Cooperstown, NY Baseball Tournament 2019

[Vinsk]

Hello everyone. I'll be taking my 13 year old to Cooperstown for the first time this year at the end of August. Has anyone here been there and done this? Just asking about your experience with it. Thanks!

[Vinsk]

No one? Lol.

[iSank]

I did when I was 13, in fact it was a school field trip about every 3 years right along with Fort Ticonderoga and Cornell glass co. Turning Stone is about an hour or so and I can easily say 2 of the 3 courses there are great. Wish that would have been a field trip.

 

Aloha,

iSank

[Golfingdad]

Jealous.  I have a friend who’s son is playing there in a couple of weeks but I don’t know any specifics of the tournament.

Ive been there once myself to see the Hall and it was pretty cool.  The thing that stood out the most to me was just how our in the middle of nowhere the place is.

[Vinsk]

15 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

Jealous.  I have a friend who’s son is playing there in a couple of weeks but I don’t know any specifics of the tournament.

Ive been there once myself to see the Hall and it was pretty cool.  The thing that stood out the most to me was just how our in the middle of nowhere the place is.

I’ve heard it’s pretty out there as well. I ended up renting a house to stay at to be close to the event. I’ve heard it’s a great experience for young baseball players. I just hope his team plays well and all goes smoothly.

[dennyjones]

My friend's grandson played in the tournament about 3 years ago.    They said it was an amazing time.  

[Vinsk]

My boy is pretty excited. I’m sure it will be quite an experience for him.

[Vinsk]

Just a quick review for anyone who’ll be going here in the future:

Lodging:

I rented a house in Laurel, NY that was classic 1930’s-40’s in style. It was a pretty drive with partial gravel roads and quite winding and hilly. About 25 minutes from the Dreams Park where the kids play the tournament. There’s a Holiday Inn Express literally down the road from the park. It would be very convenient but I’m sure you need to book months in advance. There’s also a Comfort Inn only about 10-15minutes away as well. Same with booking I’m sure. 

Logistics: 

Very well run tournament. The kids stay at the park in ‘bunkers’ with their coaches. Parents aren’t allowed in this area after drop off. They stay there every night and get to hang out with parents between games if time allows. Parking was actually quite easy. They have the system down very well and we never had any problems parking at the baseball park. 

Food:

The concession stands are well run and have all the classic choices for concession stand food. There’s a great pizza/hamburger/sandwiches place right across the park that has a lively atmosphere and is obviously very busy for these 13 weeks. There are several restaurants/Bar&Grill places nearby to choose from as well. ‘Upstate Bar & Grill’ was particularly good. Of course downtown Cooperstown is a quaint and fun town. Plenty of restaurants and shops to enjoy. And of course the Baseball Hall of Fame.

General:

Cooperstown is really out there. Beautiful country, farm land. This was my first experience in Upstate New York and it was quite refreshing. No offense to the NYC people ( I lived there) but it’s much more of a ‘southern environment’ in that you don’t pay 3X for 1/4 of the quality for things. The weather was phenomenal although it’s about the only period of the year I would consider habitable lol. Cooperstown Dreams Park was more than just a baseball tournament. It was a chance to begin your child’s transition to being a young adult. They’re pretty much on their own for the week and get their own meals, make their beds and keep the bunker clean without having a parent involved. I really enjoyed this experience and the baseball was quite exciting to watch.

I definitely recommend you go if you have a 12-13yr old baseball player. It’s an experience they won’t forget!

[dennyjones]

Very nice.   Thanks for sharing.  That sounds exciting