Cooperstown, NY

We got a pretty early start today and drove from Oneota to Cooperstown, which was another nice drive through a lot of scenic farmland. We drove by the Cooperstown Dream Park, which is quite the complex I must say. Someday maybe the boys will have baseball camps there. Anyway we parked at an outlying lot and took the trolley into town. Xander really enjoyed the trolley ride- a little terrifying though for his parents as he kept trying to lean out the windows.

Our first stop of the day was at The Farmer's Museum. It looked really interesting to us and we figured it would give Xander a chance to really run around and stretch his legs. Also that way we could spend the hottest part of the day inside, instead of out in the heat. The Farmer's Museum is a 19th century village and farm. Xander really enjoyed the carousel... by the end. He really wanted to go on it but then when I took him he started to cry- until it started moving. Then he thought it was the coolest thing ever and I had to carry him kicking and screaming off of it. I enjoyed the exhibits of sewing and fiber crafts the best and I think Frank enjoyed a lot of the agricultural exhibits. They also had some animals, but mostly the same types of animals that we have at home- sheep, cows, chickens- so that wasn't too exciting for the kids. Although Xander enjoyed petting the calf. Before we left we went on a horse drawn wagon ride. Then we hopped back on the trolley and headed into the village of Cooperstown.

We had lunch at an overpriced street cafe but the food was good at least and we got to eat outside and watch all the people go by. Cooperstown on a Sat in July is a pretty busy place! The we headed to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I think every baseball enthusiast has dreamed at some point in their life of going there and it didn't disappoint. There were lots of cool exhibits and trivia and memorabilia. We got to watch a bunch of neat videos and interviews- including a copy of Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?" which was hilarious. I especially enjoyed the Women in baseball exhibit and the baseball in the movies exhibit, as well as the team locker exhibits. And the Hall of Fame gallery itself is pretty impressive. Luckily both boys fell asleep for part of our visit so we were able to stop and read through all the trivia for at least part of the time. Museums are definitely not Xander's thing! Too much standing around and not enough moving.

After the Hall of Fame we went to visit Doubleday Field and happened upon a baseball game in progress so we stayed and watched for a bit. James happily sat on our laps and Xander climbed up and down the bleachers. Then we headed back towards the hotel and to find someplace for dinner. We ended up at Applebees, which was delicious despite the fact that Xander was shall we say not well behaved. The Applebees was in a mall so I took Xander for a walk after I finished my dinner and he happened upon a toy store with a table full of toys out front and he quite happily played there until we had todrag him away kicking and screaming. Poor guy was pretty tired by that point. So after a quick bath and a marathon bout of screaming by both children we all fell asleep!