Six of us, three adults, three kids are going from NYC up to Cooperstown for a few nights, and after Cooperstown, we need a place to stay for three nights, ideally no more than an hour north (making that a long drive back down to NYC)...

Ideally it would be a cottage or cabin on a lake. Maybe fishing, maybe tennis, maybe relaxing...

Not sure whether Saratoga is it, or southern Adirondacks, or Ithaca, or Catskills, so if anyone has two cents of a suggestion,, much appreciated.

Not sure when you're going - but Saratoga and nearby - as far as Lake George in racing season - is packed to the gills, super high rates and probably already gone. That would include late July through early Sept.

After Cooperstown Lake George would be a horrible dissapointment - it's terribly tacky.

Ithaca would be nice, and have you considered Skaneateles?

While I would normally suggest Ithaca or Skaneateles, they are to the west of Cooperstown. You may want to consider Old Forge, which is north of Utica.

Ironically all 3 choices suggested so far are about a 2 hour drive from cooperstown; when it is time for you to return to NYC it would be a little over 5.5 hours from Old Forge and about 4 to 4.5 hours from Skaneateles or Ithaca back to the city.

sohoprom asked for a place "ideally" no more than an hour North from Cooperstown..so Old Forge isn't that far fetched