Situated in Cooperstown where, according to legend, Abner Doubleday invented the game of baseball in 1839, this memorial institution honors baseball’s greatest players.

It also offers the most extensive collection and archive of baseball memorabilia found anywhere in the world. It was dedicated in 1939.

Cooperstown is in central New York just north of the Catskill Mountains. It is off I-88 south of Albany, the nearest major hub. The museum is on Main Street and is closed December to March. There is a modest entrance fee. Every imaginable aspect of baseball is displayed. The museum covers 50,000 square feet and it occupies three floors. There are 6,000 artifacts, photographs of famous teams and players, paintings and lithographs of early games, and baseball memorabilia, such as Jackie Robinson’s warm-up jacket, Hank Aaron’s locker, Yogi Berra’s catcher’s mitt, Willie Mays’ glove, and the Honus Wagner 1909 T-206 tobacco card. Bronze plaques of baseball legends inducted each year line the walls of the Hall of Fame Gallery. The library and archives are open to the public. Located nearby is the Doubleday Field and Batting Range, and Otsego Lake.