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1909
The Otesaga Hotel
Cooperstown, New York
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tours
Located along over 700 feet of Lake Otsego shoreline, The Otesaga Hotel opened its luxurious doors for the first time on July 12, 1909. Of its beauty, a local newspaper wrote: “No more fortunate location could have been chosen for a hotel. From its windows and broad veranda, a view as charming as the Divine Hand ever painted fills the eye.” Today, this seasonal Cooperstown, New York, hotel exudes elegance in its signature Federalist Revival details, a stately wood-columned portico, and dome-capped cupola. The Otesaga (Haudenosaunee for “a place of meetings”) and its Leatherstocking Golf Course have drawn visitors for generations.
Discover
- Discover the Federal-style architecture of The Otesaga Hotel. Upon arriving, stop to appreciate the structure’s eight massive 30-foot columns and 400 wrap-around windows. One of America's grand lakeside hotels, the elegant resort is open seasonally between mid-April and Thanksgiving.
- Enjoy the best view in town on the resort’s spectacular wrap-around porch, which beckons guests with cozy white rocking chairs to take in the magnificent sunsets on the adjacent Otsego Lake.
- Look for nods to Cooperstown native and American novelist James Fenimore Cooper throughout the hotel. Cooper affectionately referred to Otsego Lake as “Glimmerglass,” and today the resort’s main dining room retains that name as well. The Hawkeye Bar & Grill and the Hawkeye Spa carry the nickname of Cooper’s famous literary character, Natty Bumppo, from The Last of the Mohicans. The Leatherstocking Golf Course pays tribute in its branding to the author's five-novel series.
Explore
- Explore the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which celebrates America’s favorite pastime through a range of exhibits and historic artifacts. Honor the game's greats, as just 1% of the 19,000 men who have played Major League Baseball are enshrined in the Hall's Plaque Gallery.
- Take in the Fenimore Art Museum, located on a site once owned by novelist James Fenimore Cooper, and now home to one of the country’s largest permanent collections of American Indian art and American folk art.
- Step back into the 19th century with a walk through the Historic Village and Lippitt Farmstead at the nearby Farmers’ Museum. From interactive educational programs to historic agricultural tools and equipment, this is a one-of-a-kind experience to see what life was like on a farm in 1800s. The museum is also home to the Cardiff Giant, the 10-foot-long gypsum figure known as “America's Greatest Hoax,” and the Empire State Carousel, featuring 25 hand-carved animals and panels of historic figures.
Experience
- Play 18 holes at the resort’s Leatherstocking Golf Course, designed in 1909 by Devereux Emmet and featuring a natural-contour terrain that sweeps along the western shoreline of Otsego Lake.
- Catch a game at historic Doubleday Field, located down the street from The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which has been hosting games since the first Hall of Fame Induction Weekend in 1939.
- Experience the inherent beauty of nearby Glimmerglass State Park. Located along the shoreline of Otesaga Lake, this wonderful verdant park is home to the historic Hyde Hall.
Taste
- Try the in-house butcher’s specialties at The Otesaga Hotel’s Hawkeye Bar & Grill. The wide menu of classic comfort food features regional products, house made Italian sausage, and fresh burgers crafted from a proprietary blend of sirloin, chuck & short rib.
- Enjoy a “field to flask” experience complete with distiller-led tours and free tastings of handcrafted artisanal spirits at Cooperstown Distillery, the first and only distillery in Otsego County. Or sample award-winning beers at nearby Brewery Ommegang, a Belgian-style brewery that hosts festive events that include a popular outdoor summer concert series.
- Taste more than 40 specialty foods including extra-sharp, Mill-aged cheddar cheese, fudge, salsa, hard ciders, and apple wines at Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard, a historic, water-powered cider mill located on the banks of Fly Creek.