To celebrate the Fourth of July, what better way than appropriately spending it in an All-American town? Chris and I headed up to Cooperstown, NY to enjoy the fanciful delights of excellent beer, little league, fireworks, rural heritage and, of course, the Baseball Hall of Fame (FEE-FIE-FOE-FRIGGEN-BASEBALL).

Our voyage began with the notion to drink beer, specifically from the Ommegang Brewery. Much to my dismay, the inside of the brewery was nothing to write home about, but that was quickly overlooked due to the complimentary beer tasting at the end of the tour. We were awarded samples of five extraordinary Belgian-style ales, my personal favorite being their cherry lambic, Three Philosophers, with a whopping 9.8% alcohol content. Scrrrumptuous flavors! It was entertaining to learn that they provide to 48 states excluding that of West Virginia and Mississippi who don’t permit beer-a-lcious beverages above 3.2%-ish. Guess where I’m never going to drink beer ever!

WHERE MAH BEA?! A look of slight displeasure based on the time surpassed between one tasting beer pour to the next.

Along the beverage trail, one fine discovery was the independently-owned Cooperstown Brewing Company touting beers suitably dubbed Old Slugger, Benchwarmer and the like. There we encountered friendly faces, a well-informed staff and their fine felines, Barley and Hops. You can find the kitties frolicking through the space, so if you ever find a strand of animal fur in your beverage… Oh, get it over it germiphobe!

Hops, Offical Beer Mascot

We swung by Dreams Park to catch a couple little league games; a sort of blast from the past for me since I can’t even remember the last time I’ve been to one. Boisterous crowds gathered in the stands from all over the country cheering their little hearts out. Pretty sure we saw a Hawaii license plate somewhere in the parking lot. Now that’s dedication.

All in all, a fun, happening little town with an old-fashioned charm. Our motel had the most spectacular view (also the best fireworks seat in the house), a memorable beverage trail we still need to complete, museums, swimming – just a nice place to visit to unwind and do baseball-related things. Cooperstown is not exactly the destination for foodstuffs – most likely why we spent most of it indulging in palatable brewskis – but we came across a couple local charms and markets. There’s only so much you can see in a three-day vacation; perhaps if we had more time? We shall return!

I leave you with a moo cow: