Cooperstown in January
 

Hello. We're going to Cooperstown in a couple of weeks. I'm fully expecting it to be freezing, but we think it would be a great time to see the Hall of Fame without crowds. Any comments on our timing? Also, I saw a negative comment on the Tunicliff Inn. Has anyone else stayed there or at the Lake Front Motel? The Cooper Inn is booked for Friday night but has availability for Saturday. Thanks, Susan

We stayed at the Inn at Cooperstown and really liked it. It is a short walk from the Hall of Fame.

Not sure I'd go to Cooperstown in Jan. There isn't a *lot* to do and what there is would be more enjoyable in nice weather. The Hall of Fame will only take a couple of hours unless you are die-hard fans. The Ommegang Brewery outside of town is interesting and they make great Belgian-style beer. I've also heard good things about the Farmer's Museum.

Susan, the "off season" is a great time to visit Cooperstown because, as you point out, there are no crowds. We were there last February and had the place virtually to ourselves (on a weekday morning and afternoon), although everything was fully staffed, up, and running.

Our visit to the museum and hall of fame (same building, but two distinct 'visits') took about four hours and that was exploring both in depth and at leisure.

We broke our visit with a long lunch at one of the restaurants along the town's main street; the staff was very helpful in making recommendations.

Cooperstown is a charming village, pretty much frozen in time somewhere about the time Abner Doubleday walked the earth. Because of the time of year, we felt there wouldn't be a lot going on in the village - and we were right. We used Albany as a base of operations and made the leisurely drive to Cooperstown in a little over an hour.

One warning: Cooperstown is an island of beauty in one of the most depressed regions of New York State. Driving into town from every direction, you go through towns that have given up the ghost and are going back to the way things were circa 'Leatherstocking Tales.'

Thanks so much for your replies. My husband, uncle and I are diehard baseball fans so we'll be taking our time in the HOF. The brewery sounds like it might be a fun place for lunch. We're driving there from NJ on Friday night. I'm thinking maybe we won't try to make it all the way up there on Friday (4.5 hours). Sounds like we won't need to be at the Hall right when it opens to see everything. This is just a quick trip for us. My 14 year old daughter has no interest so we planned our escape while she's skiing in Vermont with her high school. Thanks! Oh, I heard there's a mob themed restaurant up there. Is it worth it? My uncle is a die hard Sopranos fan.

Given that you will be there in the winter, I strongly urge you pick a bed & breakfast type place over the Lake Front Motel. The LFM is a motel, with rooms opening to the outside. There's no real lounge area. Better to have a place where you can sit by a fireplace and be cozy.

samejia,

I'm sure Pete Rose will have a table set up outside the entrance to the Hall of Fame where he will be autographing his latest work of fiction.

C

I would stay at the Otesaga (sp?) Inn.
It's the nicest in the area.

Cooperstown is a great town to visit regardless of the season; obviously Spring through Fall are better and preferred seasons. Two suggestions; consider visiting/lodging at Saratoga Springs-- great town (about two hours from Cooperstown) with great pubs and better evening entertainment and dining options than Cooperstown. Also, in line with JackB' suggestion, The Otesaga Hotel has a great (amazing!) Sunday brunch. It would be a nice cap to the weekend before getting on the road.

Thanks for all your messages. The Ostega Inn is closed this time of year. It did look fabulous..... Susan