|
|
| Historic, Architectural and Natural Destinations in the Central New York Finger Lakes Region Our beautiful area has a variety of wineries, art and antique trails, boat excursions and scenic railroads; let us help you customize your visit with the itinerary of your choice!
Ithaca
Stroll through the downtown historic district, home to Greek Revival, Italianate, Federalist and other architectural styles. Explore the old cemetery, its simple early headstones and grandiose mausoleums. Indulge in the eateries and boutiques on the Commons. Visit the spectacular Ithaca Falls, or take a Cayuga Lake Cruise; discover the geological and social history of the region, and learn why Ithaca became the town it is today. On the Cornell Campus, tour historic buildings like Sage Hall or brand new science labs like Duffield Hall on the Cornell University campus. Take in the spectacular view of Cayuga Lake from the top floor of the Johnson Art Museum, home to Cornell's renowned Asian Collection. Tour Black history sites, including the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for Black college students that was founded in 1906; the childhood home of Alex Haley, the African-American author of Roots; and the St. James AME Zion, built in 1833, believed to be the oldest church structure in Ithaca, one of the first of the AME Zion churches in the country, and also an Underground Railroad station. 
Tour the Cornell Plantations with its world-class Botanical Gardens and Arboretum. Browse the local organic produce and crafts at the Farmer's Market on the inlet. Learn the natural history of the area at the Museum of the Earth, just one of the eight sites that make up the Discovery Trail; or enjoy an interpretive walk through one of the gorges, like Taughannock Falls State Park. 
Visit the bird-lover’s delight, Sapsucker Woods, and the elegant new Lab of Ornithology. Take a ride, view historic barns, and visit organic vegetable, fruit or grass-fed animal farms. Enjoy a behind the scenes tour and a meal at a winery, accompanied by a local acoustic musical group, to round out your perfect day.
  Seneca Falls Auburn Home to some prominent abolitionists, Auburn was a major stop in the Underground Railroad. Tour the simple Harriet Tubman House, with its interpretive center describing the remarkable life of the “Moses of her People,” who guided many family members and others to freedom from slavery. Enter a different world in the William Seward House, where the Secretary of State to Abraham Lincoln lived, and his descendants preserved an astounding number of artifacts of his life and times. Marvel at the stained glass in the Willard Chapel, the only complete and unaltered Tiffany designed religious interior known to exist in the world. Visit the historic Fort Hill Cemetery, burying place of Harriet Tubman, William H. Seward, and Col. Myles Keogh, who fought with Gen. Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn.   Owego Located on the Susquehanna River, the Village of Oswego has been a hub of transportation between upstate New York and the eastern seaports since precolonial times. Lunch at the newly restored Pumpelly House; take a trip back in time at the Bement-Billings Farmstead; sample the savory cheese at the Sidehill Acres goat farm; and marvel at the vintage automobiles and other collections at the Merrill Estate Historical Collection. Native American Sites Explore the area around Canandaigua Lake, birthplace of the Seneca Nation. Legend has it that the tribe emerged from the gorge below Bare Hill, known to the Senecas as Nundawao. In fact, an Algonquin village predated the Senecas; they believed that a great snake encircled the hill before it was defeated by a boy and girl, and that now it lives in the lake. In its death throws it tore up the hillside and spit out the heads of its victims, which became the large round glacial erratics found around the lake (clearly the Native Americans’ explanation for their glacial landscape). The nearby Ganondagan NY State Native American Historical Site, with its replica longhouse and interpretive center, bears witness to the history, society and agriculture of this town of 150 longhouses that was destroyed by the French in 1687. Peter Jemison, the manager of the site, is the great-grandson of Mary Jemison, “White Woman of the Iroquois,” and presents his research on the culture of his tribe. Rome Experience the Erie Canal Village, a reconstructed 19th century settlement on the site where the first shovelful of earth was turned for the construction of the original Erie Canal in 1817. Take a ride on a horse drawn packet boat, and thrill to cannon and musket fire in Civil War Reenactments. All photos copyright Jennifer Cleland | |
|