Cooperstown???

[firegurl]

DH and I are looking to take our boys on a short trip to Cooperstown this summer. Our primary goal is to see the baseball hall of fame. Does anyone have suggestions for places to stay or other things to do in the area? It's about a 6 hour drive from our house north of Baltimore so I am not looking at going too much further (Niagara Falls). We planned on leaving on a Friday morning, driving up, going to the HOA on Saturday, then... we have discussed starting to head towards home on Sunday, stopping somewhere if we can plan something interesting along the way and not returning home until Monday. We really have no plans other than go to the HOF so we are open for suggestions.

 

[Poohlove]

We went there last baseball season for a baseball game and our team stayed at the Best Western. The room my son and 3 of his team mates were in had bed bugs, I don't recommend that place It was on the outskirts of town anyways. The HOF was great and it could be an all day thing. There are lots of cute shops and good restaurants in town but when we were there everything closed on the early side. There is a brewery too, i think it's called Ommegang or something like that.

We stayed at the Lake Front Hotel. It might be kind of pricy for the time you are going and I suspect it might be quite loud as it is right on the lake where there is a marina and a bar. It kind of reminded me of the Nauti Goose in North East if you are familiar with that area.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

OP, when we went there was a deal where you if you bought your ticket for one day, you could go in the last two hours of the night before. It helped us get the layout. We stayed at some cottages on the lake but I can't remember where. This was years ago.

You might consider http://www.knoebels.com/, an amusement park in central PA.

Poohlove, where are you? I am in Elkton and know the Nauti Goose.

 

[Poohlove]

@Breezy_Carol I live in Jersey about 45 minutes from Elkton. I love that area down there. Chesapeake City is one of my favorite places but North East is a very very close second. I have thought about relocating to your neck of the woods in the next few years.

 

[mtemm]

We went last April vacation but spent a day at Hyde park/FDR's place then went on to Cooperstown. The kids loved it all! Not sure if yours are into history but might be a nice stop along the way.

We used to live in saratoga springs. It isn't next to Cooperstown but isn't like going to niagara either. It's beautiful in the summer, and if you are going during late July-August you could go to the track. It's not a seedy track, it's very fun and family friendly.

 

[firegurl]

OP, when we went there was a deal where you if you bought your ticket for one day, you could go in the last two hours of the night before. It helped us get the layout. We stayed at some cottages on the lake but I can't remember where. This was years ago.

You might consider http://www.knoebels.com/, an amusement park in central PA.

Poohlove, where are you? I am in Elkton and know the Nauti Goose.

I forgot about Knoebel's. That's a good idea, I've been meaning to get there for years. We are coming from Harford County but my DH drives through Elkton everyday, he works in Newark on the other side of the UD campus.

 

[disny_luvr]

My husband is a die-hard baseball fan and asked to celebrate his 40th b-day in Cooperstown and visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. We stayed in a Hampton Inn in Oneonta. It is about 15 mins from Cooperstown. The hotel was very nice. In Cooperstown we ate at the Cooperstown Diner; very good food but small - I think there are only 4 or 5 tables. Cooperstown is very Norman Rockwell. We loved walking around the town and browsing through the shops.

Have fun!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

You might consider http://www.knoebels.com/, an amusement park in central PA.

Huh, I wouldn't consider Knoebels anywhere hear Cooperstown.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

North of Cooperstown is Glimmerglass State Park on the north shore of Otsego Lake.

If you are driving from Baltimore, you could spend some time in Philly.

 

[firegurl]

Huh, I wouldn't consider Knoebels anywhere hear Cooperstown.

No, I don't consider it close either but it could pretty easily be on the route home.

 

[PollyannaMom]

When I went as a kid, we stayed on the lake, and my favorite part of the trip was Howe Caverns! I'm not sure how far it actually is from Cooperstown because of A) a child's distorted sense of time, and B) the fact that my dad and uncle might have gotten a bit lost on the way. But I expect it's actually not far off your path.

 

[firegurl]

My husband is a die-hard baseball fan and asked to celebrate his 40th b-day in Cooperstown and visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. We stayed in a Hampton Inn in Oneonta. It is about 15 mins from Cooperstown. The hotel was very nice. In Cooperstown we ate at the Cooperstown Diner; very good food but small - I think there are only 4 or 5 tables. Cooperstown is very Norman Rockwell. We loved walking around the town and browsing through the shops.

Have fun!

This is exactly what I'm looking for. I'm going to check that out tomorrow. DH, our oldest DS and I are pretty diehard too. Our youngest isn't even 1 yet so he hasn't had the chance to become a fan but he's named after some pretty significant things in baseball so he doesn't stand much of a chance.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

No, I don't consider it close either but it could pretty easily be on the route home.

That's what I remember is going there on the same trip. It has been a few years.

Our youngest isn't even 1 yet so he hasn't had the chance to become a fan but he's named after some pretty significant things in baseball so he doesn't stand much of a chance.

Now I am curious about his name.

And interesting about your DH's commute.

 

[firegurl]

That's what I remember is going there on the same trip. It has been a few years.

Now I am curious about his name.

And interesting about your DH's commute.

His name is Camden Davis Lastname, after Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the stadium that changed baseball and Chris Davis, who happened to hit a walkoff the night we found out that I was pregnant.
They both may not be significant in the entire baseball community but they are quite significant in Baltimore baseball.

 

[lifesavacation]

When my son played at Cooperstown, we rented a house on a lake.

ETA: One of the fun things we did was rent a boat on Otsego lake with another couple. The weather was beautiful and then we had lunch at Blue Something Grill (it's been a few years and I can't remember the name).

 

[AppleDumpling]

You could spend a couple hours at the Farmer's Museum. It's a living history 19th century farming village with animals, a beautiful carousel, and demonstrations of things like sheep shearing/wool spinning and blacksmithing. I think you can buy combo tickets with the BBHOF. Also, as pp mentioned, Howe Caverns is great and less than an hour from Cooperstown.

Another fantastic place for young children, that may be on your way from MD, is the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA.

 

[firegurl]

You could spend a couple hours at the Farmer's Museum. It's a living history 19th century farming village with animals, a beautiful carousel, and demonstrations of things like sheep shearing/wool spinning and blacksmithing. I think you can buy combo tickets with the BBHOF. Also, as pp mentioned, Howe Caverns is great and less than an hour from Cooperstown.

Another fantastic place for young children, that may be on your way from MD, is the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA.

Crayola Factory is a good idea too. My Aunt and cousin live about 5 minutes from there so we could combine the visit.

 

[nkereina]

It's been a few years since we've been, but last time we stayed at the Lake Front Hotel on Fair Street. It's right on the lake, and there are some boat tours that leave from there as well which always look like fun. For us, it was walking distance to the Hall of Fame and Main St. We didn't move the car until we left. There was also a restaurant onsite that served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There was a bar, but we didn't find it to be noisy and there are also rooms across the street/parking lot, away from the bar & restaurant. The hotel is nothing fancy, but it was fairly recently renovated, clean, and well maintained. The rates can be as high as $260 a night in the summer season, but if you can go in the Spring or Fall, they can be as low as less than $150 a night. That said, I don't find $260ish to be too bad considering that it's lake front, walking distance, and also considering the prices at the Otesaga Hotel. To my knowledge, there weren't many other options in the immediate town area. You'd have to drive from other viable options. Have fun!

 

[bethbuchall]

You'll be about an hour away from April the giraffe.

 

[Hikergirl]

Zoom Flume water park
http://www.thecountryplace.com/