As a point of clarification, B&Bs serve only breakfast. By village ordinance they are not allowed to serve lunch or dinner. Also, in reference to one of your messages, the building that now houses the Fenimore Art Museum was never home to James Fenimore Cooper, being built many years after his death. It was built as a private residence for one of the Clark family, who unfortunately died before ever living there.

For anyone planning a trip to Cooperstown, I would be happy to guide you to better dining, superior accommodations and a number of shops that sell fine goods and nothing baseball related. Autumn is a beautiful time to visit.

Yes, I did.

I’m all for cute houses and all, but it’s not interesting enough to me to spend all that much time on.

I don’t know about that. I’ve been working on it for the better part of two decades, and I’m still going strong.

I too was unimpressed with the plaques, and was disapointed with the lack of Mariners items on display. However, in fairness, it was pre-1995, so the M’s weren’t really more than a pathetic footnote in the MLB history at the time.

With a group of friends, it’s a lot different and more enjoyable. However, my dad and I had a great trip there one summer. He had never been, so it was fun to go with him and talk about the players from his days. Plus, I was over 21, so we were able to hit a few microbreweries in the area. I don’t know if I’d go with my wife.

Oh, as far as the rental car goes, two words: Satellite Radio. It’s your best friend driving in rural areas. Heck, it’s a blessing here in Atlanta too.

I went for pretty much a full day with my dad several years back (1996 or 1997) when I was a teenager – we were visiting relatives in Ithica and decided to take a Father/Son day to visit the Hall.
It was before the McGwire/Sosa HR chase, before Bonds really rose to prominence, and before most of the Mariner highlights, save 1995.

Maybe it was my relative youth, but I was blown away by the Hall.
Certainly, the lack of “renovation” happening must have had something to do with it. I remember room after room of exhibits – a full room chronicling the early days (pre-1900) complete with gloves, uniforms, etc…even a full suit worn by the umpires of the day.

A huge wing on the Negro Leagues, full of names that sadly I can’t remember off the top of my head anymore, but reinforcing the travesty that those players weren’t able to match wits with the MLB players of the era.

Another huge wing on Umpires from pre-1900 to present-day, which was actually quite cool. There were other historical section wings as well, dedicated to each era (pre-AL/NL merge, WWII-era, then each decade from 1950 on). I remember this big display of baseball cards as well, complete with a Honus Wagner card (I don’t think it was THE card though). There was also a cool section with models of all the real old-time stadiums (Polo Grounds, something in Philly, etc) from the 1900′s.

Then the records section, the no-hitters, etc. There was a neat display on Williams’ .400 season where they had a color-coded series of balls showing his average at each part of the plate.
I agree with your assessment of the Team Section – I don’t remember being blown away. There were some cool Mariner things, like Griffey/RJ/Edgar items, and items from each team, but it didn’t have the magic of the rest of the place.

Lots more too…while we were only there for a day, we could have stayed several more.
I think you’re right, about half the place wasn’t accssible to you. I thought the Hall was an incredible tribute to baseball lore and legacy when I was there.

How is the HoF funded? One gets the impression that there hasn’t been money to hire high-quality professional staff. Hopefully that’s the problem, because the alternative explaination, that it’s just an old-boys’ club that doesn’t care, would be most disappointing.

I have to admit, the renovations made me really sad too when I was there a year ago. I went to the HoF as a kid a few times, and I loved it. That was what really first got me interested in baseball history, which has carried through to this day. I would say that if at all possible, you should go back sometime after they’re done — I have really fond memories of the place, and I don’t think it’s all just the tinting of a child/teen’s eyes.

My memory from that hallway with the letters on the wall that was more poignant was Buck Weaver’s letter from 1953 or so still asking to be reinstated, and the reply of “Sorry, no dice.”

Is the baseball card room off-limits now? That’s a shame if so — I’m pretty sure it was still available last winter. I love seeing how the cards evolved over the years, and just seeing the old pictures of players.

The historical stuff *is* great. Though I was surprised at a distinct lack of stuff on Walter Johnson — for crying out loud, he was one of the First Five! I think they had, like, one of his gloves or something. And yeah, wow — the postseason room was exceptionally cool, including a neat display of tons of World Series rings — I’m surprised if that’s closed off, hmm.

And yeah, I’ll agree that Cooperstown in general seems better in the summer. It’s all nice and pretty and you can do stuff like go on boat rides around the lake at sunset and listen to people tell stories about the town.