Cooperstown, NY - Home of the Baseball Hall of Fame

Prior to heading to Brewery Ommegang we spent about 24 hours in Cooperstown taking in the sites.  We stayed at the Inn at Cooperstown, which we booked based purely on their website and Trip Advisor rating.  So when we arrived and saw this beautiful mansion, we were excited.  The Inn was lovely and quaint, but still felt like a hotel rather than an dodgy motel.  While we were probably the youngest guests there, we loved their cookies and lemonade on the front veranda and the continental breakfast.  The front desk workers were friendly and helpful, offering up helpful suggestions for our time in town.  I would highly recommend staying here if you find yourself in Cooperstown.

Inn at Cooperstown

After arriving in the late afternoon, we settled into our room and then headed out to see Cooperstown.  Our first stop was Doubleday Field, where we actually caught a game!

Doubleday Field

Watching the game

View from the stands

More views...

Once we had our fill of the Field we headed through the downtown area and to Otsego Lake to catch some beautiful views.  The lake is only about 2 minutes from the Hall of Fame and about 5 minutes from the Inn.

The Lake Front

Amazing Views

After walking around, we went back to the Inn and asked the staff about restaurants in the area for dinner.  Without hesitation, they suggested Alex and Ika.  We split a small plate of Fingerling Fried Potatoes and Fried Pork Dumplings with a lovely seaweed salad and wasabi mayo.  In addition, we shared the Tipsy Barbecue Potted Pig and a Sesame Noodle Salad.  Based on our choices, you would correctly guess that the menu is varied, but all four dishes were delicious.  I especially loved the noodle salad!  I am normally not in love with cold pasta salads, but this really had loads of flavor with a nice texture and consistency.

Food from Alex and Ika

After dinner we wandered around the town a bit in search of a bar to have a couple of drinks.  We found two bars across the street from each other: one playing country, the other Bon Jovi.  We opted for the Bon Jovi at Cooley's Stone House Tavern.  This is where we had our first taste of Ommegang!  We leisurely enjoyed a few beers and then headed back to the Inn to prep for our adventures at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

We arrived at the Hall of Fame at about 10:00 the next morning and walked right in, managing to avoid some of the larger crowds that were on their way.  The first section of the museum details the history of the Hall of Fame and then leads you to a movie theatre with a short presentation that gets you excited about baseball.  From there we just wandered from room to room until we had seen all the highlights!

Boo!

Original Sox gear

Ted and I

The Bloody Sock!!!

This was a great year for us to visit the Hall of Fame because they had a lovely exhibit in honor of Fenway Park's centennial celebration.  As Sox fans, it made us feel a bit superior to all those Yankees fans walking around with their T-Shirts on!

Just like Fenway!

After exploring the museum, we entered into the official Hall of Fame and spotted some familiar names.

Ted Williams

Jim Rice

Swinging with the Greats!

Future Hall of Famers!

Cooperstown was definitely a fun little trip - true Americana.  I am not sure it warrants longer than a weekend stay, but if you like baseball its a great destination.  I loved the excuse of the wedding to stay over and visit Cooperstown!