We do an annual trip to Western NY, about an hour from Buffalo. We also usually take an extra day on the way home to go somewhere though I’m running out of ideas.
IF the water’s up, we’ll probably go kayaking down the Pine Creek Gorge (The Grand Canyon of PA) but if it’s at it’s typical lower level, then I’m passing on the tubing, which becomes the only option to get downriver. Have been there multiple other times before so; otherwise, no overwhelming desire to go to PCG.
As for in NY, we’ve already done:
Cooperstown - Hall of Fame & Ommegang Brewery
Corning Glass Museum
Curtis Museum
Watkins Glen - Gorge & track
Wings of Eagles Air Museum
Ultimate direction is SE, towards NJ but totally willing to ramble a bit. Any suggestions from the Dopers who know the area.
I was pleasantly surprised by this. It was expecting a dinky little small town museum with a cheesy diorama or two. It’s not, it’s a massive very well funded museum, think MoMA or similar.
The National Comedy Center in Jamestown is perhaps the best small museum I’ve ever been to. They did the impossible - made a museum about the history of comedy fun.
Not necessarily opposed but it’s waaay outta the way as we’re heading SE & that’s SW. Is there other stuff to do there that’ll make it worthwhile to spend a night?
When we go we make a stop at the Chatauqua Institution. Beautiful place to stroll around and you might get lucky with the evening’s entertainers.
I know Jamestown is out of the way. Everyone in Jamestown knows that, which is why they exploited their one resource: being Lucille Ball’s birthplace. Oh, right, she has a museum there too.
There’s a decent aviation museum near Finger Lakes. Buffalo has the Pierce Arrow museum, then lunch at Bocce Pizza. Or are you saying you live in Buffalo?
A lot of people go to the Corning Museum of Glass and never actually cross the river into the actual downtown Corning. It’s a nice town with its prosperity unperpinned by Corning Inc (which funds/runs the museum). Anyways, across the river you have the downtown pedestrian Gaffer District, with The Rockwell Museum, a branch of the Smithsonian specializing in Western and Native American art, including a permanent Haudenosaunee exhibit from Ganondagan, at one end.
I could narrow it down more if I had an idea what interested you. For example, I wouldn’t recommend a winery trail if you don’t like wine. Also, when you say we, are there kids involved?
Years ago, there was a thread on what do in the Finger Lakes that I wrote a bunch of replies in.
Ausable Chasm has many trails, a guided trail tour, and tubing on the river. It’s up in the Adirondacks, so I guess it’s not an option for a short time, but we went to stay in the Lake Placid area for a week and included a nice little hike through this magnificent canyon.
We went there a few years ago on vacation. I’d never ben to Ausable chasm before, and wanted to take my wife on the hike. Definitely worth it. But it’s on the other side of the state from where they’re going to be.
