Way Beyond Baseball in Cooperstown, NYBy Sheree Bykofsky
Visitors drawn to enlightening, off-the-beaten-path destinations as opposed to formulaic or contrived experiences, will find that Cooperstown offers unique attractions not available in theme parks or big cities. Savvy opera lovers flock to Cooperstown each summer for the Glimmerglass Opera Festival; historians discover Cooperstown is a repository of Americana with three museums dedicated to our nation’s history, including an American art museum (Fenimore Art Museum with its pretty garden by the lake) and a 19th-Century living farm museum (Farmers’ Museum) where you can pet baby heifers and walk among the chickens. Beer drinkers may not realize that 80% of the hops grown in America at the turn of the last century was grown in this region, and the Busch family estate still overlooks Lake Otsego, the Glimmerglass of James Fenimore Cooper’s novels.
Alright, alright. Don’t miss the Baseball Hall of Fame museum either—if only to get your picture taken beside Babe Ruth or to see Abbott and Costello perform Who’s on First. If you go: Farmer’s Museum Fenimore Cooper Baseball Hall of Fame Leatherstocking Golf Course |
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To baseball fanatics, Cooperstown—with its Baseball Hall of Fame—is Mecca, Heaven on Earth, and the Promised Land all rolled into one. But, if gawking at the memorabilia associated with men in pajamas throwing orbs at sticks does not thrill you, you’ll still find Cooperstown to be a worthwhile vacation destination for many reasons.
In fact, many folks are unaware that, in the early 1900's, Cooperstown was a playground for the elite of the Northeast who would venture up in their “horseless carriages” and play golf at The Otesaga, a 1909 resort still located on the southern shore of the lake. The elegant Otesaga has been completely restored and offers comfort, extravagance, fine dining--courtesy of David Lockwood, executive chef--swimming, boating, live music, and every resort amenity to recharge even the most stressed traveler. Like the hotel, the award-winning golf course with its long, wide fairways and challenging whimsical holes, is pristine and manicured and offers great views of the lake.
There are many food-related special events held each year in Cooperstown, including traditional maple sugaring demonstrations in spring and the annual Harvest Festival in the fall. Other notable venues include Fly Creek Cider Mill and the Belgian-style Brewery Ommegang.