The Fly Creek Cider MIll and Orchard

The Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard is located just a few miles outside of Cooperstown, New York, the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.  If you are visiting the Hall of Fame or just enjoy good food, especially anything to do with apples, you will want to stop here if you are in the area.

Fly Creek is a combination of an old-time general store and miniature theme park.

 

 

The store features fine food products from the Cooperstown area. It was built in 1856 and its apple cider is renowned throughout the area.

Each year, it is said that over 100,000 people visit the mill . Inside the store are a variety of products, including, of course, apple cider, apple butter and just about anything made with apples. One surprise is the various types of apple wines that are available. These, like everything else in the store, are available for sampling. And believe me, you will certainly enjoy those!

Another treat available at the store is the New York cheddar cheese. It is smooth, sharp and extremely enjoyable by itself, with a glass of apple wine or on some of the delectable crackers available at the store.

Inside the store, you will also find on the second floor, the actual cider press that is still being used today to make the apple cider. Unlike most cider mills, the cider is not pasteurized but rather it is exposed to the sunlight to kill any bacteria.  It is supposed to make the cider taste better and it sure did to us.

Everything in the store can also be shipped to your house and you can also buy through a catalog.

If interested, the Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard is located at 288 Goose Street,

Fly Creek, NY 13337 and can be reached through its website, www.flycreekcidermill.com.

Cooperstown Dreams Park

For 13 weeks every summer, Cooperstown, New York is the host to a national invitational youth baseball tournament for youth 12 and under for all sanctioned, independent, travel, and select baseball teams. :Located just a few miles from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, it is based in a sprawling facility.

For kids it is a dream come true. The coaches, players and umpires all stay in the baseball village for six nights and days. Other family members can stay in the variety of hotels and morels that are nearby.

Unlike some tournaments where teams are usually only guaranteed two games, each team is guaranteed to play at least seven games. As an added bonus, each team is seeded into the Championship Playoffs.

All players and coaches are inducted into the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame and given the opportunity to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame itself.

For more information about Dreams Park, see www.cooperstowndreamspark.com.

The Baseball Hall of Fame

The Baseball Hall of Fame (HOF) is located in the sleepy little town of Cooperstown, New York. Located right on Main street, the red brick building looks a little bit like a library. But inside it is the mecca for all those fans who love baseball and baseball history.  But even those people who don't know the difference between the Red Sox and the White Sox will find something of interest in the HOF.

My wife and I visited the HOF a few weeks ago. The admission charge for seniors is a very reasonable $12.  Because I am a veteran, there was no charge. The first stop inside is actually a movie, basically going through the history of the game in about 15 minutes. The theater is like a baseball field with stands and a make believe field. You can almost smell the hot dogs and taste the cold beer.

The exhibits begin with the birth of baseball.  Although generally the invention of the game is credited to Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, the exhibits themselves debunk that myth.  There are artifacts showing the idea of striking a ball of some sort with a stick went back in history for many centuries. 

As might be expected, there are whole rooms devoted to the heroes of the game. Babe Ruth is prominently featured, beginning with his days in an  orphanage in Baltimore to his death from cancer. Jackie Robinson is also given the star treatment.  In addition, there are separate rooms demonstrating  the accomplishments of both African-American and Latino players.

There are lockers filled with memorabilia for each of the major league teams. Our favorite team, the Pittsburgh Pirates was well-represented, including a particularly touching exhibit on the great Robert Clemente, who was voted into the HOF shortly after his untimely death while on a mission of mercy to Nicaraugra in 1972.  Ironically, he had joined the 3000 hit club on his last at bat during the prior season.

Surprisingly, although banned from baseball and presumably ineligible for the HOF, there is actually a display for Pete Rose, trumpeting his position as the all time hits leader.  Similarly, there is a display for the dishonored Barry Bonds, who does hold the major league record for home runs. Hank Aaron, the acknowledged unassisted  home run champ is given a large display detailing his long career.

Most impressive at the end of your tour is the actual hall of bronze plaques honoring all of the HOF members.  It is a little like being in church.

 

For more information, see www.baseballhalloffame.org.

After leaving the HOF, we stopped for lunch at the Doubleday Café, just a few steps away from the HOF at 93 Main Street. We sat at the bar and had tremendous hamburgers and a local draft beer. I highly recommend it

On the The Road to Cooperstown and The Baseball Hall of Fame

Located in Upstate New York 220  miles from New York City is a small village called Cooperstown.  Well known as the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, it is really much more and well worth a visit even if you are not a baseball fan.  If you are a fan, of course, a visit is all but mandatory. There is something for just about everyone.

We spent two days in Cooperstown recently as a stopover on our way to Ithaca, New York for a graduation at Ithaca College (more on that trip on another post). The first day, after checking into our hotel, a Country Inns and Suites in nearby Milford, we asked the desk clerk for a recommendation for dinner that evening. Without hesitation, she suggested the Hawkeye Bar and Grill.  Located in the historic Otesaga Resort Hotel, www.Otesaga.com, (60 Lake Drive, Cooperstown, NY, 800-348-6222) the Hawkeye Bar serves lunch and dinner alongside Lake Otesaga.  You can eat either indoors in the very well-appointed dining room or outside on the terrace under umbrellas with views of the lake and the Leatherstocking golf course. Because it was a chilly evening, we opted to eat indoors.

The menu is for the most part traditional American fare.  I had a delicious Caesar salad to start. My wife had the salmon for her entree and I had the beef tenderloin.  Both were perfectly prepared to our requested doneness. Accompanying the meal was delicious homemade cranberry bread. When we asked our server for more, the waitress not only refilled our basket, she also gave us a doggy bag filled with the bread for a snack at our hotel later that evening.

After dinner we took a brief stroll around the Otesaga hotel and the grounds.  It has a true resort atmosphere and next time we are in Cooperstown, we will definitely return either to stay or again have dinner.

In upcoming posts we will discuss our visits to the Hall of Fame, the  Fenimore Art Museum and most intriguing of all, the Fly Creek Cider Mill. In addition, we will discuss the Dreamspark baseball tournament held in Cooperstown every summer.