Visitors to Little Falls, New York have a unique and exciting selection of fun family activities to choose from with something for every age group. Whether you mine for diamonds in nearby Herkimer, explore the caves at Howe Caverns, visit red pandas at the Utica Zoo, or work together to solve an escape room in Cooperstown, there is no shortage of family entertainment and outdoor splendor to keep your family happy during your stay at the Inn at Stone Mill. Here are some of the highlights.
Herkimer Diamond Mines
(18 minutes from the Inn at Stone Mill)
Dig for these beautiful, 5 million-year-old crystals with a diamond-like geometrical shape, found in the rock at Herkimer Mines and rivaling true diamonds. You can turn your gems into jewelry right on the premises. Shopping and dining are also available.
Hours of Operation:
2019 Season: April 12th – November 1st
Village Hall (Registration) & Prospecting Area (Mining):
Open 9:00 am – 5:00 pm daily
Build to Wear, Build to Share (Artisan Center):
Open 9:30 am – 4:30 pm daily
Trading Post (Retail Store):
July 1st – August 31st – Open 9:00 am – 6:00 pm daily
September 1st – Nov. 1st – Open 9:00 am – 5:00 pm daily
Admission to Herkimer Diamond Mines
Prospecting in the Mines
- $14.00 per person for ages 13 and up
- $12.00 per person for ages 5 to 12
- Free for children 4 and under
Sluice Mining Rates
- Fossil Bag – $13.00 each bag
- Gemstone Bag – $13.00 each bag
- Herkimer Diamond Dirt Bag – $13.00 each bag
Erie Canalway Trail
The village of Little Falls, New York is fortunate to be situated along the Erie Canalway Trail and is a popular stopping point for two-wheeled adventurers throughout the warmer months. At Little Falls, the trail passes through Lock 17– the highest lock in the canal–as well as a series of scenic gorges along the Southside district.
Utica Zoo
(36 minutes from the Inn at Stone Mill)
Visit over 200 animals at the Utica Zoo and enjoy the living rainforest, children’s petting zoo, and nature trail. Come see the many species of monkeys, zebras, foxes and wolves, sea lions, peacocks, porcupine, lemurs and so much more.
You can take a look at the tamarin and iguana live cam!
Hours of Operation:
Open 363 days a year 10:00 am – 4:45 pm
Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Admission to the Utica Zoo
- Children 2 and under are free
- Children 3 to 12: $4.75
- Adults 13 to 61: $8.00
- Seniors 62+, military/veterans, college students w. ID: $6.75
Utica Children’s Museum
(27 minutes from the Inn at Stone Mill)
Designed to delight and entertain children ages birth to 10, this hands-on museum teaches children about their world by encouraging play with interactive exhibits. As the museum explains: “Our focus areas for exhibits are science, natural history and ecology, technology, art and mathematics, and local history.” On your visit, you and your kids will find a train playground, baby and toddler play spaces, main street mini shops, a library, and of course, a gift shop.
Hours of Operation:
Thursday and Friday 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Closed Monday through Wednesday
Admission:
- Children under 2 are free
- Children ages 2 – 17: $6.00
- Seniors, veterans, active military, college students with ID: $7.00
- Adults: $8.00
Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo
(51 minutes from the Inn at Stone Mill in Rome, NY)
This zoo is home to lemurs, gray wolves, llamas, tortoises, and many more species your children will learn about firsthand. Let your kids get up close and personal with a variety of exotic animals including African pygmy goats in the petting zoo area. The Wild Creatures Playland (included in admission price) offers a ball crawl, spiral slip and slide, jumbo pillow bounce, and water wars game.
Daily shows include a snake show, otter show, “maternity ward”, and daily special (porcupine, eagle owl, etc.). See the website for details. The annual Fall Fun Festival is a popular attraction.
Hours of Operation:
Spring
Open daily 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Summer
Open daily 10:00 am-5:00 pm
September 2019
Weekends Only
Open daily 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Admission:
- Children under 2 are free
- Children ages 2 to 15: $8.26
- Adults 16 and up: $10.25
- Includes admission to Wild Creatures Playland
The National Baseball Hall of Fame
(45 minutes from the Inn at Stone Mill in Cooperstown, NY)
The famed museum in bucolic Cooperstown, NY attracts nearly 300,000 visitors a year to celebrate America’s favorite pastime. View the Plaque Gallery of baseball players, enjoy classic TV and radio broadcasts of famous games, explore interactive exhibits on African American players and women in baseball, wander the sculpture garden and try out the batting cages.
Hours of Operation:
Open 362 days a year
Labor Day to Memorial Day
Open 9:00 am to 5:00pm
May 26 through September 1st
Open 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day
Admission:
- Ages 7-12: $13.00
- Ages 13-18: $15.00
- Adults 19-64: $23.00
- Seniors 65+: $17.50
Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs
Located right in Little Falls
Enjoy all the fun of major league baseball and a hometown, family-friendly vibe when you attend a Diamond Dawgs baseball game at beautiful Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls. You’ll feel part of the game with between-inning promotions and games, plus seating that brings you “as close to the players and the action on the field as possible”. As the team organizers explain; “we’re in the business of baseball yes, but we are more so in the business of creating lasting memories.” View their game schedule.
The Farmer’s Museum
While you’re in Cooperstown, take the family to visit one of the oldest rural life museums in the country, with demonstrations and interpretive exhibits. Stroll around the working farmstead and recreated historic village, ride the carousel and wander into the Colonial Revival style stone barn, just one example of upstate New York architecture on display here.
Hours of Operation:
April 1st through May 8th
Open Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Limited buildings open
May 9th through October 14th
Open daily 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
October 15th through October 31st
Open Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
November 1st through March 31st
Closed
Admission:
- Ages 6 and under: free
- Ages 7-12: $6.00
- Adults 13-64: $12.00
- Seniors: 65+: $10.50
Other popular Cooperstown attractions include the Cooperstown Escape Rooms, Fenimore Art Museum, and Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard.
Howe Caverns
(45 minutes from the Inn at Stone Mill in Howes Cave, NY)
You don’t have to know a thing about spelunking to enjoy the splendor of Howe Caverns. Descend 156 feet below ground and safely travel through these stunning six-million-year-old caves. Go under enormous boulders and along the River Styx, Titan’s Temple, and The Giant Formation. Lantern and family flashlight tours are available, among others.
Hours of Operation:
Open Friday to Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Admission:
- Ages 4 and under: free
- Ages 5-11: $13.00
- Ages 12-15: $21.00
- Adults 16-64: $25.00
- Seniors 65+: $22.00
Of course, Little Falls has no shortage of exciting outdoor adventures for your family to enjoy together, from the Herkimer Diamond Mines to canoeing past Lock 17 and rock climbing at Moss Island. We hope you’ll discover all the area has to offer, then come back and tell us about your family adventures.