farmer played by Kevin Costner, is visited by the ghosts of big-name baseball players. Now it's the domain of sports-and-film-loving tourists who come to wander the park and the adjoining homestead, which was also a set on the movie.
There's a reason that Michigan Stadium is lovingly dubbed the "Big House". It's the biggest stadium in the Western Hemisphere and among the largest in the world, seating 107,601 people. Unsurprisingly, game days are mighty and buzzing, and it's host to sports including American football, football and even ice hockey. It looks pretty impressive in this birds-eye shot too.
Fans of American football could lose an entire day to this exhibit-packed museum. Its crowning jewel is the hall of fame itself – here the who's-who of the NFL is represented by more than 350 bronze busts. Elsewhere, there's an EA Sports video game suite and displays of artefacts that trace the history of the sport from the early 20th century. You can opt for a guided tour to delve even deeper.
With a capacity for some 400,000 people, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is often held up as the largest sports venue in the world. It's a wish list destination for NASCAR devotees, and you can get tickets to events like the GMR Grand Prix. Racing cars, photos and eclectic racing artefacts pack out the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum too.
There's a whole lot of history on offer at the Atlanta History Center and that includes a deep dive into the city's sporting history. Head straight for "Atlanta '96: Shaping an Olympic and Paralympic City" – the long-term exhibition brings the 1996 games to life and takes a look at their impact on the city. The huge display of Olympic torches (pictured) and the medal collection is especially impressive.
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One of the most famous sports stadiums in America, the home of the New York Yankees draws diehard baseball fans and tourists in their hordes. Getting to a game is the best way to experience this iconic site, opened in 2009 after the original was shuttered, but the stadium tours are excellent too. You'll explore Monument Park, an al-fresco museum celebrating Yankees greats, and hang out in the dugout.
As stadiums go, this one's quite a beauty, perched as it is beside wiggling Johnson Creek. It's home to the famous Dallas Cowboys, the city's beloved American football team, and tours take you behind the scenes in what's tipped as the world's largest domed structure. And if the whole family's not into sports, don't fear – this impressive venue doubles as an art museum, with specialist tours showing off the venue's creative side.