December 9, 2006  New York City
Participants had plenty of time to shop, see a show, museum hop, or play tourist!

August 5, 2006  Cooperstown, New York
Several members and guests enjoyed a summer Saturday in the quintessential American town – Cooperstown, New York. The Belchertown Historical Association offered a bus trip to the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Saturday, Aug. 5.

But Cooperstown offers much more than baseball. Located on the shores of beautiful Lake Otsego, this unspoiled village also offers several other attractions. You won’t find a McDonald’s or a Wendy’s here, but you can enjoy a relaxing lunch at the Otsego Hotel’s dining room overlooking the lake.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is every fan's Field of Dreams with three memory-filled floors paying tribute to our national pastime through words, images and artifacts. In addition to the oak walls lined with bronze plaques honoring each Hall of Fame member, a timeline begins with baseball's early roots and continues through the years to the stars of today. We also explored Cooperstown’s lanes to find the best in baseball memorabilia.

The Fenimore Art Museum is a treasure trove of wonderful folk art, Hudson River landscapes, James Fenimore Cooper memorabilia, and the renowned Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, which the New York Times called "a collection any museum in the world should envy." The Fenimore Café with terrace-garden seating and panoramic view of Otsego Lake is a great lunch option.

The Farmers Museum takes you back to the rural life of the mid-1800s, when blacksmiths, printers, broom makers, weavers, and other craftspeople plied their trades. See rare, heritage breeds of farm animals, try your hand at traditional crafts and listen to music as it sounded 100 years ago. Then stroll the Village—a collection of authentic buildings that recreate a rural hamlet, circa 1845—and visit the Seneca Log House for a look at Native American Life. Stop at the American Paper-Staining Manufactory to watch wallpaper being made by hand on the only block press of its kind in North America. The Herder's Cottage Restaurant is another choice for lunch.