Cooperstown always is at bat for the Baseball Hall of Fame
By Tom Adkinson
May 21, 2021

(Editor’s note: This is one in a series of travel stories spotlighting destinations and activities to consider in a time of coronavirus and to inspire safe outings elsewhere.)

The village of Cooperstown and its baseball lore are at the southern end of Lake Otsegoin central New York. Image by ThisIsCooperstown.com

COOPERSTOWN, New York – Was Cooperstown’s Doubleday Field where baseball was invented, as some people contend?

Almost certainly not, but it’s a great tale in the lore of baseball. It’s easy not to be too terribly concerned with the game’s origins since that is only one of many story lines examined in Cooperstown at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Statues, artwork, uniforms and considerable memorabilia are featured at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Image by ThisIsCooperstown.com

The hall of fame honors players, managers, executives and even umpires, and one of the museum’s captivating exhibits is “One for the Books,” a comprehensive look at baseball’s records and the stories behind them.

Fans of Major League Baseball are streaming back to ballparks now that the 2021 season is underway, and some of the diehards will be in Cooperstown when the latest class of inductees is honored on July 25. The honorees are Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker.

Although Cooperstown is synonymous with baseball, it is famous for other reasons, starting with its very name. The name is linked to the family of author James Fenimore Cooper (”Last of the Mohicans”), whose father founded the village between the Adirondacks and the Catskills in central New York.

A youthful baseball player crosses home plate in a game promotion in Cooperstown. Image by ThisIsCooperstown.com

The family name lives on at the Fenimore Art Museum, located on property the novelist once owned. The museum houses a significant collection of American folk and fine art and the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art. Artifacts relating to Cooper also are on display.

Beer, a baseball favorite, along with wine and cider are the focus of the Cooperstown Beverage Trail. Image by Cooperstown Beverage Trail.

Another non-baseball experience awaits at the Farmers’ Museum, which opened in 1944 but is on land that has been a working farm since 1813. The 1813 farm was owned by, yes, James Fenimore Cooper.

The farm overlooks Otsego Lake and explains 19th century rural life through historic buildings such as a tavern, a pharmacy, a blacksmith’s shop and a general store. Programs vary through the year, just as farm life did through the seasons.

Thaw Collection of American Indian Art is a key part of the Fenimore Art Museum. Image by Fenimore Museum of Art.

Proving baseball’s influence throughout Cooperstown, there’s a discount program for the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Fenimore Art Museum and the Farmers’ Museum. A double play gets a special rate if you pick any two museums, and a triple play discounts all three.

An additional draw for the region is the Cooperstown Beverage Trail, the first culinary trail in New York. Cooperstown has a reputation for fine drink that pre-dates baseball, and seven establishments are marked on the beverage trail, offering beer, wine and cider.