It’s hard to say goodbye to the Yankees and Mets season as the summer winds down – while the Yankees are still hanging on for now in the post season! Though, baseball season is in full swing in Cooperstown, New York. My family just vacationed upstate over Labor Day weekend where the town is centered around the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
It was my second time visiting Cooperstown. The last time I was there, well over a decade ago, I was passing through on assignment as a one-man-band reporter for a Binghamton TV station. I never got to immerse myself in the village or its culture.
This time was different. Our trip was jam-packed with family-friendly activities from an apple cider mill to a farm and of course, the hotel pool. Put Cooperstown on your list for a fall getaway, Father’s Day Weekend or summer escape.
Here’s how to plan your trip that’s about a 3.5 hour drive from New Jersey.
The Drive Up
We broke up the trip with an overnight stay in Windham, New York at the Wylder Hotel. The Catskills resort is about two hours north of us if you’re coming from Union County. You could plan a weekend trip here, as well, since there is so much to do around town with kids from mini golf, arcade, general store with an onsite farm and skiing in the winter. The resort has a heated pool, pickleball, saunas, tubing, an entire game room and a restaurant on its property.
Otesaga Resort Hotel
We stayed for two nights at the historic lakefront Otesaga Resort Hotel in a two-room suite that could fit a family of six. This is the biggest hotel in the area and likely has the most gorgeous property in Upstate New York. It sits on the bottom of Otsego Lake. You can’t help but gravitate towards the outdoor terrace rocking chairs and feel a sense of peace looking out at the calming waters and part of the hotel’s golf course.
The pool with towels pre-set on lounge chairs adds extra charm to the resort built in 1909. We ordered a pizza to our seats after our late-afternoon check-in and swam in the 83 degree heated pool. With the lake at our fingertips, activities were plentiful. There was biking, tennis, fishing and canoeing, row boats or paddle board rentals. There was also golfing or the spa. My son was entertained watching my husband do yoga on the lawn in the morning.
There are six dining options on property, making meals easy without having to leave. We had dinner at The Hawkeye Bar & Grill that overlooks the lake as well. This was one of the most picturesque hotel dining experiences we’ve ever had. Their signature burgers were flowing out on wooden cutting boards to nearly every outdoor table. We opted for the French onion soup, 10 ounce strip steak, and the choose-your-own meal of salmon, rice pilaf, asparagus and salsa verde. My son got chicken tenders. What I love about the kids meal is that it comes with a fruit cup appetizer, vegetable or fries, ice cream or chocolate pudding for dessert.
Breakfast felt like dining on a luxury cruise ship with its attentive waiter service and gourmet buffet. The room is grande with dozens of tables, stunning original window panes, elegant curtains and handpainted wallpaper. The table settings of fine china, white tablecloths and breathtaking lake views elevated our meal. My son watched the chef make the omelets, pancakes and waffles. While he didn’t try any new foods, there were endless options for him to explore like lox, cottage cheese, chia pudding and hard boiled eggs.
The hotel closes for a week every July because it’s where the MLB living legend players stay for the annual National Baseball Hall of Fame induction. Downstairs, the hall is decorated with memorabilia from the hotel along with each inductee’s engraved wine glass they use while at the hotel.
Outside of the hotel are countless kid-friendly activities to explore. Here are some ideas for your next trip to Cooperstown:
Fenimore Farm & Country Village
We stopped here first before checking into the Otesaga. The mostly outdoor museum is walking distance from the hotel and is an immersive, interactive look at rural life in 19th-century upstate New York. The walk-though buildings all have people dressed in character engaging with folks passing by. A highlight for my son was seeing and smelling the pigs napping in the mud at the farm along with the horses and cows. Grab a snack like a pretzel or PB&J in the market. A highlight for me was the Empire State Carousel, a hand-crafted merry-go-round celebrating the history and culture of New York State. The $1 ride, which was probably the most gorgeous carousel I’ve ever been on.
National Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame is a requirement if you come to Cooperstown! We booked the museum as the first activity on our first full day in town. It’s a short less than 10-minute picturesque walk from the Otesaga Hotel to the Hall of Fame located right on Main Street. The museum is every fan’s “Field of Dreams” with displays of uniforms, artifacts, stories and history. We were warned that we could spend hours here. My husband was enamored with the Sandy Koufax, Babe Ruth and Derek Jeter displays. The room where all the hall of fame inductees plaque feels almost like a sanctuary of silence. There’s a small kids section with an interactive exhibit.
Downtown Cooperstown
After the Hall of Fame, walk around downtown Cooperstown to stock up on baseball merch, wooden bats, memorabilia, and cute fashion finds for adults and kids. You can spend well over an hour going from store to store. There are also a few casual spots for lunch and Schneider’s Bakery for a treat. We opted to eat lunch back at the hotel’s golf course for the view. On Saturdays during peak season is a farmer’s market and craft fair.
Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard
When we stepped out of the car, my 4-year-old thought we were at Delicious Orchards. The place is reminiscent of the Colts Neck grocery store – which means it was all about the apples. The cider mill is a historic, water-powered mill on the banks of Fly Creek. Shop the market for 150 products made on site including apple cider, cheese and produce. Upstairs is a bar for cider tastings and a mini history lesson about the process of making apple cider. Outside, there are tons of activities to keep kids entertained for hours. My son loved the tractor playground, feeding the ducks and racing rubber ducks. This is a perfect afternoon activity before heading to dinner.
Brewery Ommegang
After the cider mill, we drove 15 minutes to the brewery. Let the kids run around, play corn hole or bring their own toys and games. On weekends, it’s packed with locals and two food trucks. Ommegang sits on a massive 136-acre property with a huge tasting room and restaurant plus a covered outdoor patio. A fire pit sits next to the stage, where the band played. They are world-renowned for its Belgian-style ales. This is a great option for a Friday or Saturday night place to hang and have dinner.
Bocca Osteria
I wish they had restaurants with outdoor spaces like this in New Jersey. The garage doors open and close based on the weather and season. The open air dining was a fabulous find for our family. Pizzas are obviously sharable along with the pastas. We ate dinner here after the brewery for our last stop of the night.
Activities we didn’t get to but would certainly visit on our next trip:
Fenimore Art Museum
If my son was older, we would have added this to our list of things to explore. Open April-December, the museum is also walking distance from the Otesaga Hotel and perched above Otsego Lake. The exhibit showcases artists like Keith Haring and Ansel Adams. Collections span American folk art and the renowned Thaw Collection of American Indian Art. Kids admission is free.
Trolley Rides
Kids ride free on the trolley as you tour the area. The trolleys continuously loop between these parking lots and the village’s main cultural hubs, making stops at The National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, Doubleday Field, The Farmers’ Museum, and the downtown shopping district.
Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad
My son would have loved this. Built in 1869, guests can take special train rides throughout the year, including ice cream rides and fall foliage tours. The Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad is a historic, 16-mile heritage railway operating out of Milford, New York, just south of Cooperstown. It’s about a 15 minute drive from the Otesaga Hotel. The train passes through a picturesque landscape of forests, wetlands, and rolling farms while crossing the Susquehanna River twice over historic steel-truss bridges.
Barnyard Swing Mini Golf & Family Fun Center
If we had another day, we would have absolutely done this 18-hole miniature golf course. There’s also gem mining, laser tag, a pottery shop, and a game room. When you’re done, get ice cream at The Dairy Bar.
Hyde Hall Bridge
The Hyde Hall Covered Bridge, built in 1825, is not only the oldest existing covered bridge in New York State, but the oldest in the United States. The bridge was listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places on December 17, 1998.
The Trip Home
We ate a big breakfast so we skipped lunch in favor of an early dinner. To break up the drive home, we stopped in Kingston for a bite and to stretch our legs. We ate at Lola, which was pizza and had a cozy, covered outdoor patio. Afterwards, we walked around the town and picked up some chocolate for a pick-me-up as we ventured on the final hour and half stretch back to New Jersey.
Leigh Scheps is an entertainment, food, lifestyle and family travel reporter for various media outlets, focusing on Broadway. Her bylines include countless celebrity interviews for CBS News, Entertainment Tonight, Marie Claire, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Town & Country, Elle, InStyle, TODAY, GRAMMY.com, Shondaland, Bustle, Time Out New York, and Broadway Direct.