Baseball is synonymous with Cooperstown, New York, but this town has so much more that even non-baseball fans will enjoy it. If you are a fan though, you’ll get a kick out of all of the baseball-themed establishments: restaurants, bars, stores, and more. On this weekend in Cooperstown with kids, we’re fueling our visit with plenty of coffee, hitting up a few museums, catching a baseball game, and sipping a beer and a cocktail.
Stagecoach Coffee
Getting into Cooperstown around noon, Stagecoach Coffee is a great first stop. Charge up here for the rest of your day with a latte in one hand and a sandwich or pastry in the other. It’s located in the center of the village at 31 Pioneer Street.
Brewery Ommegang
For a taste of Belgium, head to Brewery Ommegang. With mostly Belgian beers on the menu, try a flight to see what you like. With hearty food options, lunch or dinner should be on your dining list. Roasted Brussels sprouts, burgers, and chicken and waffles are just a sampling of what you can try. If you’re not hungry, come in for a beer or take a brewery tour.
National Baseball Hall of Fame
Just a hypothesis that the National Baseball Hall of Fame may be your reason for taking a weekend in Cooperstown with kids in the first place! Simply one of the nation’s best museums, it entertains even non-baseball fans. The main exhibit traces the game through the years, chronicling major events that not only shaped baseball but at times, American life.
Memorabilia from baseball milestones is on display from the distant and not-so-distant past. There is a locker room full of team uniforms and emphasis on such themes as women in baseball or baseball at the movies. The final room is the Hall of Fame itself, where busts of the best of the best of baseball are enshrined forever on plaques in the hallowed halls of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Mickey’s Place and other stores
I’m not much of a shopper but perusing the shops in the village of Cooperstown is a trip! Across the hall of fame is Mickey’s Place. They sell just about every variation of major and minor league baseball team caps in existence. Additionally, autographed baseball memorabilia and anything else baseball is sold here. Ducking in and out of stores, it’s baseball galore. And if a store isn’t selling baseball merch, it’s selling Cooperstown emblazoned tees and sweats. Some of the more unique stores include the Cooperstown Bat Company to pick up your own baseball bat and F.R. Woods, a store that sells baseball stuff and so much more!
Crumhorn Coffee
My favorite coffee in the greater Cooperstown area is Crumhorn Coffee in Oneonta, just south of Cooperstown on Route 28. Crumhorn has a laid-back vibe with plants galore and art on the wall. Most importantly, the coffee is excellent. Although farther away from town, I returned here a few times on my weekend in Cooperstown.
Cooperstown Cheese Company
While taking the trip to Crumhorn, make sure to stop at Cooperstown Cheese Company, located also on Route 28 in Milford, just north of Oneonta. Yes, try their cheese, it’s great, but you must indulge in a cheesecake. By the slice or by the cake, I’d opt for the whole thing, it’s that good! Light and fluffy, it’s the best cheesecake I’ve ever had.
Farmer’s Museum
Now that you’re hopped up on coffee and full of cheesecake, let’s check out a few museums. The Farmer’s Museum has a collection of buildings that bring you back to the agrarian past. Take a ride on the carousel, see how brooms are made, and of course, visit the animals. My kids enjoyed seeing the newborn calf, which they petitioned to name Marvin. And given the rainy weekend we had, one of my three boys fell directly into a mud puddle. Seeing the horses was a treat and so was learning about the farm.
Fenimore Art Museum
James Fenimore Cooper, author of The Last of the Mohicans, owned the property where the museum lies, on the shore of Lake Otsego. The museum features a fine collection of landscape paintings, and artifacts of Indigenous Peoples, and even has a kid’s room. The building is a former mansion and is as impressive as the art inside.
Doubleday Field
Although Cooperstown doesn’t have a minor league baseball team, it does have historic Doubleday Field (named for local Abner Doubleday who supposedly invented baseball). Here it’s easy to catch a game in the warmer months, as high school teams from all over use the field for special events. Cooperstown Dreams Park, although it has “Cooperstown” in the name, is actually a bit of a ride south of town.
Cooperstown Distillery Beverage Exchange
The Cooperstown Distillery is located in the village where tours and tastings can be had. Closer to the Hall of Fame and the center of town is the Cooperstown Distillery Beverage Exchange. Given that I went to their Saratoga Springs location the previous year, I knew I had to go here as well. The Beverage Exchange is a store and bar where you can buy and sample their spirits. Their cocktail selection is dynamite, so make sure you don’t leave without trying (at least) one.
Truly a weekend in Cooperstown is fun for the whole family. Between its baseball theme, a selection of museums, and excellent food and drink, Cooperstown, New York, is a grand slam!
