COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. • This small village in upstate New York, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is much more than baseball's grand shrine.

Cardinals fans planning to make the pilgrimage to see the induction of former manager Whitey Herzog to the hall on July 25 — or who visit throughout the summer — also can catch an opera, tour a brewery, rent a pontoon boat or ride on a roofless party train.

The one-traffic-light town was built around sparkling Otsego Lake, headwaters of the 400-mile long Susquehanna River. The lake's "Glimmerglass" nickname is derived from the fiction of James Fenimore Cooper, and the town is named for the writer's father, William Cooper, who founded the village in 1786.

Induction weekend is the busiest time of year, and hotel rooms and restaurant tables are booked well in advance. The Hall of Fame's exhibits honoring this year's inductees include a cap from Herzog's 1,000th managerial win, a uniform he wore when he managed the Cardinals, an Orioles uniform that he wore as a player and the scouting card he created on fellow inductee Andre Dawson when he played for Montreal.

"St. Louis baseball has had such a long and rich history that the number of artifacts we have from the teams who play(ed) there are staggering," said Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson.

Among his favorites are Bob Gibson's glove from 1968, 'since his dominance led to the change in the height of the mound"; the glove of one-armed Pete Gray of the St. Louis Browns, 'showing baseball is truly an equal-opportunity employer"; Cool Papa Bell's sunglasses and St. Louis Stars cap, "as they take us straight back to the Negro leagues and speak to James' coolness"; and Stan Musial's locker, 'since Stan is The Man."

THINGS TO DO

One of the region's more unusual attractions is the Cooperstown Blues Express train, an open-air nightclub with live music, food and a full bar that pulls out of nearby Milford at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays throughout the summer. The slow-moving train takes a scenic three-hour, 16-mile trip through the Upper Susquehanna River Valley to Cooperstown and back. The fare is $16. Information: cooperstownbluesexpress.com, 1-607-432-2429.

Ommegang is a Belgian-style farmhouse brewery five miles from Cooperstown. The brewery's five types of ale are sold pretty much everywhere in town and distributed nationally. A free tour of the brewery takes less than half an hour and concludes with a tasting. The seventh-annual Belgium Comes to Cooperstown beer festival will be held July 30-31, and Lyle Lovett will perform at the brewery Aug. 12. Information: ommegang.com, 1-800-544-1809.

A great time can be had cruising on Otsego Lake. Time Out Boat Rentals has pontoon boats with large party decks rented by the hour, half day, full day and week. Information: cooperstowndreams.com, 1-607-287-7737.

On the lake's shore, the Glimmerglass Opera presents four operas each summer at the Alice Busch Theater. Alice Busch was the wife of August A. Busch, son of Anheuser-Busch brewery founder Adolphus Busch. The family stills owns a large estate and property surrounding Otsego Lake. Information: glimmerglass.org, 1-607-547-2255.

WHERE TO STAY

Time has done little to change the scenic village, which looks much as it did when I first visited as a 12-year-old in 1976. We stayed at the now 100-year-old Otesaga Resort Hotel, whose 135 rooms are reserved during induction weekend for Hall of Famers and baseball dignitaries.

The Otesaga is the only property in Cooperstown to receive the AAA Four Diamond rating. Its Leatherstocking Golf Course has been played by more Hall of Fame baseball players than any other. The Hawkeye Bar and Grill downstairs is a great hideaway where you might bump into a baseball legend any time of year. Information: www.otesaga.com, 1-800-348-6222.

The resort hotel's annex, the stately and charming Cooper Inn, is one of few accommodations open throughout the year. Information: www.cooperinn.com, 1-607-547-2567.

A group of baseball buddies and I began making an annual trek in 1992 to Cooperstown for induction weekend. We stay on the banks of the lake at the comfortable and accommodating Bayside Inn and Marina, seven miles north of Cooperstown. Two docks extend from the inn's private beach. Rowboats, canoes and kayaks are available to guests at no charge. Information: www.baysidecooperstown.com, 1-607-547-2371.

EATING AND DRINKING

A popular slogan on souvenir T-shirts reads: "Cooperstown: a drinking town with a baseball problem." Perhaps the busiest bar is Cooley's Stone House Tavern, 49 Pioneer Street, a hangout for locals, tourists and the occasional Hall of Famer. Recent inductee Goose Gossage has been known to take a turn as guest bartender. Information: cooleystavern.com,1-607- 544-1311.

Another lively hangout, Hoffman Lane Bistro, 2 Hoffman Lane, is in an alley across the street from the Hall of Fame. Information: hoffmanlanebistro.com, 1-607-547-7055.

Nicoletta's Italian Cafe, 96 Main Street, serves traditional Italian fare. Information: nicolettasitaliancafe.com, 1-607-577-7499.

The European-inspired cuisine at Alex and Ika, 149 Main Street, provides the town's most high-end dining. Information: alexandika.com, 1-607-547-4070.

Doubleday Cafe, 93 Main Street, is a casual and friendly place for breakfast, lunch, dinner or to take a seat at the bar to watch a ballgame on television. Information: 1-607-547-5468.

In the neighboring village of Richfield Springs, Villa Isidoro, 3941 U.S. Highway 20, is a bed-and-breakfast and fine Italian restaurant in a converted stone farmhouse/mansion dating to 1790. The restaurant is known for its light and crusty hand-tossed pizzas baked in a wood-burning oven and its seasonal and regional house specials. Information: villaisidoro.com, 1-315-858-3500.

Charlie Vascellaro is a freelance writer who lives in Baltimore.