AFC NORTH

Joe’s favorite training camp: Steelers camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Penn. is Exhibit A that Pittsburgh is a football town, which isn’t taking away from the rich football traditions of Cleveland, Cincinnati and Baltimore. It’s just the Steelers fans are over the top, and with a scenic location, Latrobe is hard to beat. Frankly, this is the best division in NFL to watch camp. All four camps provide good access to enjoying all the crunching hits in practice.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Road tripping: Baltimore visits the Jets, New England, Carolina, Atlanta and Houston, in addition to annual stops in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati.

Recommended road trips: Make it a four-day weekend down in Dixie as the Ravens visit the Falcons in Atlanta on Nov. 11. The largest city in the South, Atlanta will keep you busy. Two other suggestions include a Dec. 13 trip to the Lone Star State to watch Ravens battle the Texans in Houston. A day earlier, check out the Cowboys hosting the rival Eagles up in Dallas. If you haven’t seen the Ravens in Cincinnati, catch them their Sept. 19 at 1 p.m., — then drive two hours to Indianapolis after the game to catch the Colts in prime time against the Giants. Can’t wait until the regular season starts? Head 40 miles south to Washington as Baltimore visits the Redskins Aug. 21 for a preseason tilt.

Visiting training camp (open to the public): Baltimore holds camp 35 miles northwest of town at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md. It’s a pleasant, pretty campus and traditional small town setting in a city with 17,500 residents. It’s also a tradition Ravens fans have known since 1997 when the team debuted camp here when the school was known by its former name of Western Maryland College. The downside to the sleepy location is that there’s really not much to do here besides the football. For more information on Ravens camp, including practice access, click this link or call 410-261-RAVE.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Road tripping: The orange and black visit the Jets, New England, Carolina, Atlanta and Indianapolis on top of stops to Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

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Recommended road trips: Start spreading the news … and the parade … and the turkey. The Bengals close out Thanksgiving Night against the Jets at New Meadowlands Stadium. Make the most of the holiday weekend and watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan. That Sunday, you could head to Baltimore or Washington on the train as both clubs are home (Ravens host Buccaneers; Redskins host Miami).

A closer to home roadie would be the two-hour trek by car to Indianapolis Nov. 14 as the Bengals visit the Colts. To get a start on the season, Cincinnati plays in the Hall of Fame game Aug. 8 against Dallas in Canton, Ohio, which is 230 miles from the Queen City.

Visiting training camp (open to the public): The Bengals train 75 miles south down I-75 from Cincinnati at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Ky., a suburb of Lexington. It’s one of the nicest camp facilities for players. As for the fans, you can’t get as close to the players as some other NFL camps, but it’s still a good experience. There is a small fee to park on campus. As far as things to do in the area besides football, consider heading about 12 miles south to Lexington which is home to minor league baseball and the surrounding areas has plenty of horse racing options to keep you occupied. Also, keep in mind the Bengals will likely open camp a few days earlier this year because they’re playing in the Hall of Fame game, the NFL’s first exhibition game. For more information on Bengals camp, visit www.bengals.com/team/training-camp.html or call 513-621-3550.

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Road tripping: Outside of annual jaunts to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Baltimore, the Browns will be headed in a distinctly southerly direction and Florida’s official tourism agency is ready to open its arms. Cleveland visits Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami across three different months, and also makes a stop in New Orleans and closer to home in Buffalo.

Recommended road trips: It’s hard to resist an excuse to visit the Sunshine State, so make it Nov. 21 at Jacksonville and/or Dec. 5 at Miami. Then again, it’s hard to resist an excuse to visit the Big Easy as the Browns hit New Orleans, Oct. 24. The tame traveler could make the three-hour drive up the Lake Erie corridor to Buffalo, Dec. 12. Browns fans might also consider making the trip to historic Lambeau Field in Green Bay for the Aug. 14 exhibition game.

Visiting training camp (open to the public): Cleveland holds camp at its training facility in suburban Berea. It’s a fan-friendly setting for fans to watch practice alongside their fellow die-hards (and considering how bad the Indians are, they’ll probably be more company than usual). For more information on Browns camp, visit www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/training-facility.html or call 877-627-6967.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Road tripping: Pittsburgh heads to Buffalo, Nashville, Tampa, Miami and New Orleans on top of its annual roadies to Baltimore, Cincinnati and Cleveland.

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Recommended road trips: Dress up in your best Halloween costume as variations of black and gold meet Oct. 31 in New Orleans. The last two winners of the Super Bowl square off in one of the most anticipated match-ups of the season at the Superdome in prime time. Someone keep an eye on Big Ben in the Big Easy. He could be tempted. Another temptation hard to resist is an Oct. 24 trip to Miami. Closer to home, make the 220-mile drive to Buffalo Nov. 28 as the Steelers visit the Bills. Lastly, to get a start on the season, head to the city so nice they named it twice as Pittsburgh visits the Giants for an Aug. 21 exhibition game at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

Visiting training camp (open to the public): If you want to experience why the Steelers are among football's most die-hard fans, come to St. Vincent College in Latrobe, 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. As my loyal Steelers friend frequently reminds me, the fans here are not only knowledgeable and loyal, but also quite outspoken. While fans at most camps are simply observers expressing very little noise, Steelers fans are always in game-day mode. It makes for a great, unique atmosphere, although it can get crowded, especially for autographs.

The college is a great venue though and the Steelers have been training here for more than 40 years. And if that wasn’t compelling enough, the Steelers practice in a scenic area of the state known as the Laurel Highlands, home to pretty hillsides and the highest mountain in the Keystone State, and some of the coolest weather, too. Enjoy the natural beauty of the area and beer lovers, Rolling Rock Brewery, offers tours in town. For more information on Steelers training camp, including practice access, visit www.steelers.com or call 412-697-7766 or 412-432-7800.

Joe Connor is a contributor to NBCSports.com and author of the annually-updated online training camp and stadium guide, “A Fan’s Guide To The Ultimate NFL Travel Experience” which is available for purchase exclusively at his Web site: www.mrsportstravel.com.