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Article and photo by Eric
H.
Glimmerglass State Park, located
eight miles from the Village of Cooperstown, N.Y., on beautiful
Otsego Lake, serves as confirmation that you are officially on
vacation.
Upon entering Glimmerglass State
Park, expansive lush green grounds, gentle rolling hills and
the mountain fresh air prepare the visitor for the impending
jewel -- a sparkling, shimmering, pristine beach that seemingly
comes out of nowhere to help you return to your best childhood
memories. This is the type of place you learned how to swim,
build a sand castle with friends you just made, eat mounds of
hots dogs and "Hoodsies" at the picnic area, run around
freely on the grounds to play catch or frisbee, and breathe in
the summertime smell of suntan lotion, charcoal on the grill,
and what we now have identified as negative ions -- the fresh
smell coming from the water to make you feel great.
This is the place we talk about
upon returning from vacation in a "You had to be there"
mode. Verbal descriptions cannot quite cover the feelings experienced
in person at Glimmerglass State Park. Many other lakes have all
the "parts," but the sum never adds up to a place like
Glimmerglass Beach. Those who listen might think "What makes
Glimmerglass different from the beach down the street?"
will never understand unless they personally discover all the
feeling of visiting this unspoiled gem in an untouched area of
rural Otsego County. Everything seems to be just right, the prototype
of what we expect from a beach -- clean waters, tranquility,
a family safe atmosphere, attentive lifeguards, attractive grounds
and the desire to stay there, forever.
Glimmerglass State Park's main
draw may be the beach, but there is so much else to experience
year-round. Adjacent Hyde Hall is a spectacular mansion, certainly
worth a look. Hyde Hall promotional literature accurately says
it all: "Hyde Hall is a stunning reminder of a bygone American
era when families of English aristocracy established vast estates
in the former colonies. The house itself may well be the finest
example of neoclassic country mansions anywhere in America. Roger
Kennedy of the Smithsonian writes that Hyde Hall is "a great
house, architecturally, and a social document of the first importance."
The late former Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan called Hyde Hall
"one of the most remarkable buildings in America."
Glimmerglass is great for biking,
fishing, hiking (there's an amazing view of Otsego Lake from
an uphill trail within the Park), and in the winter ice fishing,
cross country skiing, ice skating and snowmobiling. It is also
an ideal place for camping, offering what is regarded as one
of the best campgrounds in the United States.
It would be easy to spend a whole
day here, and do it all over again the following day, quite noteworthy
considering all there is to do in the Cooperstown region. We've
had those talks while still on vacation when talking to baseball-minded
tourists who don't even know there is a great state park and
beach just minutes from the Village of Cooperstown. Consider
it yet just another reason to vacation in Cooperstown, as Glimmerglass
State Park joins other attractions in the area to make for a
real family vacation.
For more information on Glimmerglass
State Park, visit the New
York State Parks Web Site
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