Baseball Hall of Fame

Early this winter DJ and I planned on doing a daytrip or overnight during his spring break. For the last couple of weeks our plan was to go skiing. Although DJ is at least an intermediate skier, I have never gone. The last few days have been fairly warm so the conditions at Wachusett were slushy. So we decided to go with our original plan we came up with in December, The Baseball Hall of Fame.

   We left around 6 am. From Boston, the Hall is about a 4-4:15 hour drive. We got there about 10:30. Before we went in we ate a couple sandwiches so hunger wouldn’t chase us out before we were ready.  After paying the admission, all signs point to start on the second floor (there are 3 floors). The second floor starts with the history of baseball. There are artifacts of the first gloves and helmets along with pictures of old fields. Also on the second floor are exhibits about players from Latin America, Negro Leagues and lockers from all Major League teams. There is one room dedicated to Babe Ruth.

   

   The top floor has artifacts from baseball records. There is a room full of photographs. There is a room like the Babe Ruth room dedicated to Hank Aaron.  There is so much to see on these two floors. We took our time trying to see as much as we could without going into information overload.

The first floor is where the plaques hang of the players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The gallery room is well lit with arching ceilings. Part of it opens up into an atrium with a glass ceiling. I didn’t get a picture of every plaque, but I did of all of the players/ coaches and owners I knew or of heard of. 

After we ate our sandwiches, we went in about 11 am. We stayed until 4:30. We didn’t get bored. We are big baseball fans. It was definitely worth the drive there. After we left we went out to eat at a BBQ place. Our original plan was to stay at the Best Western, but I wasn’t tired at all so we drove home. We arrived home at 10:30 pm. It was a long but memorable fun day.

    On a side note on our way out of Cooperstown we saw deer everywhere. Without exaggeration from downtown to the highway we saw over one hundred deer. We saw one herd that DJ counted at least 24. Most herds were between 3-8 individuals. In some areas we’d see three or four different herds in a one mile stretch of road. We did not stop to get any pictures because we only brought the small camera with a 4X  zoom.

If you go:

The Hall of Fame is about 4- 4 ½ hours from the Boston area. The ride is three hours highway and one full hour off the interstate. Once you are off the highway plan on driving forty to fifty miles through farm country and small towns before reaching Cooperstown. We left at 6 am and did not run into traffic anywhere including Albany. Directions from all points on the compass are on the website.

 

   The price of admission is $19.50 for an adult. You can save two dollars if you are a AAA member. Seniors are $12 and kids are $7. Hours are from 9-5 but they are extended until 9 pm during summer hours. There was almost no one there when we went. I’d be willing to bet they didn’t sell forty tickets for the day. That said I bet the Hall is an absolute zoo during baseball season. There is a baseball field in downtown two blocks from the building. Little League baseball tournaments go on all summer. I can imagine how crowded it is having a couple thousand little leaguers in town every day.

    This leads to parking. We parked at the field (Doubleday Field) for free. Most of the parking in town is two hour parking and they make it clear it is enforced. The field parking lot is free this time of year but there is a fee the other seasons. I would not count on parking there during warm weather. There are lots on the outskirts of town and a trolley will bring you in for a $2.00 fee.

   The Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce lists the accommodations. As mentioned we had planned on staying. The Best Western was going to be $70 a night. They have an inground pool. There are many other places that are more “charming”. I also saw signs for at least two campgrounds in the area.

As for food, there seemed to be an adequate amount of places downtown. The BBQ place we went to was about three miles from town. The wings were delicious but the prices were outrageous. It was a good idea to fill up before we went in the HOF since they do not sell food. There is a bubbler at the bathrooms on all three floors.

   I can understand the quiet country charm surrounding Cooperstown. The downtown area has an old timey feel to it. For any kid, getting to play on that field only a two minute walk from the HOF would be a dream come true. There are many memorabilia shops that sell everything from baseball cards to jackets. If you have the time a full two days in Cooperstown would be really fun.

The website is bassballhall.org