Why you need a good five days to visit Cooperstown, N.Y.

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. —  — Allow yourself five days in Cooperstown to take in the museums, visit a cider mill, and skim a canoe across the lustrous nine-mile-long Otsego Lake that James Fenimore Cooper dubbed Glimmerglass in his most famous book, “The Last of the Mohicans.”

Cooper’s classic is a touchstone for festivals, art museums and state parks. Most notable is the Glimmerglass Festival, featuring opera performances and concerts in July and August.

The Fenimore Art Museum overlooks the lake. The museum, open April through December, features a renowned collection of Native American and folk art.

Ready for some sunlight? Grab an ice cream and stroll the Victorian neighborhoods that etch the hills overlooking Otsego Lake. Brimming with mansions, this lake town is in a class with Lake Arrowhead or Lake Geneva near Chicago.

To appreciate the lake, bike to the Blue Mingo Grill two miles from town. On its lakeside patio, you can dip your toes in the water as you munch from a menu that features chowder, crab cakes and lobster rolls (mine came heaped with meat). Inside, we spotted baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. at a table.

In the afternoon, cruise the lake in a two-person canoe ($30) or a pontoon boat ($90) from the rental shop next door at Sam Smith’s Boat Rentals [(605) 547-258]. The Glimmerglass Queen (www.cooperstownlakefronthotel.com) tour boat also offers daily cruises from the Lake Front Hotel in town.

Thirsty? On Main Street, the handsome Cooperstown Distillery (www.cooperstowndistillery.com) hosts complimentary tastings of Glimmerglass vodka and Fenimore gin. But the town’s real hot spot is the Brewery Ommegang (www.ommegang.com) on a lively 150-acre former hop farm.

In summer, the Belgian-themed farm stages tours and tastings, plus concerts with such artists as Lyle Lovett and Bonnie Raitt. In October and December, Ommegang holds seasonal festivities with wagon rides and special family events.

Upstate New York is laid-back and restful, so time slips through your fingers here. Be sure to allow for a stop at Otesaga Resort Hotel, where the legends of baseball reside during the Hall of Fame induction celebration, usually the last Sunday in July. You can’t miss it: As grand as a castle, the Otesaga features rows of rocking chairs on a glorious back veranda.

Or leave an afternoon free to lug a book and a bottle of the local brew to a nearby picnic spot. Perhaps even partake from a passage from Cooper’s classic:

“Tis a strange calling,” muttered Hawkeye, with an inward laugh, “to go through life, like a catbird, mocking all the ups and downs that may happen to come out of other men’s throats.”

chris.erskine@latimes.com

Twitter: @erskinetimes

If you go

THE BEST WAY TO COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.

From LAX, Delta, Southwest, United, US Airways and American offer connecting service (change of planes) to Albany, N.Y. Restricted round-trip fares from $418, including taxes and fees. Delta, Jet Blue, United, US Airways and American offer connecting service to Syracuse, N.Y. Restricted round-trip fares from $389, including taxes and fees. Cooperstown is about a 90-minute drive from Albany or Syracuse.

WHERE TO STAY

Otesaga Resort Hotel, 60 Lake St.; (607) 547-9931, www.otesaga.com. The center of the party during National Baseball Hall of Fame induction week, when a select number of rooms are available to the public. Doubles from $325.

Cooper Inn, 15 Chestnut St.; (607) 547-2567, www.cooperinn.com. Federal-style manor house in a lovely neighborhood steps from Main Street and the Hall of Fame. Double rooms from $199.

WHERE TO EAT

Blue Mingo Grill, 6098 State Route 80, Cooperstown; (607) 547-7496, www.bluemingogrill.com/home. Locals love this wonderful waterfront setting. Can’t miss with the chowder or heaping lobster roll. Lunches from about $20.

Brewery Ommegang, 656 County Highway 33, Cooperstown; (607) 544-1800, www.ommegang.com. The area’s “it” place, the former farm features Belgian-style ales and an eclectic menu: Brats, portobello sandwiches, rabbit stew and duck bacon. Lunch from about $20.

Back Alley Grille, 8 Hoffman Lane, Cooperstown; (607) 322-4048, www.cooperstownbackalleygrille.com. Tasty, affordable and convenient, the ideal spot to crash after a long tour of the Hall of Fame, which is across the street. Try the ribs and sweet potato fries. Lunches from about $15.

TO LEARN MORE

Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce, 31 Chestnut St.; (607) 547-9983, www.cooperstownchamber.org

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