I'd like to take a visit to Cooperstown and see the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1) If anyone has been there before, would you please give me an idea of how many days it takes to see the museum?

2) What airport would I have to land in?

3) How many hours drive from that airport to Cooperstown?

4) What major/bigger city in NY is Cooperstown closest to?

5) When is the best time of the year to go?

Thank you.

Paul

Try mapquest.com and call the museum directly for information.

Paul, being from upstate NY I can only say that I have been to cooperstown once in my life and that was many moons ago when my son was young. It took us only one day to see the Hall of Fame. I could safely say two days is all you need.

I think the nearest aiport is Albany.


That leaves so many options open as far as big cities.

Albany, Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse etc.


Have fun

1. One day, no more, not even stretching it for the HOF itself. Other attractions maybe more, but not the HOF itself.

2. Pick any airport in the state, one's probably not that much better than another.

3. Figure 2 hrs from Albany or Rochester.

4. Major city?? None.

5. Avoid at all costs the old timer's game weekend, all the motels for 75 mi. are booked solid a year in advance. Leaf peeper season in Oct can be busy but not that bad. Summer's can be busy too with kids coming in, winters are harsh up there. So figure late Spring like May is a good time.

We took our boys to the Hall of Fame when they were about 9 and 7. It was well worth it -- we all enjoyed it. I agree a day is enough for the HOF but it's a nice little town and I wish we had allowed time to explore it a little.

Paul- One full day and overnight would do it. Cooperstown is a very pretty area, and the farmer's museum is also well known and interesting so 2 days might be better. I would land in Albany, from there it's an easy 2 hr. drive. Geoff is right- avoid the hall of fame game, and try to go before school is out- if you can't, I would go before July 4th. Kids also like the batting cages, just down from the hall.

Paul, have been to Cooperstown several times. Yes, the above posters are correct - 1 day for the hall of fame. The Farmer's Museum is quite good also. The only two airports I would consider would be Syracuse or Albany and Cooperstown is about 1 1/2 hours from each. Spring, summer or autumn all fine, but not during induction time or old timers game, as above poster mentioned. Enjoy

I spent Memorial Day weekend there two years ago. I'm not someone who knows a ton about baseball, but I loved it! We did the museum in 1 1/2 days. If you arrive after a certain time (5 PM?) then they let you back in the next day for no extra charge! It was great in the evening because there was almost no one there.

You didn't ask about hotels...but I'll tell you my experience anyway. We stayed at the Inn at Cooperstown one night and the Otesaga the 2nd night. The Inn is a wonderful bed and breakfast with roughly 20 rooms. There's a nice front porch to sit out on. The Otesaga is a grand old hotel on a lake, with a beautiful back porch facing the lake. I recommend them both, though the Otesaga is rather pricey. Both hotels are within walking distance of the HOF.

paul, I was a regular to Cooperstown when I lived in Syracuse and taught in Hamilton. If you love baseball, one day is enough, if you live for baseball, and you want to include the library - call ahead of time and get information about Saber options (I think I have the initials incorrect, this is for baseball research) Depending on when you are going there are so many options. (what are you in to?) You can fly into ALbany and travel the Hudson ( Culinary Institute, FDR Home, Vanderbilt mansion) -- You could fly into Albany head towards Syracuse, Skaneateles Lake (again depending on the season) and on to the finger lakes (wonderful bed and breakfast options) or after Cooperstown you could head north up towards lake George, cross the border into Vermont and head towards Ben & jerry's!--if you are into Soccer, somewhere outside of Oneonta there was a hall of fame (this is just south of Cooperstown) Fall would be my choice for the best time of year to travel to the area though there are many universities / colleges in the area so beaware of homecoming weekends / parent weekends when getting a hotel can be difficult.To answer your question for the closes city - you are close to both Schenectady and Albany.

One more thing ~~~~~ If you stay near Albany, I would suggest the Glenville Inn. It is right on the River and the manion is a must see. Beautiful.
The prices or not bad. It is in Scotia,NY not far from Albany and on the way to Cooperstown.

The "Glenville Inn" doesn't exist. Carol meant the "Glen Sanders Mansion"

Sorry again ~~~~~~~~~ I make a mistake, thanks for catching it. I was there only once and stayed one night and was totally impressed. Was there on business and exhausted and my customer put me up there. Thanks for the correction

Stay anywhere but Utica, NY. Looks like a northeast version of a ghost town. We are all great baseball fans and, sorry to say, found Hall of Fame a little boring. Kids actually liked the Farmer's Museum more!

Paul, We went last year with our 8 and 11 year old sons (then) and loved it. We drove, so I can't help with the air info, but we stayed at the Cooper Inn, which was beautiful. It is right near Main street and is affiliated with The Otesaga, the big old resort hotel. You can use the pool of the Otesaga. We chose the Cooper Inn because we got a suite which was 1 room with twin beds, 1 room with a queen and both rooms separated by a private bath. The Inn is beautiful, and came with a great breakfast. I think it was $ 185/night for that big suite!

We went to the museum for most of 2 whole days! I guess most could do it easily in 1 day, the boys and my husband are baseball fanatics, and they looked at and read everything. Even I was interested and found it much more enjoyable than I thought. You could also spend a day enjoying the pool at The Otesaga, and walking around the very quaint town. We went in early September and it was wonderful. I would definetly stay right in Cooperstown and try The Otesaga or The Cooper Inn. You can't go wrong with those 2 spots. They book up very quickly though, so call early!

Calling the museum isn't going to help much with most of your questions. Have fun!

Paul,
Depending on where you are flying in from, it may be difficult to get a direct flight into Syracuse or Albany. The former probably has more flights overall though.
In terms of distance, Syracuse is 95 miles, Albany is 75 and LaGuardia in NYC is 235 miles.

You've all been tremendously helpful, thank you so VERY much!

There is also a boat ride on Lake Otsego & underground cavern tours nearby.

If you are looking for cheaper family accomodations, we always stay at the Mohican Motel.

We visited Cooperstown last week. My husband is baseball fanatic, and one day at the Hall of Fame is great when it's empty. We heard that you cannot get close to the exhibits in summer. We stayed at the Cooper Inn, very nice and convenient. My kids enjoyed the casual restaurant Baseball Jalapeno (spelling?). Have fun.

All good answers. If you have the time take in the Farmer's Museum and see the Cardiff Giant. Also there is the Fenimore House across the street from the Farmer's Museum and see the life masks of some of the early leaders/heroes of the U.S..