Beauty & the Buildings,
Believe It Or Not...

Where Art, Culture and History Come Alive

Believe It Or Not: The beautiful mountains, lakes and rivers surrounding Cooperstown and Oneonta provide the setting for simply incredible adventures. Explorers will discover fascinating local folklore, one-of-a-kind attractions, and extraordinary museums revealing both the area’s past and future.

Believe It Or Not: The Farmers' Museum, an intimate living history museum, recreates life in rural New York State circa 1845. About 40 original buildings make up this architectural wonderland, with an active village and working farm. Interpreters relate stories of the past with craft demonstrations and hands-on activities. The Empire Carousel, a beautifully hand-crafted "merry-go-round," is the highlight of the museum's Country Fair.

Believe It Or Not: Fenimore Art Museum is one of the nation's premier art institutions and home to an exceptionally rich collection of American folk art, Indian art, decorative art, photography and much more. 2009 exhibitions include New Additions / New Perspectives: American Indian Art and America's Rome: Artists in the Eternal City, 1800-1900. Formal gardens overlook Otsego Lake where, upon taking a short walk to the shore, visitors will find an authentic Indian Bark Lodge demonstrating how the Iroquois lived in 1750.

Believe It Or Not: The majestic Alice Busch Opera Theater is home to Glimmerglass Opera an internationally acclaimed summer festival. Recognized for producing innovative works of musical theater, the spectacular setting is fully integrated with its 43-acre surroundings. Unique sliding walls allow audiences to enjoy fresh country air and magnificent views. None of its 914 seats is farther than 70 feet from the stage. The 2009 schedule features Verdi's La Traviata, Rossini's La Cenerentola, Menotti's The Consul and Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.

Believe It Or Not: Hyde Hall is a neoclassic 50-room mansion and stunning reminder of a bygone American era, when powerful English families established vast estates in their former colonies. The house itself is considered the finest example of neoclassic country mansions in America. Touring this restoration-in-progress affords visitors the opportunity to see, feel and understand where English patriarchy met American individualism.

Believe It Or Not: The Inn at Cooperstown, built in 1874, is a stunning country inn that continues a long tradition of gracious hospitality. The Inn offers 17 distinctive rooms and is located just a short stroll from the heart of the village. Cooperstown sits nestled along the sparkling waters of Otsego Lake. Known as "Glimmerglass" in James Fenimore Cooper's novels, the nine-mile long lake was created during the last glacial period and is significant for a number of reasons: it's the headwaters of the Susquehanna River Basin; the Clinton-Sullivan Campaign floated hundreds of barges down the river to get supplies to American troops during the Revolutionary War and it's watershed is on the National Historic Register.