America’s best vacations for sports fans

Curtis Compton / Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Start in Cooperstown, NY, at America's oldest professional sports Hall of Fame, The National Baseball Hall of Fame. While in town, pose with legends of the past at the Heroes of Baseball Wax Museum. Just three hours north, channel our modern Olympic legends during a Lake Placid Adventure: bobsledding, skeleton runs, skiing, and ice skating at the Olympic Sports Complex, the very rink where the U.S. defeated the Soviet Union in what became known as the "Miracle on Ice."

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Racers can get behind the wheel of an IndyCar for a high-speed ride around one of the world's most famous tracks will make anyone jealous. Basketball fans can relive the "Milan Miracle of 1954" at both the Milan '54 Hoosiers Museum and the Hinkle Fieldhouse, where the historic high school game was played (and where much of the movie Hoosiers, on which it's based, was filmed).

TONI STROUD / Chicago Tribune

What could improve a day spent running the bases and playing catch on the Iowa baseball diamond where Field of Dreams was filmed? Free admission! Afterward, drive three hours east to Chicago to tour the dugout, clubhouse, and press box at one of America's most iconic ballparks: Wrigley Field. Navy Pier boasts two of Chi-town's most obscure sports attractions: a stained-glass window depiction of Michael Jordan and a sports memorabilia collection in famed sportscaster Harry Caray's Tavern, which features Sammy Sosa's corked bat.

David J. Phillip / AP

The Kentucky Derby (one of the most-watched sporting events of the year) takes place in May, but you can see a horse race at Churchill Downs any time of the year; an on-site museum offers exhibits on winning horses and Derby fashion through the years. Other area activities include a bat-making demonstration at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory and the cultural center dedicated to legendary boxer and native son Muhammad Ali.

AMY SANCETTA / Associated Press

Maybe it's ironic that the City of Brotherly Love is famous for a series of films where boxers go after each other with a fury normally reserved for Eagles fans after a loss, but that's part of what makes Philly a great sports town. (In fact, it ranks as the No. 1 most sports-crazed city in America.) Pretend to be Rocky and run the Philadelphia Art Museum steps—and snap a selfie with the man himself, immortalized in bronze at their base—before visiting boxing legend Joe Frazier's gym, which was just added to the National Register of Historic Places. All three of Philadelphia's professional sports stadiums are in the same complex.

Erik S. Lesser / Chicago Tribune

Relive the summer of 1996 with the Atlanta History Center's Centennial Olympic Games Collection and a stroll (or water fountain splash) in peaceful Centennial Olympic Park downtown. The former stadium—one of the world's coolest Olympic stadiums—is now Turner Field and home to the Braves, where an on-site museum traces the team's history through artifacts and photographs from its start in Boston in 1871 through the present. Just 90 minutes away in Royston, avowed baseball fans can delight in theTy Cobb Museum, one of the first inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

David Hobby / Baltimore Sun

Baseball aficionados are sure to be impressed by Baltimore, whether standing on the hallowed ground that is theBabe Ruth Birthplace and Museum or by booking a tour of Camden Yards and reliving the moment Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's record by playing his 2,131st consecutive game. The stadium's Sports Legends Museum is a fun stop, too, with exhibits on the Babe, the Orioles, Ravens, and long-gone Colts. Its stadium food (Maryland crab cake sandwich) ranks among the country's best as well.

David T. Foster, III / Charlotte Observer

It's March Madness all the time in Chapel Hill and neighboring Durham, NC, where college basketball fans can grab tickets to watch Tar Heels (five-time NCAA National Champions) and Duke Blue Devils games. A road trip to nearby Charlotte is a treat for racing fans, too. The NASCAR Hall of Fame combines exhibits on racing's greats with fun, interactive activities, while the Richard Petty Museum presents the racing legend's accomplishments alongside his unexpected collections of guns, dolls, and pocket watches. Most NASCAR team headquarters are open to the public as well and feature exhibits on popular drivers. Time Out: Grab a souvenir at the Sam Bass Art Gallery, featuring intensely colored paintings and prints by NASCAR's first officially licensed artist.

Phil Vettel / Chicago Tribune

Step back in time with Milwaukee's two vintage "base ball" teams (the Cream Citys and the Grays). No sports trip to Wisconsin is complete without a pilgrimage to Green Bay's Lambeau Field, home of the four-time Super Bowl champion Packers. Nearby, stroll along the mile-long Walk of Legends, which pays tribute to the, well, legendary players and moments in the team's history.

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Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame pays homage to the greats and includes interactive exhibits, like an Instant Replay challenge where visitors can play referee and decide whether to overturn or confirm rulings on the field.

Nancy Palmieri / Associated Press

A road trip through New England makes a worthy vacation for hoops, hardball, and racquet sports fans. Nearly 300 iconic players come alive at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA, where James Naismith created the game in 1891. Just 90 minutes away in Boston sits MLB's oldest (and one of America's best) baseball stadiums: Fenway Park. Tours include sitting on the notorious Green Monster, the frustrating, drama-making 37-foot, 2-inch-high left field wall. In nearby Newport, RI, the International Tennis Hall of Fame's elegant grounds hold 13 grass courts that were host to the 1881 tournament that evolved into today's U.S. Open.