Celebrating baseball in Cooperstown

Deborah Lynn Blumberg

Two young people stare up at baseball legends Babe Ruth, left, and Ted Williams at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.

Home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown is the place to go for baseball enthusiasts. Fans can while away hours learning about the game's greats and spend an afternoon browsing in the memorabilia shops lining Main Street. But with its unusual boutiques, specialty food stores, two local breweries, a winery and cider mill, the town has plenty to offer nonsports fans. In warm months, visitors also can swim, fish or boat at the nearby Otsego Lake, or just spend time relaxing on its banks.

To get there, take I-87 north to I-90 west to Exit 25A. Take I-88 west to Exit 24. Follow Route 7 west to Route 20 west, to Route 80 south into Cooperstown. For information, call the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce, 607-547-9983, or go tocooperstownchamber.org.

ATTRACTIONS

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, 25 Main St. (888-425-5633;baseballhalloffame.org), features a collection of 35,000 artifacts and 130,000 baseball cards. It is open seven days a week year-round, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Hours vary, check Web site. Admission is $14.50 for adults; $9.50 seniors, and $5 for ages 7-12. Ticket packages available.

Doubleday Field (off Main Street near the Baseball Hall of Fame) is a minor-league field that plays host to an average of 325 games a season, including the Hall of Fame Game, the annual exhibition between two major league teams.

The nearby Heroes of Baseball Wax Museum, 99 Main St. (607-547-1273;baseballwaxmuseum.com), has life-size replicas of stars such as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April through October; admission is $7.95 for adults and $5.95 for seniors and children.

The Farmer's Museum, 5775 State Hwy. 80 (607-547-1450;farmersmuseum.org), offers a glimpse of a mid-19th century farm and includes exhibits on the Empire State carousel and the history of ice cream (through Oct. 31). Hours and admission vary, check Web site.

Among the baseball memorabilia shops, boutiques and specialty stores on Main Street are Seventh Inning Stretch, 137 Main St. (607-547- 2028;seventh-inning-stretch.com) and The Cooperstown Bat Co., 6106 State Hwy. 28 (888-547-2415; cooperstownbat.com), which crafts and engraves wood bats.

Essential Elements Day Spa & Boutique, 137 Main St. (607-547-9432;essentialelementsdayspa.com), sells locally made jewelry, soaps, lotions and scrubs, and offers creative spa treatments.

Brewery Ommegang, 656 County Hwy. 33 (800-544-1809;ommegang.com), has free tours and tastings daily 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Memorial Day to Labor Day and noon to 5 p.m. in winter. Special events include a Belgian beer and food festival in July, and beer and a blues music weekend in May. Also on the "Cooperstown Beverage Trail" are The Cooperstown Brewing Co., 110 River St. in Milford (607-286-9330; cooperstownbrewing.com), the Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard, 288 Goose St. in nearby Fly Creek, N.Y. (607-547-9692; flycreekcidermill.com), and the Bear Pond Winery, 2515 State Hwy. 28 (607-643-0294; bearpondwines.com).

WHERE TO STAY

Built in 1874, The Inn at Cooperstown, 16 Chestnut St. (607-547-5756;innatcooperstown.com), has rooms from $95 to $335, Continental breakfast included.

The Cooper Inn, 15 Chestnut St., (607-547-2567; cooperinn.com), a Federal-style manor house has rooms from $115 to $335.

Overlooking Lake Otsego, the Otsega Resort and Hotel, 60 Lake St. (607-547-9931; otesaga.com), closed in winter, offers recently refurbished rooms, including suites; from $435 to $600.

The cozy Main Street Bed & Breakfast, 202 Main St. (607-547- 9755; mainstreetbandb.info), offers rooms from $109 to $165, including full breakfast.

Outside of town are several large chain hotels. The Holiday Inn Express, 4758 State Hwy. 28 (607-547-8000; ichotelsgroup.com), has rooms from about $79 in offseason to $229 in summer. The Best Western Inn & Suites, 50 Commons Dr. (607-547-7100; bwcooperstown.com), rooms $95 to $225. The Howard Johnson Inn and Suites of Cooperstown 4470 State Hwy. 28 (607-286- 7600; cooperstownhowardjohnson.com), rooms $79 to $225.

WHERE TO EAT

Danny's Main Street Market, 92 Main St. (607-547- 4053); sandwiches, $7.50 to $8, and specialty foods perfect for an afternoon picnic. For dessert, Schneider's Bakery, 157 Main St. (607-547-9631), delectable pastries since 1887.

Known for its big burgers served in a tiny space, the Cooperstown Diner, 136 1/2 Main St. (607-547-9201;cooperstowndiner.com), also has dinner specials.

Alex and Ika, 49 Main St. (607-547-4070;alexandika.com). Creative entrees, $28 to $39. A Culinary Institute of America graduate owns and cooks American cuisine at the Yum Yum Shack, 4918 State Hwy. 28 (607-547-8088, daveneil.com/yumyum), 3 miles south of Cooperstown. Entrees, $13.75 to $26.50; children's menu.