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Cooperstown,
NY, offers spectacular rural scenery
| Otsego
Lake in back of the Fenimore Art Museum (photo by Eric J. Hurwitz) |
Article
by Eric J. Hurwitz
Visiting the
Village of Cooperstown, NY, is one of life's truly special treats,
but an excursion to the outskirts and surrounding countryside
in Otsego County also holds it own weight, resulting in some
of New York state's most charming attractions and scenery.
A ride down East
or West Lake Rds. (Routes 31 and 80, respectively), hugging the
10-mile long Otsego Lake, is a great start to the scenic countryside
with its stunning water views juxtaposed with rolling hills and
the distinct-looking Sleeping Lion Mountain (it sort of looks
like a sleeping lion). On the west side, the trees give way to
some stunning full views of Lake Otsego, with the color of the
water changing daily, based on climatic conditions.
On the shores
of beautiful Otsego Lake on the Cooperstown-Springfield line
(Route 80) is the Glimmerglass
Opera, a world class company, attracting 32,000 patrons each
season to its beautiful Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego Lake.
Taking a right at the Glimmerglass
State Park sign after the Opera building and the end of the lake
affords spectacular views of the countryside, with endless green
fields, pretty farms, deers feeding in the grass and the scent
of mountain fresh air. This area is especially beautiful later
in the day with the big skies offering incredible sunsets, followed
by a piercing moonlight on clear nights.
Glimmerglass State Park, 10 minutes
out of Cooperstown Village and at the other end of Lake Otsego
on East Lake Rd., is a model of how state parks should be run.
Clean, well-maintained and ultimately beautiful, Glimmerglass
State Park has a fine swimming beach in the summer, great cross
country skiing and vast open land to roam any time of the year.
The fresh air is enough to make one want to move instantly to
this region. Next to Glimmerglass State Park is the beautiful
Hyde Hall. Hyde Hall promotional literature accurately says it
all: "Hyde Hall is a stunning reminder of a bygone American
era when families of English aristocracy established vast estates
in the former colonies. The house itself may well be the finest
example of neoclassic country mansions anywhere in America. Roger
Kennedy of the Smithsonian writes that Hyde Hall is "a great
house, architecturally, and a social document of the first importance."
The late former Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan called Hyde Hall
"one of the most remarkable buildings in America."
A
ride into the country will not disappoint either, particularly
Fly Creek. A five minute drive from the Village over the hill
on Route 28 (from Chestnut Street), Fly Creek is a true charmer
with the down-to-earth, find-it-all-here Fly Creek General Store,
some great homes with views of the valley and the Fly Creek Cider
Mill. The Cider Mill is a turn-of-the-century water-powered mill
with delicious apple cider, great box lunches (wonderful pulled
pork and homemade pies), a picnic area, extensive two-story gift
shop, and Fly Creek where kids can feed the ducks. The Fly Creek
Cider Mill is rural American business at its best -- a viable,
well-run operation where all employees work hard to ensure customers
have fun and come away with good products. You simply can't get
better cider anywhere else.
Surrounding villages like Richfield
Springs, Cherry Valley, Milford, Middlefield and Springfield
have scenic rural beauty, some nice antique shops, and lack of
development that breeds a sense of pride that the past can somehow
be maintained in today's much fast-paced world.These types of
villages are worth visiting as a complement to your Cooperstown
vacation.
The combination of visiting Cooperstown
and the nearby small rural communities indeed make for one of
the best vacations in New York state. It is a place of unspoiled
land, great scenery, and, of course, lots of fun.
For more information on
Cooperstown, NY, view the Cooperstown
Travel Library, Attractions Resource
Guide, Calendar of Events, Dining and Lodging sections, and photo gallery
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