Discover New York’s Museums with Don Wildman Host of Travel Channel's Mysteries at the Museum
By train, road or foot – a world of wonders awaits!
Don Wildman at Olana State Historic Site in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Special Supplement to
NY MUSEUMS BY RAIL
New York By Rail
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How to Visit a Museum Visiting a museum is not rocket science—unless it’s a space museum—but after making a career of being a die-hard museum booster, I have some insights to share: • Think of a museum as a human place. Despite all the glass-encased objects, despite all the fancy signage, it is people who make museums. Those people are only as eager to tell their stories as you are to hear them. • Be an active museumgoer, not a passive one. Visit with deliberate purpose and intention. Do you want to know more about pterodactyls or to finally understand Cubism? Decide to learn. • Talk to the guards! Those folks stand in those galleries all day; ask them what their favorite painting is, you might be surprised. • When visiting a museum, especially for the first time, check its website for building layouts, current exhibitions and events. Prepare your spirit to be fed before the meal is served. It makes a real difference. • Museums are multifaceted—they collect, preserve, research and exhibit— but the average visitor only takes advantage of the exhibits! If you reach out to museum personnel— say, an expert in Egyptian mummies—via email (addresses are usually available on the website) they might show up to answer your questions in person. That’d be cool, right? • Wear comfortable shoes. It seems obvious...but you’ll be walking and standing a lot. Protect your soles! (Same goes for comfy clothing.) • Utilize the benches in the galleries. Sit down and allow your mind to wander. Meditation is good! • Eat in the café upon arrival; you’ll have more energy and it’ll give you a chance to finetune your visit. • Carry very little into the galleries, check everything you can. Free your hands and free your mind. 2 • iloveny.com
Discovering New York’s Museums Greetings, fellow travelers! Thanks for joining me on my sprawling journey to New York’s amazing collection of museums. I’ve embarked – with the generous help of
New York By Rail and I Love New York – on a statewide odyssey to explore the astonishing depth and breadth of this collective community, and along the way learn a few of the remarkable things it has to teach. As host of Travel Channel’s long-running Mysteries at the Museum, I have a vested interest in this realm. The show, presently in its tenth season, chronicles the heroic histories and twisted tales behind artifacts and relics displayed in galleries all over the planet. The success of this program proves that Americans—even cable television viewers—are deeply intrigued by the archived treasures found in museums. The Rockwell Museum's first conceptual Nationwide, there were 850 million visits to museums sculpture is a bronze tumbleweed by American artist Bale Creek Allen. It was last year alone! Museums are a huge part of our lives! created by taking actual Texas tumble As a New York resident, I’m continually floored by weed, casting it in bronze, and finishing this place—from art and culture to industry and tech, it with a dark red patina. New York State is where America first found her feet as a world power. To learn how this all happened, you’ll want to visit a museum—and New York has plenty to go around. According to the Museum Association of New York, there are more than 2,000 art, history, science and children’s museums in the state, not to mention zoos, botanical gardens and historic houses. From the Manhattan glamour of The Met to the sporting legends of Cooperstown to the rustic dignity of Grant’s In 1778, General George Washington Cottage in Saratoga Springs, museums and heritage ordered construction of an iron chain sites capture and reveal the magnificent, multi-cultural across the Hudson River at West Point to block passage of British war ships. The history and character of New York. You could spend a massive chain, made of 1,200 links of wrought iron, stretched 1,700 feet in lifetime seeing them all, and more museums would length, weighed sixty-five tons, and took be rising in your wake. I’m telling you, there’s so forty men a total of four days to install. much to see across New York State's 11 diverse See it at the Albany Institute of History vacation regions, the list is truly endless and so and Art. are the adventures that await you. There’s During magic in museums: they hold objects and experiences that will excite, WWII, challenge, and enlighten you and your family. while confined in a So, all aboard the Museum Express for a journey to new and German different states of mind right here in the State of New York. internment camp, GIs made this primitive bat from a tree limb. See it at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
–Don Wildman NY MUSEUMS BY RAIL
New York CITY
The Cradle of Aviation Museum
photo: keiko niwa / tenement museum
photo: mick hales / new york botanical garden
The big museums—the Met, MOMA, the Whitney, et al—are wonderfully absorbing, but nowadays I more often head for the smaller places that I’ve missed.
The New York Botanical Garden is a Bronx classic. Calvert Vaux and the Olmsteds—the designers who created Central Park—laid out this verdant, 250-acre landscape 125years ago on behalf of botanist Nathaniel Lord Britton, who believed New York should have its own version of London’s Royal Botanic Gardens. Indeed, the grandeur and elegance of the buildings and esplanades transport you to a more graceful era. But walk in the oldgrowth forest, a last vestige of virgin east coast woodland, to experience what the wilderness was like before Gotham was born. nybg.org
The Tenement Museum of New York provides an essential perspective on America’s immigrant history. If you dip from the European gene pool, it’s pretty likely some relative in your past spent time in what was New York’s teeming Lower East Side. For outof-towners, the museum demon strates how so many millions suffered tough conditions just to be American. For New Yorkers, it’s a way to understand how tenement structures became such a staple of city architecture. tenement.org
The Queens Museum in Flushing
58 minute subway ride from Penn Stn.
photo: library of congress
photo: chris devers / creative commons
1.1 miles from Penn Stn.
Meadows is a NYC-must, if for no other reason than to see the Panorama of the City of New York, a gigantic, 3-D mapping of municipal geography. This massive exhibition was created for the 1964 World’s Fair and features a dawn-to-dusk lighting scheme and landing airplanes, as well as the opportunity to adopt your own piece of island real estate for a $50 donation. What a bargain! queensmuseum.org
The Louis Armstrong House Museum is the place to begin your
31 minute subway ride from Penn Stn.
36 minute subway ride from Penn Stn.
NY MUSEUMS BY RAIL
Satchmo education. Armstrong was one of the fundamental artists of American jazz. Take the short subway ride from Grand Central to visit the home in Flushing, Queens where he lived and died. It’s packed with memorabilia that helps in the understanding of this influential trumpeter and the great music he created. LouisArmstrongHouse.org
long island
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site sits upon a grassy rise near the beaches of Oyster Bay. Home to one of my real heroes—26th President Theodore Roosevelt—it’s an elegant yet understated Victorian structure that remains in much the state that Roosevelt left it when, in 1919, he died in the upstairs guest room. TR’s legend has grown larger-than-life during the last century so it’s refreshing to walk through this comfortable home, sensing the simpler man behind the myth. Yes, there is much that is iconic: dozens of animal-skin rugs, trophy heads, and elephant tusks, gifts from heads of state and historical memorabilia, but even more impressive is the poignant and bookish truth of the man. TR was an astonishing reader and writer, a devoted husband and father, and an American patriot. nysm.nysed.gov 35.6 mi. from Penn Stn.; 55 min. via LIRR; 5.4 mi. from Syosset LIRR Stn.
in Garden City, Long Island celebrates man’s glorious but turbulent journey to the skies and beyond, and commemorates the burgeoning aviation industry that once flourished on Long Island, developing much of the fundamental technology that made modern flight possible. The guides are enthused, the exhibits fascinating. And I had no idea that the Apollo Lunar Modules were constructed twenty minutes away in Bethpage! The Cradle of Aviation displays the LM-13, slated for Apollo 19. For a moon-child like me, who watched in awe as Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the lunar surface in 1969...what a thrill. cradleofaviation.org 26.2 mi. from Penn Stn.; 45 min. via LIRR; 2.0 mi. from Garden City LIRR Stn.
Long Island’s Historic Gold Coast Mansions were created by the wealthy industrialists of the early 20th century and were immortalized in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Tour grand estates like Oheka Castle in Huntington, Chelsea Mansion in East Norwich, Coe Hall and Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay and Falaise in Sands Point. historiclongisland.com 33.9 mi. from Penn Station; 55 min. via LIRR; 4.5 mi. from Garden City LIRR Stn.
Coe Hall 3
Hudson Valley and The CATSKILLS the master of the Hudson River School of painters lived and worked throughout his brief lifetime. Back in 1840, Cole first journeyed to the upstate wilderness and began painting his visions of nature as a spiritual allegory. Cole influenced younger artists like Frederic Edwin Church, Jasper Cropsey and dozens more who, in time, coalesced into what is now known as the Hudson River School. Visitors today can tour the home, see the art, stroll the gardens and take in the spectacular views of the Catskill Mountains. The museum has just reconstructed Cole’s self-designed New Studio, and a new exhibit there features the artist’s lesser known architectural endeavors. thomascole.org 5.1miles from Hudson Stn.
Olana State Historic Site (pictured on the cover) is a short drive away, across the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and through the town of Catskill. Olana, where Cole’s student Frederic Edwin Church flourished, is simply one of the most remarkable historic homes in the nation. Inspired by their travels through the Middle East, the Churches designed a thrilling showcase of Persian and Ottoman influences. It is appropri ately poised over the sweeping view, the kind that inspired the art that afforded him such prosperity. olana.org 5.1miles from Hudson Stn.
Francis Lehman Loeb Art Center in Poughkeepsie is on the campus of Vassar College, the first university in the nation to include an art museum as part of its original plan. The 36,000 square foot facility includes over 19,000 paintings, sculptures, photgraphs, textiles, glass works, ceramic wares and more, from ancient to modern times. The collection includes masterworks from Hudson River School painters as well as contemporary artists like Georgia O’Keefe, Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock. fflac.vassar.edu 3.2 miles from Poughkeepsie Stn. 4 • iloveny.com
I enrolled myself in a weekend-long art history course that only the Hudson Valley and Catskills could provide and, what’s best, I never had to take a test. The art scene is remarkably varied, with sites and exhibitions that land you in nearly every era of American art and design.
waterfront in Kingston, commemorates the days when shipping—via oceans, rivers and canals—was the mode of delivery for nearly all of the goods that kept people alive. The Hudson River was, of course, the major conduit of commerce for New York City, delivering food, fuel and, well, everything else. This compact and colorful museum drops anchor in the deep end of Hudson Valley shipping, hosting exhibits on just about every aspect of our maritime heritage. Kids will love the Mathilda, a 1898 steam tug berthed outside the museum, at water’s edge! hrmm.org 11.4 miles from Rhinecliff Stn.
photo: courtesy bethel woods center for the arts
Thomas Cole National Historic Site marks the sylvan spot where
The Hudson River Maritime Museum, located on the Rondout
Thomas Cole’s A View of the Two Lakes and Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, Morning
Dia: Beacon in Beacon is the place to sign up for a dose of the avant-garde. Opened in 2005, in a reclaimed Nabisco box factory, the 36,000 square feet of gallery space is perfectly suited to the monumental art-pieces within, spanning from the 1960s to the present. Dia:Beacon calls itself a “daylight museum” thanks to copious natural light provided by more than 34,000-square-feet of skylights and broad spans between supporting columns. The museum has significant holdings of Warhol and features guided tours, gallery talks and more. diaart.org/sites/main/beacon 11.4 miles from Rhinecliff Stn.
Storm King Art Center, in New Windsor, takes the prize for sheer size and scope. Its 700-acres of woods, meadows and riverbank comprise an unsurpassed outdoor museum for sculptures whose dimensions daunt and dazzle. Don’t miss the meandering Wall by Andy Goldsworthy—you’ll never view masonry the same way again. stormking.org 25.0 miles from Poughkeepsie Stn.
The Museum at Bethel Woods in Bethel is dedicated to making the lessons and ideals of the tumultuous decade of the Sixties relevant and accessible. The famous Woodstock Music & Art Fair didn’t take place anywhere close to the town called Woodstock. It happened on a dairy farm in Bethel, sixty miles from Woodstock, when a previously arranged venue there fell through. The museum is situated on the property of that very farm and uses the legend of Woodstock as a jumping off point to explore the broader context of an era that dramatically altered American society in all sorts of ways. The award-winning Main Exhibit— “Woodstock and The Sixties”—offers 21 short films, interactive exhibits and lots of interesting artifacts to tell its story. The museum is part of the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a concert venue that operates throughout the summer. Best way to go? Tour the museum and take in a concert! bethelwoodscenter.org 69.9 miles from Poughkeepsie Stn. NY MUSEUMS BY RAIL
capital / saratoga
THE Adirondacks
New York State Capitol Building is a bona fide historic site with museumquality exhibits on many aspects of New York State history. Every first-time traveler to the Capital Region owes it to him or herself to include a visit. Completed in 1899, it’s a spectacular sight, the architectural star of New York’s Gilded Age, the Camelot Castle of the Empire State. It’s now fully open for tours on which you can walk the majestic paneled hallways and carved staircases and view the many historic artifacts on display. 1.8 miles from Albany-Rensselaer Stn. ogs.ny.gov/esp/ct/tours/Capitol.asp
photo: wadester16/creative commons
Though it’s not, strictly speaking, a museum, the
The Wild Center in Tupper Lake is a dynamo of a museum that seeks to
photo: courtesy albany institute of history and art
draw people closer to understanding their natural environment. Opened just ten years ago, The Wild Center has already made a huge impact. Through immersion in the rich environment of the Adirondacks—there are nature trails all over the 81-acre property—visitors young and old are afforded the chance to ponder their inevitable footprint. This summer bring the kids to the Wild Walk for an adventure in the treetops! wildcenter.org
photo: peter d./creative commons
62.8 miles from Westport Stn.
The New York State Museum,
Capitol, is one of America’s oldest museums. The Institute’s elegant and studied collection documents the rise of the Capital and Upper Hudson Valley regions, their political and cultural identities, and reveals how much of the epic story of modern America— from smudgy jewel in the colonial crown to dominant mercantile powerhouse—begins in upstate New York, right here on the Hudson River. There are even two mummies with a fascinating history of how they ended up in New York’s Capital District. albanyinstitute.org
just a 10-minute walk from the Capitol across the 98-acre, whitemarbled expanse of Empire State Plaza—thank you, Nelson Rockefeller—is an even more ambitious repository of NY artifacts and archives. Its exhibits trace the natural and cultural origins of the state. You could spend hours here in the towering exhibition halls. Make sure you don’t miss the 9-11 artifacts, the collection of antique fire trucks and subways, the dioramas of NY birds, an eons-old mastodon and a ride on the centuryold carousel. nysm.nysed.gov
2.3 miles from Albany-Rensselaer Stn.
2.3 miles from Albany-Rensselaer Stn.
Right in Saratoga Springs, the New York State Military Museum commemorates the service of New York military units from the Revolution to the Civil War to modern day battlegrounds. Most visitors will want to head north to the Saratoga National Historic Site where, in 1777, the British General John Burgoyne surrendered his sword in what historians call “The Turning Point of the American Revolution.” Don’t miss the chance to climb to the top of the nearby Saratoga Monument for a birds-eye view of the area—and some excellent and unexpected cardio. 1.6 miles from Saratoga Springs Stn. nps.gov/sara NY MUSEUMS BY RAIL
photo: darren mcgee/nysded
The Albany Institute of History & Art, a few blocks away from the
The Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake started out as a logging camp, built by Tyler Merwin in 1874. When tourism became popular, Merwin built a hotel that eventually was acquired by the Adirondack Historical Association. In 1957 they founded this fine museum to document the region’s history and heighten awareness of its fragile ecosystem. For a paddler like me, this is a bit of heaven; the guide boat display alone makes the heart thump harder. But you’ll also get a strong sense of how Adirondack-style came to mean adventure to so many generations--and how those Adirondack chairs got invented. The museum campus includes many buildings and exhibits and overlooks Blue Mountain Lake far below. I challenge you to step on the deck and not let out an audible gasp. adkmuseum.org 65.4 miles from Port Henry Stn.
Fort Ticonderoga has guarded the water passage between Lakes Champlain and George since the French and Indian War. The 2000 acre site hosts an amazing array of demonstrations, exhibits, events and tours. There are sumptuous gardens, hiking trails, canoes for rent and even a six-acre corn maze for the kid in all of us. fortticonderoga.org 1.0 miles from Fort Ticonderoga Stn. 5
Thousand Islands-Seaway central new york York State Historical Association, with fabulous examples of fine art— including Hudson River School canvases, and folk art just full of imagination. The museum’s Thaw Collection—one of the nation’s leading exhibits of American Indian art and artifacts— amply demons trates the aesthetic power of American Indian art through the beauty and artistry of more than 800 objects. fenimoreartmuseum.org 75.6 miles from Albany-Renssalaer Stn.
When I was eleven, my father and I walked through the National
love and abandoned in the wake of tragedy. In 1900, George Boldt, the millionaire proprietor of NYC’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, wanted to build a summer palace for his beloved wife, Louise. Hundreds of craftsmen labored to construct the six-story, 120 room castle—complete with tunnels, a powerhouse, Italian gardens, a drawbridge, towers and a dove cote—but construction was abruptly halted in 1904, after Louise’s sudden death. The heartbroken Boldt never returned to the island, and the castle and grounds deteriorated for almost 75 years. (Boldt did go on to make Thousand Islands salad dressing famous when, after sampling it in the region, he put it on the menu of his famous NYC hotel.) Now, with the restoration of castle, outbuildings and grounds, it makes for a magnificent visit, and you can even 98.6 miles from Syracuse Stn. rent it for your wedding. boldtcastle.com
young fan, I was awed by the place but what I really loved was that my father felt exactly the same way. That day, we spent more time on his enshrined heroes than mine. It was the first time I ever saw my father as a former boy, just like me. Over the years, the Hall has been reconceived as a more colorful, modern museum experience. But standing in the admission line, I watched four different fathers wrangling eight excited kids all dressed in their hometown uniforms. It seemed to me not much has changed. Baseball still binds the generations—in so many ways, the Hall of Fame is the glue. baseballhall.org
photo: zach winnie
Boldt Castle, on Heart Island, near Alexandria Bay, was begun as an act of
Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. Being a
The Farmers’ Museum, across the street from the Fenimore, is a place where a family can easily spend a full afternoon immersed in the life of a 19th-century working farm and historical village, complete with a County Fair and the glorious Empire State Carousel. Demonstrations, livestock and a treasure trove of historical objects help make the rural life real. farmersmuseum.org 75.7 miles from Albany-Renssalaer Stn.
74.5 miles from Albany-Renssalaer Stn.
The Frederic Remington Art Museum, in Ogdensburg, pairs a sumptuous early 19th century house—think wood paneling and Tiffany chandeliers—with an extensive collection of works by the enduringly popular painter of iconic images of the American west. Based on the collection of Eva Remington, the artist’s widow, not only does the museum have a broad selection of paintings, drawings and bronzes, there are many personal items— sketchbooks, notes, photographs and even the cigars in Remington’s pocket before he died—that provide a unique insight into both man and artist. fredericremington.org 119.0 miles from Rome Stn. 6 • iloveny.com
The Antique Boat Museum in Clayton makes visitors wonder if there is anything more elegant than a vintage, wooden watercraft. What expresses the free spirit of the region better than a sleek mahogany runabout? You’ll be thrilled by this beautiful collection of classics and, weather permitting, can ride the river aboard the “Miss Thousand Islands” or ply the oars of a traditional Saint Lawrence skiff. This is one of those must-sees in New York. The museum is a serious and satisfying education in the origins of freshwater boating. The Antique Boat Show in August supplies the perfect reason to go! abm.org 89.3 miles from Syracuse Stn.
Fort Stanwix National Monument, in Rome, is an
The Fenimore Art Museum, on the site of author James Fenimore Cooper’s early 19th century farm house in Cooperstown, houses the impressive collections of the New
important relic of several colonial wars. Designed in the shape of a four-pointed star, the fort was constructed by the British in 1762 and reconstructed in 1974. It’s like a time machine, seeing the military arms, clothing, hardware, Indian artifacts and furnishings from the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War periods that take you back in history. nps.gov/fost 1.4 miles from Rome Station NY MUSEUMS BY RAIL
finger lakes
greater niagara
Corning Museum of Glass, in
1848 site of the nation’s first women’s rights convention, where it was shockingly declared that “woman is man’s equal.” Visit the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House here, then follow the Votes for Women History Trail west to Rochester, where The National Susan B. Anthony House takes you into the 4.1 miles from Rochester Stn. private world of this public woman. nps.gov/wori
photo: tony delgrosso
The Strong | National Museum of Play in Rochester, with exhibitions like Pinball Playfields, American Comic Book Heroes and Toys Hall of Fame, make for a museum that’s full of goofy, childlike fun—but with a scholarly side too for those who take play seriously. Talk about a museum that’s great for kids, but even I had to sidle up to the Sesame Street stoop—and swoon. Ah, youth! museumofplay.org 1.1 miles from Rochester Stn.
The Eastman Museum in Rochester is an absolute must for anyone who loves taking (or looking at) photographs and movies. On the grandiose estate of George Eastman, the man who made Kodak a household word, in a restored, Colonial Revival masterpiece of a house with glorious gardens, is a leading museum of the industry, craft and art of photography and cinema. It’s home to the personal collections of Cecil B. DeMille and Martin Scorsese, and the archives of the Technicolor Corporation. Try to schedule your visit around a film screening at 2.0 miles from Rochester Stn. the on-site Dryden Theater! eastman.org NY MUSEUMS BY RAIL
photo: david pape via Flickr CC
which been around since 1929, has seen a lot of changes over the last five years. As its permanent exhibit spaces have been transformed into highly interactive and immersive science studios, this classic has boosted itself into the 21st century. This is a bountiful museum, with all the prerequisites of a solid science center covered and a large helping of hands-on exhibitions to engage kids for hours. sciencebuff.org
Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural legacy looms large over our nation and perhaps nowhere as strongly as in the Greater Niagara region. Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo’s Parkside East historic district, built between 1904 and 1907, was one of his boldest and largest residential schemes. You now can visit the restored house and view its custom furniture and many remarkable glass panels. See this building; it’s the Wright move to make! darwinmartinhouse.org
3.5 miles from Buffalo-Exchange Stn.
5.3 miles from Buffalo-Exchange Stn.
The Buffalo Museum of Science,
Old Fort Niagara, in Youngstown, protects the mouth of its namesake river at the point it meets Lake Ontario. One of the oldest forts in the US, it saw combat in the French and Indian War. Today, you can visit original 17th century buildings and see a host of exhibits, frequent battle reenactments and demonstrations. Did I mention the spectacular view? oldfortniagara.org
photo: courtesy niagara usa1
collection of art and artifacts— over 3,000 pieces— including 19th-century Native American artifacts, great paintings and bronzes of the American West, illustrations and works on paper. You’ll also find artistic works from post-war America, photography and arms and armor. The original collection, amassed by local business owners Bob and Hertha Rockwell, focused on the American West but, forty years later, the museum has expanded its purview to the entirety of the American experience. rockwellmuseum.org 93.4 miles from Rochester Stn.
photo: courtesy darwin d. martin house
The Rockwell Museum houses an impressive
The Women’s Rights National Historical Park, in Seneca Falls, was the
photo: courtesy eastman museum
To be honest, when I first visited Buffalo’s Albright-Knox Art Gallery, I wasn’t expecting too much. I was so wrong. Opened in 1905 and sited in Fredrick Olmsted’s Delaware Park, this majestic, neo-classic structure harkens back to Buffalo’s 19th century history as America’s industrial powerhouse. One visit to this proud repository of European and American art, both traditional and avant-garde, demonstrates that great things are, indeed, still happening in Buffalo. Be sure to take in lunch at the AK Café. The food’s delicious—though you’ll have to venture further into town for those famous 6.0 miles from Buffalo-Exchange Station Buffalo wings. albrightknox.org
photo: anthony sokolik via Flickr CC
photo: courtesy rockwell museum
Corning, is one of the most extraordinary institutions in the nation. Architecturally stunning, artistically sophisticated and truly engaging, this museum makes utterly transparent the indispensable role glass has played in our civilization. More than a dozen galleries illuminate the 35-century long history of glassmaking, and the Contempo rary Art + Design Wing, opened in 2015, features breathtaking exhibits by some of the edgiest artists in the medium. But this is also a museum that works, in a practical sense. The several “Hot Shops” on the grounds are dynamic, entertaining studios where glassblowers fashion original pieces for audiences of all ages. Book ahead on the website for a chance to “Make Your Own Glass.” I can hardly wait for next Christmas when I hang my new, fab glass ornament. I blew it!! cmog.org 105.4 miles from Rochester Stn.
12.9 miles from Niagara Falls Station 7
Plan Your New York State Museum Getaway with I Love New York
Chautauqua-allegheny
You can find out more detailed travel information on getting to New York’s museums—including nearby activities, attractions and options for lodging and dining—at iloveny.com. History lovers will delight in New York’s Path Through History initiative, showcasing the state’s unparalleled network of museums, historic sites and cultural institutions. Thirteen themes have been developed— including civil rights, the Revolutionary War, presidential history, sports history, natural history and more—to help you discover the events of the past and learn how they reverberate today. Go to iloveny.com/ paththroughhistory for a list of special history events (including the annual Path Through History Weekend held every summer), a personal itinerary trip builder and more. You can also put every square mile of New York State in your pocket with the I Love New York mobile app. It’s available for download from the Apple Store and Google Play. Find out more at iloveny.com/mobile.
photo: gene wilburn via Flickr CC
The museums profiled in this publication represent just a small sample of the many hundreds more waiting to be explored all across New York State.
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown preserves the vast archival holdings of the worldrenowned naturalist, ornithologist and conservationist. In 1934, Peterson published his wildly popular A Field Guide to The Birds, and set the standard for the modern field manual. I’m not a birdwatcher yet even I have two RTP guides on my bookshelf. In the course of his long career, Peterson received nearly every award available to naturalists but the best evidence of his passionate love for nature are his remarkable bird and botanical paintings, many of which are on display. The Institute hosts a revolving series of natural history exhibits, and the beautiful museum and peaceful, hike-friendly grounds alone are worth a visit. rtpi.org 69.4 miles from Buffalo Station
“Lucy I’m home!!” I exclaimed— entering the lobby of the Lucy Desi Museum & Center for Comedy, a shrine to the comedic joys of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz—and nobody blinked. Must happen a dozen times a day. I’m one of the countless Americans raised on I Love Lucy reruns—but while I am well-versed on her Vitameatavegamin routine and have done my own imitation of the candy assembly line, I knew very little about the comedy genius herself—for instance, that she was raised here in Jamestown, NY—or that her Cuban-born husband and partner, Desi Arnaz, fled Cuba after Batista’s 1933 revolution. Here, you can wander through a mockup, in full living color, of the famous apartment where Lucy and Desi shared many an adventure with their befuddled neighbors, Fred and Ethel. There is also an annual Comedy Fest every summer that pulls in head liners like Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno and Lewis Black. A national comedy center, indeed! lucy-desi.com 70.1 miles from Buffalo Station
There’s something evocative about lighthouses, the way their bright beams pierce the darkness. Since 1826, there has been a lighthouse on the shores of Lake Erie, near Dunkirk Harbor. Today, the Dunkirk Lighthouse
and Veteran’s Park Museum
photo: Brian Hubbard via Flickr CC
(rebuilt in 1876) still serves on active duty, guiding ships—or, at least, pleasure boats—to safety. Climb the spiral stairway to the upper observation level for a great look at how great a Great Lake really is! The small military museum honors those who served in the Armed Services and the grounds are great for picnics. dunkirklighthouse.com 47.3 miles from Buffalo Station 8 • iloveny.com
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