In yesterday’s post, Missy’s Two Tomato Pasta Salad, I told you about Wegmans – the Disneyland superstore of grocery stores on the East Coast. I mentioned that whenever I go back to New York to visit my family, I always ask them to take me to their local Wegmans supermarket because there is nothing like it in San Diego County or Southern California!
The Chautauqua Institution is the other place that I always ask to visit. My family always obliges me even though it isn’t down the street like Wegmans, but rather a 80-mile trek to southwestern New York. So, we pack a picnic lunch and venture out for a quick one-day visit.
Describing Chautauqua Institution, just Chautauqua to the locals, is problematic. At least for me. I’ve tried to capture it with the title of this post, Chautauqua Institution: Embracing Heritage, Culture and History, but it is a woefully inadequate snippet of what Chautauqua is about.
Although I’ve never spent more than a few hours at a time at Chautauqua, it’s a dream of mine that one day I’ll spend an entire week in-residence there to really embrace the Chautauqua experience. Because you have to “experience” Chautauqua to fully appreciate what the founders were striving for when they opened the doors 140 years ago in 1874.
Designated a National Historic Landmark, Chautauqua Institution is not only a non-profit adult educational center but a summer resort that attracts heavy hitters from all genres: literature, religion, politics, science, music, the arts…
This ginger-haired “music man” was just one of several musicians entertaining the crowds throughout the day. But, that’s one of the magical “things” about Chautauqua: although there may be a crowd, you don’t feel like there’s a crowd. Spread out over 750 acres, Chautauqua is a walking and bicycle community, i.e., a pedestrian community (leave your vehicle outside the gate), with meandering paths and walkways, gentle rolling hills and open spaces, tree-lined streets with one Victorian treasure after another.
“Everyone has a right to be all that he can be – to know all that he can know.”
– Chautauqua Institution belief motto
Every summer on the shores of Lake Chautauqua, the Chautauqua Institution comes alive for nine weeks, opening its gates to a Victorian utopia embracing heritage, culture and history. The desired destination of more than 100,000 visitors during Chautauqua Institution’s “season”, there are summer programs of music, dance, art, lectures, religion, forums, master classes, seminars, theater, comedy, opera, symphony, pop concerts and more.
The “season” is short: mid June to mid August. But, during that short season, Chautauqua Institution has a jam-packed schedule of activities for all. Reservations and ticket purchases are required. Recreational activities abound including boating, golf, tennis, basketball, fitness classes and more. On Sundays, when open, gate admission to the grounds is free.
Outside of the summer “season”, they have a Chautauqua in Bloom Spring Learning Festival and a Colors of Chautauqua Fall Learning Festival. Named Smithsonian magazine’s ‘Best Small Town to Visit in 2014’, Chautauqua Institution is a national treasure.
When the lake is open for swimming and boating, the small beach area fills quickly. And, even when it’s closed, the beach shore tempts children and families to linger and enjoy the day.
The grounds are meticulous and the buildings, cottages, guest houses, condos, inns and hotels have beautiful gardens, inviting porches and even chalk drawings on sidewalks.
Near the water’s edge of Lake Chautauqua is Palestine Park, a scale model relief map of the Holy Land with rolling hills and a small stream flowing through the middle connecting the mock-up of the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. With markers throughout representing the cities of Palestine, this park is a favorite with children, who like to run up and down the rolling hills checking out the markers of cities from Biblical stories.
Flags are everywhere side-by-side with hanging baskets of flowers, beautiful awnings, quirky yard art and sculptures. Nostalgia fills the air, time stands still and peace descends on you.
We headed down to the beachfront of Lake Chautauqua, my brother and I chatting away, while the rest of our gang anxiously forged ahead to get to the shore.
When we arrived at the water’s edge, we learned that the lake was closed for swimming due to an unsafe water condition. This is what happened next…
Glum faces and moments of inconsolable confusion!
As a Southern Californian, warm, sunny weather is almost always a daily occurrence and “fun in the sun” a given. So the significance of this lake closure was lost on me until I got home and started looking through the hundreds and hundreds of photos from my trip.
As New Yorkers, their sunny, summer weather is limited, so every waterfront “beach” day is a party! We’d driven an hour and a half, trudged beach gear down to the shore, only to have the anticipated beach party crushed by the closure.
Erin looking wistfully out over the lake…
Molly conferring with Ryan about this disaster…
Ryan discussing alternatives for the day with Bizzy…
Making lemons out of lemonade, aka, flowers for their hair…
Suddenly, Ryan was at the top of Mt. Hermon! Mt. Hermon located at one end of Palestine Park, is the highest point and a particular “challenge” for younger children to scale. But, scale they do {grin}…
This band of four, in age order from left to right (Erin, Ryan, Bizzy and Molly) have been scaling Mt. Hermon since they were in grade school, posing for pictures just like this!
Later in the day, we head back to Bestor Plaza to wait for my brother. He had left our group for a short while to take care of school business (he’s working on his second Master’s Degree). Anyway, his short detour turned into an hour and Ryan went off to find Glenn while the girls sat on this bench waiting patiently with looks of complete boredom crossing their beautiful faces!
When they realized I was taking their picture, they cheered up {grin}!
This bicycle collage is just for my husband, Charlie. Charlie did not accompany me to New York, but stayed home to babysit our cat, Coco. Charlie is handicapped and uses a mobility scooter just like the one in the bottom photo above. I just wanted to prove to Charlie that Chautauqua is very “handicap-friendly” to encourage him to join me in the future!
The close-up of this bird on the leg of the boy sculpture in the opening photo sums up Chautauqua for me. A place rooted in interfaith religion, Chautauqua Institution has matured to foster peace, nurture trust, encourage solitude but embrace learning -bringing together the best that is the human experience. Chautauqua, a place so special that even a short visit to this magical American utopia locked in a time warp of yesteryear, restores the soul.
Tootles,
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Ok, now I want to go visit there too. I will make it a goal for the upcoming years. It sounds fabulous.
It is. Let’s do it together!