HOF Visit: Recommendations and Tips?
 

Greetings,

I hope this is not off topic....

I will be taking my kids for their 4th trip to the Hall of Fame in a month or so. Just curious if anyone has any tips on ways to see the museum or things to look for that might be a bit off-the-beaten track. I guess I am looking for the Insider's Guide to the HOF! Curious if anyone has any tips. I do understand that the HOF does not provide visitor access to the archives like some museums do.

Any and all suggestions would be most appreciated!

Eric

I went with my father last April, which is still the offseason, and you are picking a great time to go. In the summer months it gets very crowded and its hard to really enjoy it, but once the offseason hits, you get the place to yourself practically. I don't think there are really any secret nooks and crannies, but one thing we did was take full advantage of the docents/guides there to ask questions as there is lots to find out. You should also check the museum website as they often have talks/guest ballplayers. Not a lot of great shopping for the vintage collector, but your kids may have a good time. One thing I would recommend is going to the Cooperstown Diner for lunch. Its small, not much to look at, but a very good (and very giant) burger, your kids will be thrilled.

Take the boat ride, if it is running now, around the lake.
Take a side trip to Howe Caverns if it is open now.

One thing that I don't think a lot of patrons of the Hall take advantage of is the kiosks with numerous video and film about baseball history, many are broken down by player or era and are very educational, especially for kids.

I am pretty sure that Howe Caverns is open all year but the Tour Boat on Otsego Lake is out of the water by early November. The folks at Cooperstown Diner opened a new place on Hoffman Lane, the alley almost directly across from the HoF. If the weather is good, it is a good time to visit though most of the baseball shops are closed for the winter.

Great time to go
 

I took my dad a couple years ago, in late January, and we had the place completely to ourselves. I think they only sold 15 or 20 tickets that day. We had time to see every displayed item and read every description.

Doug

Another suggestion would be to check the Hall website. I know they do a special "VIP experience" event about once a month that includes a library archive tour, special reception etc

You've been to HOF 3 times and still don't know what to do there ? Above suggestions are good ones. Cavens are great. Get on a boat underground, that's neat.
The musuem as you know is unbelievable. But the actual HOF room was a disappointment to me. You hear about it all your life and it's just a room with plaques on the wall.

I did the VIP experience. They bring out a couple of artifacts and let you get up close and personal (they won't let you hold the bats though). They also bring you underground to the archives. It was a nice bonus to the HOF but I thought it would be more hands on.

Save a lot of time to visit the great stores in town. When I was a kid I thought that was the best part!

My Hall Experience
 

Sharing a last name with a HoFer, I was able to get access to the Jesse Burkett Archives in the Library. There wasn't a whole lot of stuff in the folder, but it was a privilege to have access to it, even if Jesse wasn't my long lost great uncle. I was also able to obtain copies of several items from the folder. Unfortunately I'm not sure where they are stored or I would share them with this post.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I appreciate it and welcome any and all new ones. Like I say, we've done the 'regular' tour; just looking for ways to possibly overcome familiarity and deepen the experience.

Hopefully the shops in town will be open at the end of the month!

And are there any credible and reasonable vintage shops in town? Or are they mainly catering to tourists?

Thanks!

Eric

Most of the shops close for the winter and don't reopen until April but you wouldn't find much vintage even if they were open.