Exploring Baseball's Hometown

It's late July in upstate New York. You're waiting with thousands of families on the grass in Cooperstown for the start of ceremonies. You're ready to honor the newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. How do you pass the time?

You start a pick-up game.

Photo by Glenda Adams / Generations Touring Company

"My grandson Benjamin joined other children and grandparents from our tour group on a nearby baseball diamond," said Glenda Adams, a Roseville, Calif., grandmother. "Before the ceremonies began, they played a quick game — and Benjamin was picked as the MVP (Most Valuable Player)!"

That spirit draws more than 350,000 visitors each year to Cooperstown, a small village in central New York. It's the legendary birthplace of the game of baseball.

America's Baseball Shrine

The crown jewel of Cooperstown is the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum housed in a three-story, red-brick building on Main Street. Along with its exhibits, the Hall offers interactive programs and costumed presenters that appeal to Little Leaguers and their grandparents alike.

Photo courtesy of National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc.

In the Hall of Fame Gallery, search for your favorite players among the official plaques recognizing the 280 honorees. Only 200 Major League Baseball greats have earned this recognition since the Hall's 1939 debut. The remaining 80 recipients are Negro Leaguers, baseball executives, umpires, and the like.

You'll find surprises around every corner inside the Hall — from baseballs dating back to no-hitter Major League games in 1940 to rotating samples from a massive collection of more than 135,000 baseball cards. "My grandson Eric and I trade cards, so it was special to see these in the hall for players in my day, as well as his," said Lloyd Pearson, a Jacksonville, Fla. grandfather.

Sacred Grounds, one of the newer exhibits, tracks the history of America's famous ballparks from the earliest fields in the 1800s to today's mammoth stadiums. "I grew up going to games at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh," Pearson noted. "I was amazed to run into this display that had the actual on-deck circle from Forbes to show my grandson!"

At the museum, kids can participate in educational scavenger hunts to earn a pack of baseball cards, or a Boy Scout patch. The Sandlot Kids' Clubhouse is filled with books, videos, games and toys for children ages 2-8. You can rest your feet in the Bullpen Theater while the kids play the Hall of Fame Feud Trivia game.

Photo courtesy of National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc.

The Hall of Fame Library boasts millions of documents, photos, and videos chronicling baseball history (including a complete dossier on every Major League player), while the Museum Store offers everything from hand-painted baseballs to baseball caps with your favorite team's logo.

Many fans plan their trip during the Hall of Fame's annual highlight — Induction Weekend (traditionally the last weekend in July). During the ceremonies, the Hall recognizes retired Major Leaguers selected by the nation's baseball writers or by a "veterans committee" of the Hall's 63 living honorees. The outdoor event takes place at the Clark Sports Center, about one mile south of the Hall. If you go, plan to park near the Hall and take an official shuttle to the center, or you can walk the distance. Don't forget lawn chairs, a camera, binoculars, and sunscreen.

Photo courtesy of Heroes of Baseball Wax Museum

Another popular weekend features the Hall of Fame Game, the only in-season exhibition match between Major League teams. This game usually takes place in May or June, depending on the teams' current season schedules, at Doubleday Field two blocks north of the Hall.

Several blocks down Main Street sits the Heroes of Baseball Wax Museum, with more than two dozen life-size wax figures and a virtual reality batting cage.

Photo courtesy of The Farmers' Museum

Cooperstown has a lot more to offer visitors than baseball alone. Your grandkids can milk cows, watch sheep shearers, and explore the reconstructed 19th-century village at the Farmers' Museum. Stroll through heirloom gardens and ride the Empire State Carousel, a new merry-go-round with 25 hand-carved animals representing New York State. About a mile from the Baseball Hall of Fame, view an impressive collection of American Indian artifacts and early American photography at the Fenimore Art Museum.

Photo courtesy of National Soccer Hall of Fame

In nearby Oneonta, N.Y., you'll find the region's other major sports attraction, the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. Wear your sneakers for the Kicks Zone, the hands-on area for kids to try speed dribbles and headers. Also, you can compete against your grandkids in the computer games section. The Soccer Hall's induction weekend usually falls on the last weekend in August each year.

Photo courtesy of Northeast Classic Car Museum

For car buffs, the Northeast Classic Car Museum (an hour away in Norwich, N.Y.) offers more than 120 restored and preserved antique automobiles, from the world's largest collection of Franklins to Packards from the 1930s and 1940s.

It's been 168 years since young Abner Doubleday drew a diamond in the dirt and helped shape America's pastime. Today, you and your grandkids can find plenty of ways to pass the time in Cooperstown.

Tips for Your Cooperstown Trip

Plan early: Hotels are busy throughout the year, especially during the Hall of Fame induction weekends.

Don't focus on education: "If you make the trip fun," advises Glenda Adams, "the learning part comes naturally."

Pack your mitt: Capture a memory by playing catch with your grandkids in Cooperstown.