I was at the Baseball HOF just two weeks ago. Very easy to get in and no issues paying admission at the entrance (even got in free because I am military). I was there on a Saturday but the crowds were still pretty reasonable (they are suffering from declining attendance which is unfortunate - interestingly some think the advent of the youth baseball academies/tournaments in town are the cause).
I was very impressed with how fresh and attractive all the displays are. They've recently gone through a full renovation and the place looks awesome. Still, the building is smaller than ideal so vast majority of stuff is not on display and what is can be hard to take in with people crowding tight spaces.
The Honus Wagner T206 was the highlight for me; I was fascinated, though, by how many people walked right by it without even noticing. It is relatively undersold as the display makes little mention of its prestige. The early vintage stuff and pre-war era items are fantastic. Really is amazing to see that stuff.
I was intrigued by the locker room where they display items from recent achievements by players. There is a display for every team. Wish this area was larger, though, cause it gets really crowded when groups huddle around one team's locker (see the trend?).
Overall I was really impressed by the HOF. Easy to see everything in about 2 hours. Much more modern and well-designed than I imagined.
The card shops outside the HOF are another matter. It's nice to see so many card shops in close concentration. But one might be forgiven for thinking none of those stores have restocked since 1992. Really there is so much potential but the inventory is dreadful. But obviously someone's still buying it. My apologies if any of the owners are on here but i feel like these shops are missing an opportunity.
Cooperstown is a beautiful little village. If you are taking kids I also highly recommend the Farm Museum. We had a wonderful time there.
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