A Journey to the Hall of Fame

Seeing the National Baseball Hall of Fame in person is a slightly overwhelming experience - if you like the sport of baseball. The building is huge and has plans to grow larger still. We wandered through the rooms, backtracking once or twice, and looked for exhibits of our favorite teams and players.

The layout of the building is condusive to a slower pace and you get to see all the artifacts. They are well lighted and photos are encouraged. Just imagine, you get to see the shoes, ball and batting glove of Jim Palmer on the same day you get to see the uniforms of Bobby Cox and Earl Weaver.

Of course, the Hall of Fame is much more than these displays. They have a small section devoted to the women of baseball and another to the minor leagues and still another to the stadiums and announcers of the past. But the most important section is the original purpose of the building - housing the plaques of the players that are inducted into the Hall of Fame each year. We wandered through these alcoves for over an hour, just reading the plaques and looking at the variety of players.

This is one "tourist trap" that will truly entrap you for the day. Get your hand stamped when you pay your entry fee and you will be able to exit and reenter as many times as you want - very convenient if you have small children that need to eat or large packages that you don't want to carry around.

The gift shop is a large one and has a varied array of products, from T-shirts and mugs to games and throws (all sanctioned by the professional teams).

This is a great way to bring the history of the sport to the younger generations.

The town did not look the way we had envisioned it. We thought that it would be a "boardwalk" type atmosphere, with stores and hands-on activities (like you find in the ocean resorts). Instead, we found a picturesque New England town with stores and museums along the main street. The buildings and homes look like they could have been painted by Norman Rockwell.

The "museums " range from a vintage store to a "wax" museum. Souvenirs abound and they run the gamut from the tacky to the refined. Most have team insignias on them, but a few are just there for the buying.

There are a few restaurants in the main area of town and the food is usually quick in arriving. The main lodging is the "bed and breakfast" type, but there are one or two motels in town. We stayed in neighboring Oneonta since we wanted to travel the area and sightsee.

One of the highlights was seeing Doubleday Field. We were not alowed on the field since it was in use by teams at the time. Little League, Pony League, College teams and others use the field and others in the area. This is definitely a baseball fanatic's dream home.

If you like baseball and shopping, this is the vacation spot for you.