My Trip to Cooperstown

The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is a must-visit for any baseball fan. A trip to Cooperstown can be a spur of the moment decision or a well-planned vacation. The following was my experience at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

My family and I drove the four hours to Cooperstown on July 4^th, which was really the perfect day to do it. We hit no traffic, had no trouble parking, and the Hall of Fame itself was not crowded at all. Leaving early in the morning, around 7:30, will give you plenty of time to see the Hall of Fame and eat. We arrived in town at about 12, and grabbed a bite to eat at the All-American Café on Main Street. The menu was simple, but it was a pleasant outdoor restaurant that had good service and food. The menu consisted of baseball game foods, like hot dogs, bratwurst, BBQ sandwiches, and French fries. The food was ready about four minutes after we ordered it, and we were once again making our way down Main Street towards the Hall of Fame by 12:20. After a few minutes of walking, I finally stood on the steps of the Baseball Hall of Fame. We entered, and I was in heaven.

We made our way through the museum in chronological order starting with the earliest form of baseball, all the way to the modern era. It was very interesting to look at the old equipment and many other pieces of 19^th century baseball history. I enjoyed the Babe Ruth section very much, which showed the different parts of his life in a big circle. Another section I enjoyed was the exhibit about the Negro Leagues and blacks in baseball. Something I found fascinating was that professional baseball was integrated in the 1880's. In the next decade, it became segregated, which many attribute to Cap Anson, influential manager of the Chicago White Stockings, who refused to play teams with black players. That exhibit also featured a section dedicated to Jackie Robinson, which was remarkable.

We proceeded then proceeded to the actually Hall of Fame, which holds all 280 plaques dedicated to the greatest to ever play and participate in baseball. Each plaque has a 3D molding of the player, along with their name, the team(s) the played for, and a short text about their accomplishments. Also, if the player served in the military, a small emblem is placed below their plaque.

My favorite part was definitely the records room on the 3^rd floor. It had the game ball, autographed by every pitcher to ever toss a no hitter. It also had a World Series ring from every team to win a title. That case also had two pins from the teams that were in the series that season. Under the pins were the World Series rings. There was a giant class case with Cy Young, Batting Title, MVP, Gold Glove, Reliever of the Year, and Silver Slugger awards in it. It listed the winner of each award as well.

Some of the other things we did in the Hall of Fame:

-Played a Who Wants to be a Millionaire style baseball trivia game.

-Listened to a presentation about baseball during World War II.

-Mingled in the gift shop

-Went to exhibit that had the history of each team.

After spending the entire day in the Hall of Fame, we walked two blocks to a place called TJ's for dinner. It was fairly expensive, but what isn't in that town. The food was pretty good, and we then caught the trolley down to the lake where an elegant fireworks display was exhibited. It was beautiful to see the show over the lake, and all the skepticism I had about going on the 4^th of July was gone.

The next morning, we ate at TJ's again, and shopped around town a little. Almost every store is directly related to baseball, and I couldn't have been happier. My favorite store was Mickey's Place, which had shirts and hats of every major league team available for purchase. In addition to that, they had minor league hats and shirts. I got a 1984 Padres hat and a Montgomery Biscuits sweat shirt. I want winter to come just so I can where it. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough money to get any collectibles like autographed pictures and baseballs. Safe at Home was also a great store. I bought an autographed Lou Pinella Seattle Mariners helmet for a mere 25 dollars.

The 4^th of July was really the perfect day to go, because the museum was practically empty, and the town wasn't flooded with other tourists. The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is a great experience for any baseball fan and it can be a fun learning experience for non-baseball enthusiasts.