This was our day dedicated to Canton. It was about an hour drive from Cleveland, so we spent most of the day there.

Where We Went

McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. When I saw the museum come up as an attraction in Canton, I actually had to look up William McKinley because I hadn’t heard of him before. He was the 25th president of the United States and was assassinated in 1901 during his second term. Prior to being president, he lived in Canton and had a law practice before becoming involved in government.

I figured it’d be cool to go anyway and say we went to a presidential museum. It was basically Josh and I and a bunch of school kids there on field trips. There were some exhibits about the county at the time McKinley was president and there was a room with items from his home and his time in the White House. In that artifacts room, there were two animatronic figures of President McKinley and his wife that moved and talked; I found it a bit creepy. There was a science center on the lower level we had to go to so Josh could touch everything—it’s like going with a child. He did the same thing in DC; anything with a button or is interactive, Josh is there.

After we walked up to the memorial (that’s right outside the museum) where McKinley, his wife, and their two daughters are buried. The memorial was built from 1905–1907 and has 108 steps leading up to the memorial itself. We saw a few people there working out and running up and down the stairs.

Canton sign. This was a spur of the moment as we drove past the sign in downtown Canton on our way to lunch. It was about five minutes from the sandwich shop, so we walked over after we ate to grab a picture. The “A” is for the McKinley Memorial and the “O” is a football.

Pro Football Hall of Fame. Fun fact: The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the main reason why we went to Ohio. Josh said he always wanted to go, and I love football, so I said sure. (There didn’t seem like much to do in Canton for almost a week, so that’s why we decided to stay in Cleveland and drive down for a day.)

I wore a New York Giants shirt and Josh wore a New England Patriots shirt—and we confused the older guy (a volunteer) who was greeting people as they walked into the first exhibit. 

We started in the Hall of Fame lockers area, highlighting the incoming class of 2024, then moved onto The NFL’s First Century Gallery, which is actually on two levels. Then came the Hall of Fame gallery that has all of the bronze busts. We saw the Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl Championship Rings on display as well as pieces from the recent seasons in the Pro Football Today Gallery—boy am I glad Andy Reid’s face shield made it to the HOF. 

We hit up the gift shop on the way out, and there were way too many options to choose from, between HOF specific swag and swag for each NFL team. I got myself a sweatshirt, a hat for my dad, and a mug for my mom; Josh got himself a sweatshirt, a mini Patriots helmet, and a shot glass. 

What We Ate + Drank

Breakfast: made at the Airbnb. Our usual scrambled eggs, toasted English muffins, yogurt, and fruit.

Lunch: Deli Ohio. This place was super cute inside! It was another Google Maps find for something close by in Canton that we could stop at between the McKinley Museum and the Football HOF. Josh got a Reuben and I got a Rachel—both were so good.

Dinner: The Brew Kettle. The Brew Kettle is right next to the HOF, so it was just a short walk and a good option for us to grab food before heading back to Cleveland. You know the deal by now: flights of beer and splitting a giant pretzel. Josh got BBQ Mac and Cheese and I got burnt end tacos; literally the only thing I didn’t like the entire we were there was the side of coleslaw. I’m oddly picky about my slaw and something just tasted off.

Other Notes

Around dinner on that night was when I think I finally hit my wall of exhaustion. We still had two more days to go—one day of activities and one day of travel—so I was going to pull through, but I was looking forward to coming back home.

We watched the Tom Brady Patriots induction the other night, and Josh asked if we could go to the HOF induction when Brady gets in; I said we’d see.