July 14, 2012 - The Blue Mingo on Otsego Lake, Cooperstown, Old Slugger, Cooperstown Brewing
It was a beautiful saturday here in the Capital Region, so we threw the kids in the sedan and drove over to Cooperstown to take them to the Farmer's Museum.
The Cooperstown Farmer's Museum is a wonderful collection of actual buildings and dwellings from the 1700's and 1800's, moved from various parts of the state and reassembled to pay homage to New York's rich agricultural history. The village is populated by volunteers in period dress, working as blacksmiths and farmers and apothecary - think of Colonial Williamsburg, only with farmers.
It's a great living museum, and we make it a point to head over once in the early summer (to see the baby animals) and once in the fall (for harvestfest).
Hop farming was big business in NYS in the 1800's, and the museum has a working hop farm along with an actual hop drying and processing house (from the 1840's). They also have the actual equipment that was used to harvest, dry and press hops into bales to be sent out to breweries. Very cool stuff.
My only complaint about the museum is that they relocated a beautiful old tavern from Windham, but all they serve is Ginger Beer. Very disappointing. Fortunately with Ommegang and Cooperstown Brewing just down the road, it was a short ride to find some wonderful micro.
On a related note: I may take lessons, just so I can learn to play the guitar, just so I can become a musician, just so I can get signed to a record label, just so I can title my first album "Hop Press and Screw".