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Legend has it that, in 1839, young West Point cadet Abner Doubleday invented the game of baseball in a cow pasture in the upstate New York village of Cooperstown. While that version of history has largely been relegated to myth, Cooperstown remains dedicated to the sport as the site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, and the motif of baseball is incorporated throughout the town. Each year, legends and fans of the game alike descend on Cooperstown for Hall of Fame induction weekend festivities. The Hall of Fame Game — a major-league exhibition matchup — is also held here annually on the site of the famous cow pasture, now a ballpark called Doubleday Field.
(Click here for "Calls of the Halls".)

Cooperstown's size obviates the need for a public transportation system, but the town has taken measures to address the scarcity of parking, particularly on summer weekends when it draws thousands of tourists. Three different parking lots are located on the village outskirts, where visitors can "Park and Take the Trolley" to the major attractions. Parking in the lots is free, and an unlimited-ride day pass for the trolley is $3 for adults and $1 for children under 12.

Albany International Airport is the nearest airport to Cooperstown, and it's still 75 miles to the east so visitors are best served renting a car and driving. Pine Hills Trailways also operates a coach bus between Cooperstown and New York City, more than 200 miles away.

Tour the National Baseball Hall of Fame
A Cooperstown institution and the town's most illustrious attraction, this shrine commemorating the game of baseball is packed with art, memorabilia and interactive exhibits spanning three floors. The spacious Plaque Gallery honors each of the Hall of Fame inductees, while a major section dubbed The Game features artifacts along a timeline dating to baseball's infancy.

Discover More Baseball in Cooperstown
The Farmers' Museum, a re-creation of a 19th-century village, includes Town Ball matchups between teams of the Leatherstocking Base Ball Club. Games are played during the summer, with rules and uniforms from 1858. Cooperstown is also the home of "the only baseball wax museum in the world," the Heroes of Baseball Wax Museum. Figures include Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio as well as more fictional depictions like the one of Pete Rose being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Go Shopping for Nostalgia
What you don't find in museums, you may very well find among the many shops specializing in sports collectibles. Autographed items are especially popular, as many of the legends who pass through town during Hall of Fame inductions sign memorabilia during their stay, usually for a hefty fee of course.

Kick It in Oneonta
Can't get enough history? The National Soccer Hall of Fame & Museum is right down the road from Cooperstown in Oneonta. Inside a new facility that opened in 1999, the hall chronicles the history of soccer and honors its greats. Soccer players will enjoy the "Kicks Zone," an interactive game area where visitors can test their own skills.

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
25 Main St., Cooperstown, N.Y. 13326
888-425-5633 (toll free) or 607-547-7200
A baseball fan could return here day after day and never tire of the experience. Yes, there are the plaques of the game's hallowed players. But the memorabilia is far more interesting. The glove worn by Willie Mays when he made his famous back-to-the-plate catch of Vic Wertz's 1954 World Series drive. Midget Eddie Gaedel's uniform (No. 1/8). The Babe's bat. The specially reinforced batting helmet Jackie Robinson wore his rookie year, when pitchers often threw at him. A history of the Negro Leagues. A history of baseball uniforms. You can even put on a pair of headphones and listen to original radio broadcasts of the game's historic moments.
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org

Farmer's Museum
5785 State Highway 80, Cooperstown, N.Y. 13326, 607-547-1450
Farmer's Museum is a bit of a misnomer. This is a recreation of a 19th-century rural, upper New York state community. There are more than two dozen buildings on the fields overlooking Otsego Lake -- the local church, cooper's shop, pharmacy, tavern, general store, farmhouse, blacksmith shop and more.
http://www.farmersmuseum.org

Fenimore Art Museum
1 East Lake Rd., Cooperstown, N.Y. 13326
888-547-1450 (toll free) or 607-547-1400
Cooperstown was home to an American superstar long before the Hall of Fame was built here. The town's much-admired art museum sits on the site of author James Fenimore Cooper's home. You'll find portraits of Cooper, but of greater interest are its renown collections of American folk and Native American art and the 19th-century painters (Gilbert Stuart, William Sidney Mount and Thomas Cole, among others) who made up the Hudson River School.
http://www.fenimoreartmuseum.org

Glimmerglass Opera
7300 State Highway 80, Cooperstown, N.Y. 13326, 607-547-5704
There is world-class opera in this tiny community, performed in a specially-designed 900-seat theater on the shores of Otsego Lake. Each summer season, the company presents four operas, featuring guest artists of world stature. Sliding walls allow patrons to enjoy the picturesque countryside prior to and after performances, as well as during intermission.
http://www.glimmerglass.org

Brewery Ommegang
656 County Highway 33, Cooperstown N.Y. 13326
800-544-1809 (toll free) or 607-544-1800
You won't find light beer here. You won't find lagers. What you will taste -- and why else would you visit a brewery? -- are full-bodied specialty beers brewed in the Belgian tradition: ales rich with hops and spices, made with a variety of yeasts and grains. Enjoy.
http://www.ommegang.com