This charming covered bridge is just one little part of another beautiful New York park, Glimmerglass State Park and it's only 8 miles north of Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame. I took the photo from our kayak as we paddled around the river and a bit of the lake the first afternoon we were there. The bridge was being renovated and was roped off, but it was still beautiful from this perspective.
Fall displays were everywhere along Main Street in town and always with lots and lots of chrysanthemums. I've picked up several different colors as we stop at farm stands along the back roads. I've never seen any mums quite as large and lovely as they have here in the East.
We were walking around the little town of Cooperstown and found a beautiful old resort right on the lake and a perfect place for a an afternoon cocktail. The Otsego Resort Hotel built in 1909 is still a destination resort stay. Drinks out on the patio overlooking the lake was fun.
The days grew cooler the longer we stayed, so I went into town and spent a couple hours in the morning at the library to get some things done while Paul did some little fix its on the MH. The library itself is stunning, and dates to 1898 built by the Clark family to be used as a YMCA, library and museum. It's a gorgeous building with an art gallery just beyond the main library rooms. Not a bad place to spend some wet mornings.
Tuesday we planned our visit to the national Hall of Fame in this beautiful brick building.
3 floors of displays and memorabilia from the early days of baseball right up to the present. Opened in 1939 it was amazing to visit the extensive exhibits. It's usually so busy in the village of Cooperstown, a trolley operates during the summer months to get people into town from park areas outside, but September was a perfect time to visit, fewer crowds and no trolley. To actually stand in front of the Babe Ruth display in the Babe Ruth Room, or Jackie Robinson's display was amazing. Throughout the museum there are so many things to read and learn.
One of my favorite statues was called "Character and Courage"; life-size bronze statues of Roberto Clemente, Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson.
Wednesday we started before noon with a tour of the local brewery, Ommegang just south of the village. PK had a rough time getting their required crocs on before the tour, he'd worn sandals and those aren't allowed.
We had a private tour since it was so early in the day. Everything was operating except the bottling department.
After the tour we had a chance to taste the variety of beers that are brewed. Wonderful! Then we stayed for a most delicious lunch in their restaurant.
This is the beautiful view of the buildings of the Ommgang buildings, in a lovely pastoral setting.
After lunch we visited the Farmers Musuem which is a 19th century Historic Village. Buildings were gathered from rural communities around New York state and relocated and restored, piece by piece.
We even had a chance to ride on a traditional country fair carousel. The 25 hand-carved animals represent the agricultural and natural resources found in New York State, there's even an Erie Canal boat.
We stopped in all the buildings open that afternoon, with a printmaker working on a newspaper, a pharmacist showing how early medications were prepared, a weaver and broom maker, then out to the farmstead to see the animals, crops and kitchen cooking up lunch over an open fire.
There's a third wonderful musuem right in Cooperstown, the Fenimore Art Museum. Its permanent displays of American Folk Art and North American Indian art and artifacts are housed in the former Fenimore House, incredibly beautiful. Even walking the grounds looking out over the lake was a wonderful experience.
The Dorothea Lange Exhibit had just opened the day before, so amazing to stand before her images of migrant works, suffering families and landscape photos during the Depression years.
One outing I think I'd pass on next time is a visit to the apple cider mill outside of town...too commercialized, all about pushing their products with only a tiny area showing the cider making process. Its like some of the apple farms in SLO county on steroids.
Before leaving Glimmerglass State Park we took a morning to visit Hyde Hall right on the state park property. Built in early 1800s as a large country house with family, guest and staff quarters set in a park-like setting on the southern end of Otswego Lake.
The view from the front porch that morning was lovely.
After four nights in the park it was time to move, no sites were available for the weekend, so we drove east along rolling hills and farms to Thompson's Lake State Park. Only 18 miles west of Albany it gave us a great location to visit Albany, NY, the state capital.
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