HOF visit; suggestions?

[Beastmode]

Sorry if redundant; going to visit the HOF while in New York area with family. Do I need a reservation? Any suggestions?

[dclarkraiders]

I was there 20 years ago. I am sure it has changed but this I know for sure, allow yourself 2 days so that you can take your time to see everything. I hope to get back soon.

Have fun.

Duane

[yanksfan09]

I went there this past winter. There is a great brewery/pub just outside of town a couple of miles. They had some really good craft beers and excellent gourmet burgers. I wish I could remember the name but I think it's right on the main road leading into town about a couple miles outside of downtown.

[clydepepper]

I was there in '99. While lots has no doubt changed, I would still recommend taking your time and trying to take in as much of the Museum as possible. You should also visit the Library.

Enjoy!

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Beastmode

Do I need a reservation?

No reservations required for the Hall of Fame & Museum. You may walk up and purchase admission tickets (or membership) when you get there.

Edited to add that my visits have not been during Induction Weekend. There are probably reservations involved for some of those festivities.

[bigtrain]

My family has a summer home near Cooperstown and I am there almost every other weekend.from May through September. Hotel reservations are a must during the summer when there are lots of people in town for baseball tournaments in addition to the regular attractions. In addition to the HOF, I would recommend that you check out the Ommegang Brewery tour. There is also an art museum, farmers museum, Sam Smith's Boatyard where you can eat lunch or dinner within a few feet of the lake or rent a boat. Fishing is very good and the lake is rarely crowded. There is also an opera house on the lake if you enjoy that kind of thing. Favorite restaurants are Mel's at 22 on the corner of Main and Chestnut, Nicollettas on Main Street for Italian food. New York Pizzeria on Chestnut has the best pizza in the area. Check the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce website or cooperstownstay.com

[arc2q]

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.

[ejharrington]

Check out the wax museum next door to the HOF; it is excellent.

[Butch7999]

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=186801

[Enfuego]

I was there a few weeks ago for the Hall of Fame classic game with many recently retired players and it was awesome! keep in mind that parking will be your biggest challenge.

[Joshchisox08]

Originally Posted by Beastmode

Sorry if redundant; going to visit the HOF while in New York area with family. Do I need a reservation? Any suggestions?

Hey Beastmode;

It depends what time of year as far as reservations. I assume you mean to get a hotel/motel. Which in July and August are peak season, very hard to get ones close to town. You may have to stay a little north of Cooperstown about 15 miles away I forget the name of the town. Cheap, decent hotel. (I'm not picky about where I stay as long as there's a bed).

I've been to the Hall about 15 times. I live in CT and it used to be a yearly trip. Two years ago I went twice once in the summer once in the winter.

Food:

Cooperstown Diner is by far the best food quality and price. It's a double win.

Double Day Cafe has some beer (not great) and pretty average pub food. They'd be in second place.

Sals Pizza is ok, their a little rude but probably because they're so close to the Hall and ALWAYS packed.

There's another Pizza place that is way better for subs and pizza, forget the name figures right the better place.

The Chinese Restaurant I was advised not to go to by locals. Apparently it sucks Foo-King or something like that. I $h1t you not that is the name.

There is a place which the name escapes me down by the lake in the back almost right across from the Hall that's food is pretty damn good and they have the best beer selection in Cooperstown.

The Cooperstown brewery is actually NOT in Cooperstown and the name is false advertisement.

Ommengang has basically all Belgian style beer which taste very similar. Nothing to great from them.

Council Rock has probably the best beer nearby. They serve food, but we've never eaten there. You can fill Growlers there as well.

The Hall is actually a lot cheaper than you'd expect and it is AMAZING. I've never got tired of going there. They've actually added a lot older stuff recently on the second floor. Last time I was there they DIDN'T have the Honus Wagner and other pre-war cards on display which was the first and only time they didn't.

Actual shops to find ANYTHING pre-war would be Yastrzemski's. There's an older guy who works there. I think his name is Dave. He's awesome you can actually negotiate prices with him. That's my favorite shop, that's where I got my strip card Ty Cobb.

The overall town has changed drastically you used to be able to find pre-war cards and vintage memorabilia everywhere !!! Not anymore since the Field of Dreams/Park of Dreams opened up. In the summertime you're usually surrounded by bratty little leaguers there on a trip from another state. So the shops are all now Touristy, minus Yastrzemski's. They all sell shirts, hats, etc.

Shoeless Joe's shop is not bad either but the owner will try to push sales on you a bit. Just take it with a grain of salt. Lots of hats, shirts, jerseys, figures, etc.

That's all I can think of now if you have any other questions PM me.

Cheers,

Josh !

[tedzan]

If you are "day-tripping" to Cooperstown, HOF weekend is a great time to be there (this July 24, 25, 26th).

On Friday and Sat. is the annual BB card show at the VFW building (diagonally opposite the HOF) on Main Street.
Lot's of vintage cards (19th Century and pre-WWII).

Show times are 9 AM - 7 PM both days....and, admission is FREE.

On Sunday are the HOF induction ceremonies.


TED Z
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