Nestled on the southern shores of Lake Otesago, nicknamed Glimmerglass for its placid clarity by 19th century novelist James Fenimore Cooper, Cooperstown is probably best known for being the fabled birthplace of our national pastime, baseball. Although historians have long discredited that claim, thousands of visitors make the pilgrimage every year to tour the town’s crown jewel – The National Baseball Hall of Fame – poring over a bounty of memorabilia celebrating baseball’s greatest legends.
At the Old Ballgame
The Baseball Hall of Fame tends to be the primary reason for a visit to Cooperstown, and understandably so. With three floors brimming with remarkable artifacts, aficionados will delight in Hank Aaron’s 714th homerun ball, an actual ticket booth from the old Yankee Stadium, some of the uniforms worn in the film A League of Their Own and a recording featuring the raspy voice of the Great Bambino to name a very few. A scavenger hunt leads younger visitors through the galleries and engages them in a search for a variety of artifacts they might otherwise have missed.
At Doubleday Field, three youth ballgames are played each day from late spring through early fall and admission is free. This small stadium, with its verdant field and old-fashioned scoreboard elicits memories of days on the sandlot. Teams can rent the field and kids come to Cooperstown from far and wide to play here. Doubleday is also the site of the annual Hall of Fame game. Each Memorial Day Saturday, Hall of Famers and recently retired players representing all 30 major league ball teams meet for a 7-inning legends game.
History Alive
Beyond baseball, Cooperstown’s agricultural past is celebrated at the Farmers’ Museum, a beautifully preserved 19th century “village” located about a mile outside of town. This living history treasure is made up of several local buildings that were moved to the site, which was once a working farm owned by James Fenimore Cooper. Visitors to the museum become fully immersed in New York’s rural history, watching as the village printer lays the type for the week’s newspaper, chatting with the pharmacist in the apothecary as he rolls ginger pills to settle the stomachs of the townsfolk, or practicing a lesson with the teacher in the schoolhouse. A ride on one of 25 hand-carved animals aboard the newest addition, is a fun way to enjoy the state’s native critters.
A short drive to the nearby hamlet of Fly Creek will bring you to the historic Fly Creek Cider Mill, where apple cider is made the oldfashioned way, pressing New York State apples using the power derived from the creek. Feed the gaggle of geese, ducks and chickens that waddle and scurry around the yard, sample the Mill’s famous donuts, and enjoy some cold cider. You won’t be able to leave their well-stocked store empty handed.
Main Street, U.S.A.
Cooperstown’s business district is iconic Americana and a stroll through town is a must. Saturday mornings see a bustling community farmers’ market where you can pop in for a taste of goat cheese from the local Painted Goat Farm, sample some handmade lavender beeswax balm, and enjoy a bit of live jazz. Shops such as Mickey’s Place and the Cooperstown Bat Company cater to the baseball crowd and fans can have a bat personalized while they wait. A great place for lunch is the Doubleday Café, while Schneider’s Bakery, a village mainstay since 1887, offers scrumptious black and white cookies and lots of other goodies to satisfy a sweet tooth.
If you find the pull of Lake Otesago’s sparkling waters too strong to resist, drive up to Sam Smith’s Boatyard where you can rent all manner of watercraft. Grab some kayaks and paddle along Cooper’s Glimmerglass to Three Mile Point where you can swim and lounge on the sandy beach.
Just over three hours from Westchester, friendly, picturesque Cooperstown is a perfect destination for a family getaway.
Gina DeCaprio Vercesi is a Westchester-based educator and mother, and creator of the Kids Unplugged program. kidsunplugged.org.
When You Go …
THE NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
25 Main St., Cooperstown. 607-547-7200. baseballhall.org
DOUBLEDAY FIELD
1 Doubleday Court, Cooperstown. 607-547-2270. doubledayfield.com
THE FARMERS’ MUSEUM
5775 State Highway 80 (Lake Street), Cooperstown. 607-547-1450. farmersmuseum.org
FLY CREEK CIDER MILL
288 Goose St., Fly Creek. 800-505-6455. flycreekcidermill.com
DOUBLEDAY CAFÉ
93 Main St., Cooperstown. 607-547-5468.
SCHNEIDER’S BAKERY
157 Main St., Cooperstown. 607-547-9361.
SAM SMITH’S BOATYARD
6098 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. 607-547-2543. bluemingogrill.com/sam-smiths-boatyard
