Fulfill Your Baseball Dreams in Cooperstown, New York

Greetings, Great Beer Now fans! I recently embarked on a sports- centric brewery tour to the village of Cooperstown, New York, home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The Great Beer Now Base Hits and Brews Beer Tour 2018 is all about the beer and the sports that have made this part of the country so popular. Pop open a cold one as I explore Central New York and take in the sights and sounds of the area. Cheers!

Sports and beer are natural companions. Ask anyone who attends a baseball game what they look forward to most and, besides witnessing a home team victory, they are likely to mention beer. So, given the compatible nature of beer and our national pastime, it made perfect sense to pay a visit to a place where baseball dreams are made and where the greatest players are honored. That place is, of course, Cooperstown New York, a small mountain village that serves as home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and a host of varied attractions.

Field of Dreams

Cooperstown, New York has many attractions to offer the lover of craft beer, sports, and outdoors. Here is a quick rundown of the top things to see and do:

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum– Yes, of all of Cooperstown’s many charms, this one has to rank at the top of the list. The three- story museum honors the greatest players the game of Major League Baseball has seen and includes exhibits, videos, memorabilia, and more. The history of baseball and its impact on American life and culture is undeniable, and the Hall of Fame devotes much space to the baseball’s past and its profound influence on the American way of life.

Dining– Cooperstown is a small village, but there are more places to dine than one might expect. Hawkeye Bar and Grill is cool for its delicious food and impeccable service. Don’t forget to walk out back when you visit Hawkeye Grill where you can enjoy the fire and the open views of Otsego Lake. Italian food lovers will enjoy Nicoletta’s Italian Café while those who prefer good ol’ American style grub in a baseball themed atmosphere will love Doubleday Café. The number of restaurants is limited, but as I said, there are more choices here than the small population would lead you to believe.

Recreation– With the mountainous terrain and location on the south shore of Otsego Lake, Cooperstown abounds with natural beauty. During the warmer months of the year, a boat ride on Otsego Lake would make for an ideal sight- seeing excursion. The surrounding areas are home to wildlife, hiking, and other related activities and the winter season is perfect for hitting the slopes at one of the nearby ski lifts.

Beer– Brewery Ommegang is easily Cooperstown’s best known malt beverage export and a visit to the large brewery, just south of town, is a must for craft beer fans. There are other breweries equally deserving of your time, like Red Shed Brewin and Council Rock Brewing. And if you’re game to making a short drive, you might want to hit up Cooperstown Brewing, Fly creek Cider Mill, Butternuts Beer, and Roots Brewing all located within 30 minutes or less of Cooperstown. And, of course, there are countless wineries in the area not to mention Cooperstown Distillery, located right here, close to downtown.

Other– Cooperstown is home to many other notable attractions. Lovers of fine art don’t want to miss the Fenimore Art Museum and those who appreciate agriculture and history should make the Farmers Museum part of their agenda. If you find that the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has only served to whet your baseball appetite, then be sure to pay a visit to Doubleday Field, a historic baseball diamond/stadium certain to transport you back to a bygone era.

Plan Your Visit

Cooperstown, New York is associated mainly with the game of baseball and for good reason. Fans of Major League Baseball flock here to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the baseball theme is evident most everywhere you go. Baseball fans of all ages often rank the Hall of Fame as a must- visit bucket list goal and visiting this shrine to the game is reason enough to add Cooperstown to your vacation plans.

Cooperstown, I also learned, is home to a large and growing number of breweries, wineries, and distilleries. Brew Central New York encompasses Cooperstown and much of the central New York region and the Brew Central web site is an excellent resource for the many adult beverage producers that call this region home. The area is family- friendly, too, and the lack of much population makes the area an ideal respite from the often suffocating feeling most of us experience each day as we commute to and from the workplace in larger cities.

Central New York is a place of fresh air and natural wonder and I’m thrilled that I took the time to tour the area and get to know the breweries, the many sights, and the people who call the area home. Stay tuned to Great Beer Now over the next several days for full posts on each of the breweries/cideries I visited during my stay, as the Base Hits and Brews Beer Tour 2018 circles the bases and scores run after run here in the Cooperstown region.