If you’re a true-blue sports fan, there are probably a few venues you’ve dreamed of visiting—places where historic events in your favourite sport have taken place. Today, we pay tribute to these locations by compiling our top 10 historic sporting venues which you may want to visit on a Sport Travel holiday.
Lambeau Field
No matter what NFL team you’re looking for, you’d agree that if there ever was a sacred venue in American Football, it’s Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers and venue of the 1967 NFL championship game—one of the greatest (and one of the coldest) games in the sport’s history.
Wimbledon
Its actual name is the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, but the place and the tournament it houses is more popularly known as Wimbledon. The Championships, of course, is known for being the most prestigious and oldest tennis tournament on the planet. The venue’s 15,000-seating Center Court was built in 1922 and also survived bombing during WWII.
The Rose Bowl
It’s not just one of the most popular sports venues. The Rose Bowl also hosted several historic sporting events like the 1932 and 1984 Olympics; the 1994 FIFA World Cup; the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup; five Super Bowls (i.e. 1977, 1980, 1983, 1987 and 1993); and countless other college football championship games.
Lord’s Cricket Ground
It may not be the original location of Thomas Lord’s cricket ground, but the current Lord’s Cricket Ground is considered the home of cricket, and is the site of MCC Museum, the oldest sporting museum.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Yes, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the venue for the Indy 500, one of the most prestigious racing events in the world. But more importantly, the racetrack played a role in the development of automobiles during the early 1900s because carmakers then didn’t have a proper location for testing.
Saratoga Race Course
Inaugurated in 1863, the Saratoga Race Course is the oldest organised sports venue in the United States and in this list. It’s also known as the House of Upsets for a good reason: several of thoroughbred racing’s all-time greats lost here. Perhaps the most notable of these defeats is when Man o’ War, one of the greatest racehorses ever, lost to Upset in 1919.
Augusta National Golf Club
Since 1934, the Augusta National Golf Club has hosted the yearly Masters Tournament, one of the top pro-golf championships in the world. That alone is good enough to put Augusta on any top historic sporting lists.
Madison Square Garden
The Garden may not be as old as the other venues in this list, but it certainly doesn’t lack in significance. There’s a saying that goes something like: “You haven’t made it until you’ve played in/performed at/sold out/done something great at the Garden.” Michael Jordan, Mark Messier, Reggie Miller, Willis Reed all had their moments here.
St. Andrews Links
Golf has been played in St. Andrews Links since the 15th century. It’s the birthplace of the sport. What more needs to be said?
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The G dates back to the 19th century, when the Melbourne Cricket Club chose the location of its cricket grounds in 1853. The venue eventually hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics and later the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Today, the G is home to AFL games, the State of Origin series and FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
