A Slugger’s Mecca

Tuesday, 30 March 2010 19:58

Baseball Fans Swarm to Cooperstown to Honor America’s Favorite Pastime

Baseball mania is about to reach a fever pitch. A bad pun, true, but come every spring and summer, America’s favorite pastime makes grown men weep in despair or chortle with glee depending upon the outcome of a game featuring their favorite team, especially if that game involves a bitter foe. Friends become enemies. Intra-league feuds rival Sicilian vendettas. But the one place at which every baseball fan can call a truce is Cooperstown, site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Quaint stone, brick and wood-frame Colonial and Italianate buildings line the small streets in this tiny hamlet in central New York state. Founded in 1786 by William Cooper, father of American novelist James Fenimore Cooper, Cooperstown was once a summer hideaway for royalists who remained in the colonies after the Revolutionary War. Today, it has retained much of its original flavor thanks to strict zoning laws and a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. The local population is around 2,000 residents but the town sees an influx of more than 300,000 visitors annually thanks to the Hall of Fame.

The large 71-year-old brick building on Main Street houses memorabilia covering more than 150 years of baseball. The museum is open year-round and even in dark and dreary February, you’ll spy fathers accompanying sons and baseball nerds dragging protesting girlfriends through its hallowed halls. But it’s best to go in late spring or early fall, when the weather is more accommodating and the crowds less rambunctious. Start on the second floor of the three-story building. Here you’ll find the Babe Ruth Room. The slugger is honored with highlights from his illustrious 20-year career. The second floor also showcases the game’s beginnings and includes an eye-opening photo montage of players on the Spalding World Baseball Tour in the late 1800s. The year-long trip promoted the young sport and America’s emerging global influence. Two separate exhibits pay homage to African-American and Latin-American players who have helped shape the game. Obsessive statisticians and card collectors will particularly enjoy the third floor with its Records Room, and space housing thousands of rare and popular baseball cards including the T206 Honus Wagner. Fans nostalgic for the late Tigers Stadium or Comiskey Park will appreciate Sacred Ground, an exhibit highlighting artifacts from old ballparks. The museum is big on traditional exhibits and thankfully offers few video or interactive displays.

Baseball is king in Cooperstown but it’s not the only thing of interest. The Fenimore Art Museum, named after the Last of the Mohicans novelist, houses American folk and fine art and historic photography and is worth a visit for its collection of Native American art. It sits across the street from the family-friendly Farmers’ Museum. Take the kids on a ride on the New York–themed carousel.

Cooperstown offers a relaxing weekend getaway and while no well-known luxury hotel exists in the area—something that seems incongruous given the popularity of the destination—visitors will delight in the multitude of high-quality lodging from cozy bed and breakfasts to historic mansions. The Inn at Cooperstown, originally built in 1874 by the architect who designed New York City’s Plaza Hotel, offers a welcoming retreat. Couples will enjoy the romantic atmosphere in the 18 guest rooms, many with wrought iron or four poster beds and handmade quilts. The Inn also organizes local beer tours during select weekends throughout the year. The 200-year-old Tunnicliff Inn is a17-room, family-run hotel just steps from the Hall of Fame. The floors are a bit creaky but the rooms are romantic and renovated.

If you want something a bit more expansive and luxurious, try The Otesaga Resort Hotel, the area’s oldest and largest inn. Located on Lake Otsego, the hotel caters to a well-heeled, slightly standoffish crowd and the staff isn’t particularly warm or welcoming. Jackets are required in the dining room at all times and during induction ceremonies, when players and agents descend on the town, the entire hotel is closed to the public. Still, it’s a beautiful property on well-manicured lawns with great lake views.

Dining options vary, running from cozy water holes to larger bistros. Start your weekend tour at Hoffman Lane Bistro. It’s the most comfortable bar in town and you’ll meet more locals than tourists here. The upstairs dining room is large and inviting although the menu features a few awkward dishes. A recent appetizer special featured scallops soaked in an Asian-style broth. Scallops can survive happily on their own and adding the soupy mess detracts from their flavor. Try the pork loin with Indian spices instead.

Nearby Alex and Ika features a fairly inventive menu, much of it reflecting the owners’ Anglo-Swedish roots. The skirt steak is just the way it should be: juicy and moist and not overcooked. Start your meal at the bar attached to the restaurant. Nicoletta’s Italian Café garners good reviews for its classic Southern Italian fare.

A stop in Cooperstown is never complete without a visit to some of the local breweries. The area was once the hop-growing capital of the United States and now offers a wealth of great microbews. The Ommegang Brewery is just a short drive south of town. You’ll start with a rather perfunctory tour of the site but the beer tasting at the end of said tour is worth the wait as it’s the only brewery in the United States that’s crafting Belgian-style ales.

—Shandana A. Durrani

Alex and Ika

149 Main Street

Cooperstown, N.Y. 13326

607/547-4070

http://www.alexandika.com/

The Farmers' Museum

5775 State Highway 80

Cooperstown, N.Y. 13326

607/547-1450

http://www.farmersmuseum.org/

Fenimore Art Museum