The real diehards know the NFL season starts when teams report to training camp, not when the first regular-season kickoff goes into the air.
Well, the first batch of rookies report to Seattle Seahawks training camp on Friday, July 17, in Renton, Wash. So consider the season underway.
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Most NFL camps open next week with full squads expected to report by July 28. The first preseason game of the season, the Hall of Fame Game between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers, is set for Aug. 6.
It begins: Seahawks rookies report to training camp today.
In 11 days, all 32 NFL teams will be in camp.
20 days to the hall of fame game.
54 days to kickoff in Seattle. pic.twitter.com/yNe9b4O9yA
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 17, 2026
Training camp is where you can stand a few yards from franchise quarterbacks, hear position coaches bark through drills and maybe walk away with a signed glove or a selfie that buys you bragging rights all year. It is also one of the last genuinely affordable, family-friendly ways to get close to the NFL.
From small-town college fields to billion-dollar complexes, this bucket list lays out the training camp stops that belong on every fan’s summer map.
1. Green Bay Packers at Ray Nitschke Field & the bike tradition
Taylor Elgersma participates in a training camp tradition where they ride children's bicycles from Lambeau Field to the practice field, accompanied by young fans. This tradition, has been a part of the Packers' culture since 1958 @ElgersmaTaylor pic.twitter.com/exbOrZajKa
— Fred Weinrauch (@Proplayersagent) August 7, 2025
The signature training camp experience in the league still lives with the Green Bay Packers, where players ride kids’ bicycles from Lambeau Field to Ray Nitschke Field. The tradition dates back decades and turns every practice day into a small-town parade as fans line the sidewalk and kids hustle to find a player willing to hop on their bike.
Ray Nitschke Field itself feels like an old-school football postcard: bleachers pressed right up against the grass, fans close enough to the offensive line drills to hear the calls, and the stadium bowl of Lambeau looming in the background. If you hit it right, you can stack a morning of practice, an afternoon stadium tour and a stop at the Packers Hall of Fame into one day.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers at Saint Vincent College’s hill & campus feel
Few teams can match the Pittsburgh Steelers for nostalgia, and their setup at Saint Vincent College leans right into it. Players walk down the long, sloping pathway from the dorms to the fields through a corridor of fans, a daily procession that doubles as a reminder this is still a team that goes away to camp.
The hillside overlooking the main field gives you a natural grandstand view. You can stretch out on a blanket, watch one-on-one drills and scan the sideline for alumni who tend to drift through Latrobe, Pa., every summer. When the schedule aligns, the famous “seven shots” goal-line drill becomes a live competition that defines whole days of talk radio back in Pittsburgh.
The Dallas Cowboys still have roots in Oxnard, Calif., and will spend the first three weeks of camp there. But the year-round headquarters at The Star in Frisco, Texas, has become a destination in its own right and will host the final prep days of camp. The complex folds practice fields into a full entertainment district, with restaurants, shops and a hotel wrapped around the action.
From a fan comfort standpoint, this is about as easy as camp gets. You can watch practice from shaded concourses or the plaza, then duck inside for food and air conditioning before looping back for autographs. Big video boards give you a replay angle you will not get standing on a rope line at most old-school sites, and the setup is built to accommodate large crowds without feeling like a crush.
4. Kansas City Chiefs at Missouri Western & the hilltop view
The Kansas City Chiefs’ camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo., turns into a regional event. Fans drive in from across the Midwest, line up before gates open and race to claim spots along the fences for a look at a perennial contender going through its paces.
The hill that overlooks the fields gives you a panoramic view of team drills, and the open layout makes it easy to bounce from the quarterbacks to the defensive backs without missing much. When the team works red-zone or two-minute situations, you can see the entire operation unfold in front of you like a coaches’ tape angle in real time.
5. Buffalo Bills in Rochester & Bills Mafia’s summer meetup
When the Buffalo Bills head to camp at St. John Fisher University in the Rochester, N.Y., area, it feels like the fan base relocates with them. Parking lots fill with grills and folding tables, and the same energy that drives the fan culture during winter home games shows up in shorts and t-shirts.
The seating bowl puts you right on top of the action. Quarterbacks and receivers work directly in front of fans, and defensive backs hear it immediately if they get beat on a deep ball. Because the town is smaller, you also get a decent chance of bumping into players or staff at local spots after practice.
6. New Orleans Saints at Ochsner Center heat check
The New Orleans Saints’ camp in Metairie, La., delivers the purest “you are in the middle of a football practice” sensation in the league, helped along by the Louisiana humidity. Fans who plant themselves on the sidelines get a steady diet of one-on-ones, red-zone work and the type of special teams drills that usually get hidden during the season.
The team has leaned into making it accessible, with fan zones, shaded seating in spots, and regular autograph sessions. If you can handle the heat, you walk away feeling like you saw a full day of work, not just a walk-through staged for show.
7. New York Giants at the legacy of Albany & modern East Rutherford
The New York Giants built an identity with their long-running camps at the University at Albany, where fans sat on metal bleachers in the heat watching physical practices on college fields. The current setup at the team facility in East Rutherford is more polished but still tries to preserve some of that feel, with fans close enough to the sideline to pick up coaching points. This year, the Giants will hold a two-week camp in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., as the team facility undergoes renovations and MetLife Stadium recoups from hosting the World Cup final.
For local fans, the team facility is a chance to see the franchise in a more relaxed setting than a game at MetLife. For visiting fans, it pairs easily with a New York or New Jersey trip, turning a morning of practice into a full city weekend.
8. Chicago Bears at Halas Hall’s redesigned training ground
The Chicago Bears’ move to hold camp at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Ill., turned their headquarters into a fan venue. The club invested in expanded seating, fan access points and viewing angles that let you see multiple fields at once without doing laps around the complex.
The combination of trees, water and practice fields makes it a comfortable watch on a good-weather day. With stands right near the offensive and defensive lines, you can actually study trench work, which tends to get swallowed up in the chaos of a live game.
9. Philadelphia Eagles at open-practice Lincoln Financial experience
The Philadelphia Eagles split their work between the NovaCare Complex and a signature open practice at Lincoln Financial Field, and that stadium event belongs on any fan’s list. Tickets are generally inexpensive, parking opens early, and the crowd size gives the day a game-adjacent feel without the usual price tag.
You get to see practice routines in a full NFL venue with music, in-stadium entertainment and a crowd that reacts to every deep ball like it is a playoff game. For younger fans, it can be a first taste of the stadium, with shorter lines and a more relaxed pace.