Travel Adventures in Upstate New York, Part 8: Cooperstown

This is my eighth post about our travel through upstate New York. I recommend reading the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh posts from the trip before this one. Because I blog about educational travel, I received admission tickets and other benefits for some of the places we visited during our trip. Other places are free for everyone; we paid full price for the rest. This has no bearing on my reviews. If you see any gaps in my narrative, it is because I didn't love a particular attraction, restaurant, or hotel enough to recommend it, regardless of how much I paid or didn't pay.

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Cooperstown, New York

We started the morning of Tuesday, September 9 with a nearly 2-hour drive to Cooperstown. We got an early start on our drive, since the attraction we'd been planning to visit first that morning had switched to "winter" closures without updating their website (or contacting the blogger who'd reached out to them the previous month). At the risk of repeating yesterday's rant, that is so incredibly unprofessional. Inexcusable, even. And let's discuss the fact that September 9 is considered winter. That makes absolutely no sense to me. Technically, September 9 is summer, two weeks before the start of fall. For all those "I wouldn't live in California because you guys don't have seasons!" people, I would like to point out that upstate New York apparently only has two seasons: summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day) and winter (9 months where tons of stuff is closed, even when the calendar says it's summer, fall, or spring). 

On to a location where we had nothing but a delightful experience, with no unexpected closures: Cooperstown. The small village (population 1844) is practically synonymous with baseball. It's home to the Doubleday Field, declared in 1907 to be the location of the first baseball game in 1839. Whether or not that's accurate isn't all that important; Doubleday Field remains an important location and host to games like the annual Hall of Fame Classic.  

Doubleday Field is two blocks from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which was our primary destination for the day. 

Did you notice this cool detail? It's in both the fence above and in the archway at Doubleday Field. 

The Baseball Hall of Fame is very well-designed to lead visitors from one exhibit to the next. You start on the second floor with the most recent class of inductees...

... then enter the theater for an excellent 16-minute film called 'Generations of the Game.' Then it's on to exhibits about baseball in the 19th century. 

  

It was very interesting to learn when particular baseball terms went in (or out) of favor. 

This area was all about the legend, Babe Ruth. 

One of my favorite exhibits was this one about the history of Black baseball. (We had a wonderful time at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum back in 2019. If you've never been, go!)

It's amazing how many phrases we use in everyday life came from baseball. 

It was so interesting learning more about women in baseball... 

... and baseball in Latin America. 

I enjoyed testing my Spanish with this quiz. I got all three correct!

The museum is packed with memorabilia from many years of baseball. I love seeing how baseball crosses over with pop culture. 

I've never had a baseball-themed candy bar. (But I was super into Big League Chew as a kid.)

We took a break for lunch at this point, walking down the street to the highly-recommended Doubleday Cafe. It did not disappoint. 

  

I had to take a photo of the tap handle from Cooperstown Brewing Co. It's so cute!

So are these pumpkins at one of the many baseball-themed stores in Cooperstown. 

OK, back to the museum! I'm a fan of this Yankees cow. 

The next exhibits focused on the shared love of baseball between Japan and the US...

... and the legacy of Hank Aaron. 

I loved the exhibit about records. 

I remember when Rickey Henderson broke the record for stolen bases! I was 10. 

This record is the one that impresses me the most out of them all. An UNASSISTED triple play?!

  

I collected baseball cards as a kid. I still have them. I should find out if there are any that are worth anything. (Probably not.)

I am obsessed with this baseball card art. Obsessed. 

The 'Holy Grails' of baseball card collecting are in a dark vault. You can push a button to see them briefly. 

The museum uses a locker room theme to highlight each of the current major league teams. 

These were our local teams from my childhood until just recently. Although, the A's are temporarily in Sacramento, which is just as close to us as Oakland.

  

I loved our visit to the National Bobblehead Museum. It was super fun seeing this huge exhibit with just baseball-themed ones. 

Hey, it's Monty the Biscuit!

And, of course, I loved all the baseball-themed art. These were a few of my favorites. 

  

  

Someday, somehow, I WILL see the Savannah Bananas play. 

Don't miss the exhibits about the broadcasters of baseball...

... or baseball at the movies. 

This is not a hands-on museum, but there's a cute play space for kids. 

This is the Hall of Fame portion of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. It's impressive. 

  

We had a wonderful day in Cooperstown. It is well-worth a visit. We both wished we could have stayed longer and explored the rest of the village. 

But it was time for us to move on. We had a 75-mile drive to our next destination. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.