Background:
After our last minute trip to West Virginia, we felt that we had a new knack for traveling on a road trip without an enormous amount of planning. So for Hol HaMoed Sukkot, Rita and I packed the kids into the car and took a three day trip to explore upstate New York. We knew Cooperstown would be our destination, and planned a few stops along the way, but we didn’t book hotels (or more accurately motels) till we were on the road. We were excited to be out of the city, and looked forward to seeing the beautiful colors of the fall foliage.
Day 1 – Hiking and Howe Caverns:
We started our drive upstate after the holiday, and spent the first night about an hour from Cooperstown. Our first stop was a short hike to Vroman’s Nose. The hike took about a half hour each way through the forest, and ended at a nice overlook with a panorama of the fields and hills in the area.
Next, we went to Howe Caverns. We took a short trip down an elevator into the caverns, where we spent some time exploring the huge caves, with several different rock formations. The kids loved exploring the caves, and although it was hard to keep them nearby, we all really enjoyed. The tour ended with a boat ride along a lake in the cavern which was cool as well.
Our next stop was the Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown, where there were several demonstrations of how people lived 300 years ago, including a working printing press, blacksmith shop, and of course a farm. The kids got to milk the cows, and chase chickens into the coop, and ride the carousel.
Our last stop of the day was Lake Oswego, where we hung out by the lake to relax and cap off the day.
Day 2 – Cooperstown National Baseball Hall of Fame
The morning was a bit rainy, but we headed to the main attraction in Cooperstown, the Baseball Hall of Fame. The kids picked up a scavenger hunt, and we explored the museum. The intro movie was awesome for any baseball fan, or sports fan in general. We explored the different exhibits, including some cool memorabilia from Babe Ruth, the women from A League of Their Own, and saw the plaques for the Hall of Famers.
After a quick stop for some apple cider in Fly Creek Cider Mill, we left Cooperstown to drive closer to NYC. No road trip is complete without a trip to some national park sites. Our first of this trip was the home of Martin Van Buren, the 8th President of the United States. Rita and I took turns touring the house as the other watched the kids while we learned a bit about his life and presidency. Interestingly, he spoke Dutch as his first language, was president in the period leading up to the civil war, and was president during the Panic of 1837, one of the worst depressions in US history.
Day 3 – Roosevelts and Vanderbilts
Moving to later periods in US history, we visited Elenor Roosevelt’s house in Val Kill to learn about the powerful First Lady. We then visited Vanderbilt mansion, exploring the mansion itself and the grounds. We got some nice pictures of Shelly in the garden before driving home for Shabbat.
