Trip Report - Cooperstown, NY

[Jimbo]

Overview

Cooperstown is a quaint little village of about 2,000 at the tip of Otsego Lake.  Kinda gives me a Door County-ish vibe.  My wife and I visited in September, so it was off-season.  If you go in the summer, your experience could be a bit different than ours.

 

Travel

Cooperstown is about 2:00 from the Albany airport.  I am unsure of the distance from the Syracuse airport.  There is no rail nor other public transportation.  You will need a car.

 

Lodging

Three chain hotels are in the area.  They are not located in the village.  They are about ten minutes away.  Their business addresses are Milford, NY.

I say the Holiday Inn is a bit nicer than the Best Western, and the Best Western is a bit nicer than the Comfort Inn.  The prices reflect that.  We stayed at the Comfort Inn for two nights and were satisfied.  Then again, we are not too particular.

If you want to try something different and willing to spend a bit more, the Lake Front Hotel is located at the lakeshore.  It is within walking distance of the business district.  It’s like you are staying in Fish Creek.  It looks passable from the outside and the online reviews are favorable.

If things are full, the village of Oneonta has four chain hotels and is located thirty minutes to the south.

 

Meals

We ate at the Upstate Bar and Grill the first night.  I liked the décor, akin to an Appleby’s.  Plenty of screens which allowed me the opportunity to watch the local Mets trot out Phil Bickford and Trevor Gott as I enjoyed my Mushroom and Swiss burger.  They had a nice bar which I wanted to try the second night.  However, no Sam Adams and no one chatted with us.

We got some appetizers at the Lake Front Restaurant after our museum visit.  Outdoor seating was available, but passed as my wife was fighting off a cold.

The second night we ate at an Italian place that was a bit pricey.

Maybe a couple of diners in the business district, but didn’t look open for dinner.

 

Parking

Street parking in the village is limited to two hours.  The lot at Doubleday Field is unlimited for $15 which you pay at the kiosk.  We all-day parked at an adjacent private lot where I put $15 cash in an envelope and slipped into the slot.

In the summer, park-and-ride trolleys are available.  One north of town and one south of town.

 

Hall of Fame

$28 adult admission.  Summer hours 10:00-19:00.  Off-season 10:00-17:00.

The museum has three floors.  You enter on the first floor.  They recommend you start at the second floor.

Second Floor – a movie theater where you can screen a fifteen-minute film celebrating the sport.  Produced by the same person who did “42”.  This floor focused on the early beginnings and evolution of the game.  Individual exhibits honoring the icons of the game.  Also, tributes to the Negro Leagues and women in baseball.  We spent 3.5 hours here.  I’m the kind of person who reads and studies EVERYTHING.

Third Floor – focus on the fan experience.  Stadiums and collectables.  I did an interaction where I had five jpgs made up of myself with five classic card styles (’75 Topps, ’87 Topps, etc).  Since time was getting low, only spent 1:45 here, but could have spent another hour easily.

First Floor – I did an interaction where I had a jpg made up with my own plaque.  Then went into the room with the plaques.  This all took thirty minutes.  Then fifteen minutes in the gift shop.  Then it was closing time.

The museum does not have a snack shop nor food court.  Re-entry is allowed, if you need to get lunch.

We arrived at 10:45 and needed every minute.  I didn’t sit down once.  I’d suggest arriving as the doors open.

 

Summary

A wonderful experience.  I recommend all lovers of baseball make the pilgrimage once in their lifetime.

 

 

 

 

[Brewcrew82]

In my 27 years of existence, this is one of those things that I have yet to check off my bucket list. One day!

Nice to see I have some company in being "that person" who reads everything. 

[ReverendBrewmeister]

Good report, Jimbo. Sounds like you had a good trip. It's worth the trek to see the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I would endorse late summer and fall as an excellent time of year to visit Cooperstown and/or other parts of the region out here in the Mid-Atlantic.

[Jim French Stepstool]

My wife has family in the Boston area, so maybe someday. Sounds like you went at a good time for avoiding a lot of humanity.

Thanks for a very helpful report.

[BlightyBrew]

Thanks for the report.  I'm hoping to go next year if things align.  This was very helpful.

[BlazingGunz]

Nice report!  Visited Copperstown as a kid back in the 90's.  Hope to get back some day!

[LouisEly]

On a side note, I would not have guessed that the Albany metro area is larger than the Syracuse metro area.  Similar drive time from the Syracuse airport, about 1:40.

The Syracuse airport is about a 2.5 hour drive from Niagara Falls if you want to combine both in the same trip.

[AKCheesehead]

For what it's worth, a cursory search shows direct flights from ORD to both Albany and Syracuse, with 'Cuse costing a fair bit less than Albany.