Experience the Charm of Rural New York in Cooperstown and Otsego County

Experience the Charm of Rural New York in Cooperstown and Otsego County

Cooperstown and Otsego County is located in the heart of Central New York, just a few short hours northwest of New York City. This perfect weekend getaway is a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle and doldrums of city life.

The area is known for being the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum but is also a hotspot for craft beverages, unique eateries, and the arts. The region’s agritourism scene, situated in a pristine rural area, is emerging and flourishing.

Cooperstown and Otsego County’s landscape is noted for its rolling hills, emerald-green meadows, historic farm properties, quaint communities, New York State forests, and expansive parks. Otsego Lake is the natural jewel in Cooperstown’s crown.

The lake, spanning 4,046 acres, offers swimming at Gillmerglass State Park and a public beach at Three Mile Point. For the angler, it’s teeming with lake trout, smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch, stocked salmon, and more.

If a leisurely cruise on the lake is more your speed, pontoon boat rentals are available for a half day up to a week and can be delivered right to your lakeside hotel or vacation rental. Adventurers interested in a leisurely paddle can head to the Susquehanna River and rent kayaks or canoes just a few miles south of town.

The craft beverage lover will be enthralled as Cooperstown is home to Brewery Ommegang.

The brewery specializes in Belgianstyle ales and offers guided tasting flights, concerts, and fire pit gatherings. Red Shed Brewery, also based in Cooperstown, recently opened a new Britishstyle pub in the quaint village of Cherry Valley, NY, and boasts a full line of cask ales. If wine is favored over beer, then a visit to Pail Shop Vineyards and Montezuma Winery should be on the list.

Art and culture aficionados will find a veritable playground in the area. Fenimore Art Museum contains exhibits featuring fine and folk art, Native American art, extensive photography collections from the 19th and early 20th centuries, and rare books and manuscripts. Fenimore Art Museum is closely associated with The Farmers Museum, a facility that has recreated rural life from the 19th century through exhibits and interactive workshops.

When it comes to accommodations, Cooperstown and Otsego County is the place to stay. From hotels to motels, bed and breakfasts to campgrounds, there are options for every budget. The Otesaga Resort Hotel was built in 1909 and contains two restaurants and an 18-hole golf course. Other options include the Landmark Inn, Cooperstown Bed and Breakfast, Bayside Inn & Marina, Lake ‘N Pines Motel, Hampton Inn Oneonta, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Cooperstown, Holiday Inn Express Oneonta, and the Inn at Cooperstown.

When the air turns balmy right up to the first chill, Cooperstown has no shortage of fairs, festivals, and carnivals. Throughout the summer, Otsego County’s towns hold numerous weekend fairs celebrating local heritage.

The Glimmerglass Festival was founded in 1975 as an opera company run in the months of July and August and is presented at the Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego Lake, eight miles north of Cooperstown. More than just opera, the Glimmerglass Festival presents musicals and special performances, cabarets, concerts, lectures, and symposiums throughout the season.

With its natural beauty and local charm, Cooperstown and Otsego County is the perfect destination for a long weekend getaway, whether you’re drawn by baseball, the arts, the outdoors, or craft beverages.

Book now for the experience of a lifetime at ThisIsCooperstown.com