Fairy Springs Park

About a mile north of Cooperstown, Fairy Springs Park spreads across roughly 32 acres on the eastern shore of Otsego Lake. The Village of Cooperstown owns it, though it sits in the Town of Middlefield. Only a small piece touches the water, and the rest, across the county road, is left undeveloped.

The lakeside section is where visitors spend their time. It has a swimming dock, a short boat dock for day-use boat parking, picnic tables, barbecue cookers and a WPA-built pavilion with a stone fireplace. The shoreline is narrow rather than sandy, so this is a park for dock swimming and picnics more than for beach days.

What to Know

• A small parking lot sits just off the road, and a steep stairway leads down to the lakefront.
• The pavilion has a stone fireplace and an unfurnished kitchen space, and renting it takes a permit from the Village of Cooperstown.
• Changing rooms and restrooms are on site, which helps on a swim-and-picnic afternoon.
• Private parties and community events such as fireworks are among its uses, and organized events require a village permit.
• Cooperstown is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and this park is a quiet lakeside break from the village.