I plan on spending a day at the Hall of Fame next weekend. Help me plan my da

[Beastmode]

Originally Posted by isaac2004

My wife and son (too little to walk) are going up to Cooperstown Saturday and staying over and spending all day Sunday at the museum. We are going because we are running out of time for the Griffey exhibit and we are die hard Mariners fans. With that, I plan not spending the whole day there. I was hoping I could get some pointers on how to maximize my day there. I have looked at some other threads but most of them are filled with mildly trolling comments, hence the serious side tag. I am also a baseball autograph collector so maybe a good place to get some good stuff without a crazy markup would be great too.

This is very accurate. I was there about 19 months ago with my family. Had a blast at the HOF, but the baseball card room was being "remodeled" I think, because I couldn't get in.

Save your time looking for vintage and/or deals at the towns nearby. Everything is catered to the dumb tourist who is willing to pay 3x for an autograph. I went to all the shops, think I saw one graded card and it was modern.

[rjackson44]

But in the winter you have the whole place to yourself eerie...

[Northviewcats]

My wife and I go to Cooperstown every year on Induction Weekend. The crowds are huge and you have to pace yourself to see everything. This time of year you should have a great time at the Hall without feeling like you are being pushed along in an assembly line.

Some of the best restaurants are twenty minutes away in Oneonta, NY. Brooks House of Barbeque is a must stop. The Farmhouse, Stella Luna, and Toscana Northern Italian Grill are great for dinner. I like Morey's Family Restaurant for breakfast.

In Cooperstown The Pit under the Tunnicliff Inn and the Hardball Cafe serve decent sandwiches and are within a couple of blocks of the hall. The Lake Front Restaurant for dinner has a nice view and is a short walk from the Hall.

If you are looking for a bargain in autographs or baseball cards stick to eBay, but if you are looking for a particular autograph of a hard to get HOFer you can find it on one of the shops on main street. I have found a few deals on cards, (1960s high number or error cards in dollar boxes) but I had to look through everything to find them.

Baseball T-shirts and Cooperstown themed clothes are plentiful and can be found at discounted prices. My wife loves to shop for unusual baseball items, purses that look like baseballs, etc. We often split up for a couple of hours and I will spend more time at the museum while she hits the shops.

I'm sure that you will enjoy yourself. Cooperstown is just a great place to stroll around, take pictures, and go back in time.

Best regards,

Joe

[Kawika]

My wife and I spent one of the happiest weeks of our lives in Cooperstown in 2007. Stayed at the Otesaga, visited the HOF on three different days, visited the Farmers Museum and the Fenimore Art Museum and went for a few idyllic country drives. It was in late September so the foliage was strutting its stuff and we had C'town to ourselves. Walking knee-high in leaves by all the old homes on the way to the Hall from the hotel is one of those "happy places" I go to in my head when my day ain't going right. The HOF is not one of those places you want to blitzkrieg in 90 minutes. If you've ever been to the Vatican it's kind of like that, only crammed to the rafters with baseball relics that you'll want to savor. I realize that with a toddler in tow your parameters are going to be different so maybe treat your visit like a recon patrol then bring Junior Boy back in seven or eight years and rip the place apart.

It's a shame to hear that the baseball card exhibit has disappeared. Whose bright idea was that? Here are some snaps I took of the vintage cabinet. (They had a modern display too but I was disdainful of "shiny crap" back then and ignored it).

[Leon]

Thanks for posting those pics, David. It is indeed too bad when great items aren't shared with the public at certain venues..

Originally Posted by Kawika

My wife and I spent one of the happiest weeks of our lives in Cooperstown in 2007. Stayed at the Otesaga, visited the HOF on three different days, visited the Farmers Museum and the Fenimore Art Museum and went for a few idyllic country drives. It was in late September so the foliage was strutting its stuff and we had C'town to ourselves. Walking knee-high in leaves by all the old homes on the way to the Hall from the hotel is one of those "happy places" I go to in my head when my day ain't going right. The HOF is not one of those places you want to blitzkrieg in 90 minutes. If you've ever been to the Vatican it's kind of like that, only crammed to the rafters with baseball relics that you'll want to savor. I realize that with a toddler in tow your parameters are going to be different so maybe treat your visit like a recon patrol then bring Junior Boy back in seven or eight years and rip the place apart.

It's a shame to hear that the baseball card exhibit has disappeared. Whose bright idea was that? Here are some snaps I took of the vintage cabinet. (They had a modern display too but I was disdainful of "shiny crap" back then and ignored it).