Mid-Atlantic - Baseball Hall of Fame for Induction Ceremony

Hi,

I am headed to Cooperstown this summer for the induction ceremony and was wondering if anyone had been previously and could realy their experience.

I think I am going to fly in on Friday night and stay in Albany through Monday. I was going to drive over to the Hall and walk through on Saturday, I am a huge baseball fan.

Going to head back for the induction on Sunday and to hear one of the greats, Andre Dawson, get inducted. Couple of questions:

How long is the drive over from Albany?
Is one day enough for the Hall of Fame?
Any special exhibits that people would recommend?
What time do I need to arrive on Sunday for the induction ceremony?
Should I pack a lunch or are there food options on site?
Any restuarant suggestions for Cooperstown or on the drive back /forth from Albany.
How is the traffic back to Albany after the induction ceremony? Can I make a 7 pm flight on Sunday night?

Thanks for the help!

I have visited Cooperstown, but haven't been there for an actual induction ceremony(yet)! That said, I'll answer those questions I can, and hopefully others can touch on induction specifics:

How long is the drive over from Albany? It should take you about 2 hours normally. But for a big event like this, you might want to add more time. Also, Cooperstown is not a big place, so you may have to park at one location and take a shuttle to the HOF.

Is one day enough for the Hall of Fame? You can do it in one day. It's not very large and you can get around pretty easily. That said, if you're looking to immerse yourself I'd spend two days: one to go through and get familiar with everything, and the second to really focus on particular things that might interest you.

Any special exhibits that people would recommend? Anything related to your favorite player(s) and teams(s)! I'd also recommend checking on what events are happening at Doubleday Field that weekend. That would be a great opportunity to see some geniune HOF'ers up close and on the baseball diamond.

What time do I need to arrive on Sunday for the induction ceremony? Not sure

Should I pack a lunch or are there food options on site? They have a snack bar/cafe. It's also a very easy walk from the HOF to a bunch of places on the main drag in Cooperstown. If they have re-entry privileges, I'd just as soon walk in to town. There's a pizza place there that's actually pretty good.

Any restuarant suggestions for Cooperstown or on the drive back /forth from Albany. Can you elaborate on what you're interested in? E.g., casual?

How is the traffic back to Albany after the induction ceremony? Can I make a 7 pm flight on Sunday night? I haven't done the drive back to Albany, but I have done it back to Northern New Jersey. I think it could get pretty heavy. In addition to traffic originating from the HOF, you'll also be dealing with people who spend the weekend around the lakes in the area and who will be heading home for work on Monday.

Bump on this topic. I'm also going to be making the trip to Cooperstown this year and looking for some suggestions.

I'm looking at hotels - it appears that I'll mostly find motels.

Does anybody have suggestions on places that aren't completely overpriced? If Albany is 2 hours away, I don't think we want to make the trip back and fourth too many times.

There's a Howard Johnson Inn & Suites a short ride outside of town. It's a fairly new property and a good value IMHO.