Take Me Out to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY
By Meg Brunson
To prepare for our visit we watched A League of Their Own as a family - a movie I watched with my parents before we visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame when I was a child. I remember how cool it was to see the exhibit honoring the Women's League and I wanted to give my kids the same memories. The museum went through major renovations/expansion in 2006, so the museum we experienced was bigger than the one I remembered!
As we started your journey through the National Baseball Hall of Fame we experienced a sample locker from each major league team filled with artifacts from some of the great players of the appropriate team throughout the years. It would have been easy to pass by and miss the Grandstand Theater when nothing was playing, but I am SO glad that we made sure to take some time out to slow down and see Generations of the Game. This movie is sure to whet the appetite of baseball fans young and old for what the Hall of Fame has to offer (and it even brought a tear to my husband's eye).
Baseball is a game thick with nostalgia, and where Generations of the Game can get the ball rolling, nothing will drive it home quite like the Shoebox Treasures exhibit. Paying homage to the greatest American pastime your mom threw out, your collection of baseball cards, Shoebox Treasures gives an in-depth look into 10 ‘holy grail’ baseball cards and what it is that makes them so sought after. The fun, of course, doesn’t stop there. Every child of my generation knows the iconic “clack-clack-clack” sound a baseball card makes when it’s wedged into the spokes of a bike, and the exhibit encourages everyone to give a genuine bike wheel with a card stuck in the spokes a spin. Ever fantasize about what your baseball card would look like? Choose the position, pose, and even the era of your own baseball card - take a picture and they'll email it to you!
Of course, no visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame is complete without a trip through the hallowed Plaque Gallery. It’s said you can feel the ghosts of the ball players of yesteryear walking around, and while I saw no evidence of that myself, I definitely heard, “Play ball!” off in the distance. The old adage is true; if you build it, they will come. And they definitely have. You would do well to do the same and revel in all that the Great American Pastime has to offer.
Helpful Hints for Planning your visit
- Plan to stay for a couple days - The is a lot to see/do at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and you could easily spend the whole day here (we almost did!). But Cooperstown is a great town to explore - lots of cute shops!
- Save with a Combo Ticket - Enjoy admission to the Farmers' Museum, Fenimore Art Museum, and National Baseball Hall of Fame! And, you can visit them on different days - the visits just need to happen within one year!
- Prepare to Park - We were able to find street parking nearby. We paid $2/hour and the limit was 2 hours (so we went back out to add more time as needed). The Doubleday Field Parking Lot offers all-day parking for $14.
- Food/Drink - There are water fountains in the museum, but you can not bring in food or drinks - so leave the snacks/coolers in the car - you can leave and come back as often as you'd like when you get your hand stamped.
Baseball fans and history buffs alike will enjoy a visit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The are exhibits and interactive displays that are educational and entertaining for all ages! Start planning your visit at https://baseballhall.org/
Read about some of the other adventures we're having on our Year-Long Road Trip!
© 2019 Meg Brunson
Thanks to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for sponsoring this review. All opinions expressed are my own. See more on Instagram!
Meg is a mommy blogger, Facebook marketer, and much more. She is a mom to four kids who live full-time in an RV exploring the US! As a former Facebook employee, Meg remains a Facebook addict and handles KidsOutAndAbout.com's Social Media Marketing in addition to providing freelance services for other small businesses on how to best leverage Facebook as a part of their marketing strategy. Meg also hosts the FamilyPreneur Podcast, a podcast for parent entrepreneurs raising entrepreneurial children. Learn more about Meg at MegBrunson.com!