Cooperstown

Cooperstown, in Central New York, is known best for its role as the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The villagers believe that Abner Doubleday invented baseball on a cow pasture within the village in 1839. (The actual origins of baseball are uncertain but surely date back earlier.)

Babe Ruth exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Cooperstown is also known for the Glimmerglass Opera Festival which is the finest of its kind in Upstate New York and even beats the only permanent opera company in this area, Syracuse Opera.

No Amtrak trains stop in Cooperstown, as the nearest stops are in Amsterdam and Utica. However, the town is served by direct Greyhound/Trailways bus routes.

• Greyhound. Buses stop at Cooperstown's AAA Motor Club at 72 Elm St, a few blocks from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and Doubleday Field. From New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal, the ride takes about 5 hours and 30 minutes and costs (as of June 2009) $49.25 one-way or $98.50 round-trip. 

• 🌍 National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, 25 Main Street, ☏ +1 607 547-7200, toll-free: +1-888-HALL-OF-FAME (4255-63-3263), info@baseballhall.org. (updated Jun 2019)
• 🌍 Farmers' Museum, 5775 State Highway 80, ☏ +1 607 547-1450. Known for their spectacular Independence Day events every July 4. 
• 🌍 Fenimore Art Museum, 5798 State Highway 80, ☏ +1 607 547-1400. 
• 🌍 Brewery Ommegang, County Highway 33, toll-free: +1-800-544-1809. 
• 🌍 The Smithy-Pioneer Art Gallery, 55 Pioneer Street, ☏ +1 607 547-8671. 
• 🌍 Hyde Hall, 267 Glimmerglass State Park Rd, Springfield (Glimmerglass State Park), ☏ +1 607 547-5098, fax: +1 607 547-8462. Late May - mid-Oct: daily 10AM-4PM. Magnificent 19th century mansion. Includes the oldest extant covered bridge in the U.S., the Hyde Hall Bridge. Adults $12, under 18/over 61/military/veterans $10. (updated Jun 2015)
• Cooperstown Historic District. There are over 200 historic buildings in this district, many of them on Main Street.
• 🌍 Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park, ☏ + 1 607 547-8662. (updated Jun 2018)

• Glimmerglass Opera Festival (Alice Busch Opera Theater), 7300 State Rte 80 (all the way up the lake). July & August. 3 opera productions, 1 classical Broadway musical plus countless additional events. The intimate theater offers 914 seats, almost all of them providing excellent view onto the stage. Enjoy the luxury of a real orchestra (which isn't understood in an opera in Upstate). Throw on your nicest attire and don't forget to bring a light blanket, since the theater has neither AC nor heating. 

• Stagecoach Coffee, 31 Pioneer Street, ☏ +1 607 547-6229. Less than $10 per person. 

• The Brewery Ommegang, 656 County Highway 33, ☏ +1 607 544-1800. Produces authentic Belgian-style ales. Brewery grounds are host to musical events and camping. 
• Cooley's Stone House Tavern, 49 Pioneer St, ☏ +1 607 544-1311. Pub with Irish flair. 
• Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard, 288 Goose St, toll-free: +1-800-505-6455. 

• 🌍 Best Western Inn & Suites at the Commons, 50 Commons Drive, ☏ +1 607 547-7100. Beautiful hotel with spacious extended stay suites. 
• 🌍 Landmark Inn, 64 Chestnut Street, ☏ +1 607 547-7225, info@landmarkinncooperstown.com. $139-359. 
• 🌍 The Otesaga Hotel, 60 Lake St (North on Route 80 headed out of the village), ☏ +1 607-547-9931, toll-free: +1 800-348-6222. Resort on Otsego Lake, featuring a spa and great dining. Great for wedding and other such occasions (updated Feb 2020)
• Tunnicliff Inn, 34 Pioneer Place (Turn at the village flagpole), ☏ +1 607-547-9611. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. (updated Feb 2020)