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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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TM
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.