Two blocks north of the Baseball Hall of Fame lies Otsego Lake, created during the last great Ice Age. Like many glacial lakes, Otsego is cool and deep, with steep banks and overhanging trees. Fed by springs, it is the source of the Susquehanna River, which flows south to Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

Along the edge of the lake is Lakefront Park, a pleasant spot frequented by families. To one side is a statue called Indian Hunter; to the other, Council Rock, once a meeting place for various Indian tribes. The rock was employed by Cooper in The Deerslayer as a rendezvous point for Deerslayer and his friend Chingachgook. “The rock was not large . . .,” wrote Cooper, “The incessant washing of the water for centuries had so rounded its summit, that it resembled a large beehive.” Today, a flight of stone steps leads down to a terrace overlooking the rock.

From the park you can see the 65-foot-high, 1907 Kingfisher Tower, designed in the style of a European castle by architect Henry Hardenbergh, who also designed the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The tower is off-limits to the public.