As summer drew to a close, my family decided to get away for a few days. Not crazy, no heavy lifting, just a few days to soak in those last moments of summer. We opted to take advantage of what New York State has to offer. What’s that saying? The best things are always the obvious ones right in front of you?
So one recent Sunday morning, we hopped in the car to hit up some tourist stops in our very own New York State for a few days. Here are some of our highlights:
Cooperstown
National Baseball Hall of Fame is the main highlight in Cooperstown. My 11-year-old daughter is a huge Yankee fan, and as such, tons of exhibits piqued her interest. (Me – as a Mets fan – had a little less to admire, but it’s all about the kids, right?).
The Hall presents an in-depth history of baseball through paintings, photos, and exhibits. On display are all the bronze plaques of the Hall of Fame inductees, including Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina, and others, dating back to the first in 1936. Exhibits include vintage memorabilia of all the teams and influential players.
For baseball fans, it is a must-see. It’s really incredible to realize how much this sport has impacted American culture. Do you need to be a baseball fan to enjoy the Hall of Fame? The sport of baseball has a rich history, so if you enjoy history, museums, or sports in general, the Hall of Fame is a great attraction. There was a loop of the Abbott and Costello classic “Who’s On First?” that we sat down to watch.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame is located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York. Here are a few hints: Head to nearby Doubleday Field to park for the whole day for $14 or $15. When purchasing Hall of Fame tickets, ask about the Family Membership. If you’re a family of 4 or more, buying the membership actually saves you money.
Cooperstown itself is a quaint town, with much more to offer than the Hall of Fame. After we toured the Hall of Fame, we spent time walking on Main Street in and out of all the shops looking for that perfect shirt or sweatshirt. (And not purchasing that perfect sweatshirt the first go-around and having to go back to the first store we saw it in!) We stopped for lunch and ice cream along the way. Being that we only had a few days to travel and more of New York State culture to capture, we weren’tn’t able to take advantage of other Cooperstown attractions, including the Farmers’ Museum, Glimmerglass Festival, and Fenimore Art Museum, but hopefully one day we will. Coopestown is around 160 miles from Northern Westchester.
Howe’s Caverns
Another New York State stop is Howe’s Caverns. This is a living limestone cave carved by an underground river over millions of years. It was officially discovered in 1842 by Lester Howe, for whom it is named.
Trained tour guides help navigate the cave and will teach you about the history of the caves, how they were discovered, their amazing natural features, and the surrounding geology of limestone and rock formations. We took the traditional 90-minute tour, which takes you 156 feet (about 15 stories) below the surface to explore 6-million-year-old caves. This walking tour includes a small boat ride. Howe’s Caverns offers a variety of tour types that range from the 90-minute traditional tour we took, through much more adventurous and physical visits where you crawl through caverns and head to more mysterious and secluded areas.
And as you can see, we did purchase the souvenir picture. Howe’s Caverns is around 140 miles from Northern Westchester and is located at 255 Discovery Drive, Howes Cave, New York, in Schoharie County. Helpful hints: Review the website in planning your trip. They have tour packages available for purchase, as well as other activities like gem mining. In addition, there are some seasonal attractions, such as zip lining and a ropes course. And again, do not forget that sweatshirt!
Saranac Brewery Tour
We toured the historic FX Matt Brewing Company/Saranac Brewery in Utica. The brewery was initially established in 1888 by FX Matt and is still a family business today, led by the 3rd and 4th generations. It is the fourth-oldest family-owned brewery in the United States. On this tour, we learned that they endured the prohibition years by producing and serving soft drinks and non-alcoholic drinks. Once prohibition ended, they were the first brewery to be licensed again and started serving their famous Utica Club beer.
You start the guided tour in the original 1888 Tavern, where you see old photos, historical cans and bottles, and other memorabilia. You proceed through the brewery, through the various rooms where each step of the brewing process is performed. It is a mobile tour where you move from room to room, which helps keep the kids’ attention. The bottling process is a fun stop. You’re able to witness the true assembly line of filling the bottle, labeling, sorting, and boxing. I heard one of the other kids on the tour say that it was like magic!
The end of the tour brings you back to the 1888 Tavern to sample a drink. My daughter chose the Saranac Shirley Temple, and my son chose the Saranac Root Beer. I shared a sampler with my husband, and although I’m not much of a beer person, I enjoyed the Varick St. Breakfast Stout. Its description says it is brewed with oats and aged in whiskey barrels with coffee, vanilla, and maybe syrup, with subtle hints of caramel. It sounds like something where, if you add milk, you’d have a lovely creamy drink? The bartender quickly gave me a lesson that milk and beer don’t really mix, as he said it would be more of a curdle than a cream! I really had no clue!
Saranac Brewery is located at 830 Varick Street, Utica, New York, which is about 200 miles from aboutchester. In the summer months (June through August), tours are offered Monday through Saturday. During the other months of the year, tours are offered on Fridays and Saturdays. The current cost is quite reasonable at $5.00 per person; children 12 and under are free, and that beverage is on the house at The 1888 Tavern.
Tourism in New York is More Than NYC
Some of our best family trips have been these little getaways with no major planning or hoopla. For Central Trip, we chose a hotel in Utica as our home base and did day trips to/from. Since my husband planned most of our itinerary, we ended up reliving one of our childhood vacations. It was cute to hear his memories during our stops.
When you live in Westchester and grow up in NYC, you tend to forget how much there is to see if you just drive north! Touring our state of New York was a great way to tie up our summer. Next year, maybe we will hit up Lake George, the Finger Lakes, or even Niagara Falls. So much to choose from, so close to home.
