For over 20 years, Pamela Lanier's Cooperstown, New York Travel Guide has been your connection to Cooperstown's tourism community with invaluable details on local attractions, restaurants, shopping, museums, history, outdoor recreation and more.
Museums
Cooperstown has a way of taking bed and breakfast travelers to the past and into the peculiar. After taking in the awe-inspiring collection of baseball memorabilia at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, stop by the Hero's of Baseball Wax Museum to see the legends “in person.” This one of a kind museum houses Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Abbott & Costello and thirty other life-size figures. The bloopers theater is a lot of fun and the virtual-reality batting cage is something out of a sci-fi movie.
Bed and breakfast travelers with younger ones traveling along will enjoy the family attractions that Cooperstown has to offer. One of which is the Farmers Museum. The Farmers Museum is a wonderful learning experience for the whole family. You will get a feel for life as it was for the rural farmers of New York State back in the 1800’s. Tour guides dress in period clothing while all the buildings are authentic from their time period. Consider starting your tour at the Lippitt Farmstead, a real working farm to this day. Depending upon the season you visit, you may be lucky to catch the harvesting of hops or shearing of the sheep to spin into wool. Another interesting brush with history is the American Paper-Staining Manufactory; you will be amazed to see the intricate steps involved in the making of block wallpaper. If you happen to pass by Todd's General Store, take a peek at the inventory on the shelves from the 1840's. Before your visit ends, make sure to take a ride on the Empire State Carousel and visit the County Fair. The whole family will enjoy the games, boat races and outdoor amusements.
Bed and breakfast travelers who are fascinated by art will thoroughly enjoy the Smithy-Pioneer Gallery. The museum is located in the oldest building in Cooperstown, once the blacksmith's shop. The gallery features three stories of history and art, as well as a sculpture garden. Another wonderful museum bed and breakfast travelers won’t want to miss is the Fenimore Art Museum. The breathtaking views of Otsego Lake are quite a backdrop to this fabulous 1930’s neo-Georgian mansion. An extensive collection of American landscapes, folk and Indian art, as well as photography await you within the mansion walls.
Ten miles north of Cooperstown rests the Petrified Creatures Museum of Natural History. The museum is not only dedicated to nature and science, it's also home to many life size dinosaur replicas. Enjoy the exhibits and go on a dig for fossils, the museum allows you to take home whatever you find.
