I firmly believe that every New Yorker should see Howe Caverns. I think the place is part of our identity as New Yorkers, on par with Niagara Falls and the Statue of Liberty. Howe Caverns is simply stunning. It has amazed visitors for over 169 years and despite our modern technological marvels, the trip will [...]
What do wooden water pipes buried beneath Manhattan and the formation of a bank have to do with the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr? Truth is stranger than fiction…
I’ve visited some amazing museums in my time — the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History, the New York State Museum — the Adirondack Museum in the central Adirondack region is perhaps one of the largest museums in Upstate New York. It certainly ranks as one of the most interesting and enjoyable. [...]
Oh, my aching muscles…. Blue Mountain is in the central Adirondacks. Located in Hamilton County, the peak of the mountain reaches 3750 feet (1143 meters) and elevation gain from the trail head is 1559 feet. The trail is approximately 2 miles up- you can do the math to see how steep the trail is! A [...]
When we visited Federal Hall National Memorial on Wall Street in lower Manhattan, we saw a display dedicated to John Peter Zenger, a New York newspaper publisher from the early 18th century. Zenger went to jail for a sensational “freedom of speech” case. His trial was held here at the site of Federal Hall, in [...]
The very first capitol building of the United States of America was here on this site, on Wall Street in lower Manhattan. The building was called Federal Hall and was constructed in 1700. It was where President George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States. Unfortunately, the building was demolished in [...]
Finally! I’d been wanting to visit this Village again ever since I visited when I was 14 years old. What a wonderful, wonderful place. Step back in time, literally. If it wasn’t for your wristwatch and cellphone, you’d think you were back in 1807.
Just south of the small town of Palmyra, in Wayne County, NY, is the small site dedicated to Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion. The site was very barren and foreboding on a blustery February when we visited. We decided to stop so that I could take a few photos of the reproduction log [...]
This is the historic site of the ancient lands of the Oneida Indian tribe of Central New York. It was also the resting place of the mysterious glacial erratic stone, sacred to the Oneidas. The place oozes history, archaeology, and wonder, with a strong mix of nature and spookiness mixed in. This is also the spot where Samuel de Chaplain and his Huron friends attacked the hapless Oneidas, hearing gunshots for the first time.
Not too far from the National Women’s Hall of Fame on Falls Street in Seneca Falls, NY, is the Women’s Rights National Park. I wrote about the rich history of the women’s movement that began here in my post National Women’s Hall of Fame, Seneca Falls, NY. While the National Women’s Rights Hall of Fame [...]
You can read Part 1 and Part 2 here. The best part of our visit to The Wild Center, in my opinion, was the aquariums. The aquariums held fish native to the Adirondacks, such as different families of trout, sturgeon, turtles, and a couple of really cute otters named Squeaky and Squirt. This aquarium was [...]
OK, I will state that I do not like the word “fart.” It’s crude and vulgar, and I never use the word. But golly gee whillikers, it’s a hilarious description for the booming sounds that burp out of Seneca Lake! LOL. I’ll get to that odd phenomenon in a minute. Seneca Lake is one of [...]
The FX Matt Brewery is the second-longest running brewery in the nation, based in Utica, NY. It’s somewhat of a landmark here in this immigrant city, supplying jobs for many workers (even during th Prohibition Era). We took a guided tour of the building and the inner workings of the brewery, where all the stuff happens! Then we were treated to a Saranac beer in the elegant Matt saloon.
The Oneida Mansion House was built by the Oneida Community, a “free love” communalist cult that found refuge from persecution on Indian lands. These people built a virtual paradise for themselves, until bickering from within broke it all up. The Mansion is open for tours, and visitors are free to roam the grounds. I wrote a history of the cult– truth can be so stranger than fiction!
Fly Creek Cider Mill is a little jewel just north of Cooperstown. It’s a combination old-fashioned store/ cider mill/ livestock farm/ educational experience. No wonder it’s such a popular place! And who the heck named the town “Fly Creek”?!
Renowned as the finest example of Greel Revival architecture in the world, the Old Main, or old Utica Lunatic Asylum, still stands. Barely. It sits aloof on its once pastoral grounds in the heart of Utica, NY. It’s history is incredibly rich and it is for this reason that this magnificent building still stands. This is my investigation of its history and the earth-shattering movement of treatable mental illness in this country.
Hamilton College has a special place in our hearts. We are ardent students of history, revivalism, Samuel Kirkland, the Oneida Indians, and Alexander Hamilton. What brings all these things together? Hamilton College. We paid our respects to its founders.
Lake George in the autumn. What can I say? Sheer glory! We traveled up the beautiful and scenic Route 9, in the heart of the eastern Adirondacks Park. We finally found Fort Ticonderoga, too. And even though the Fort was closed, we snuck in for a little quiet exploration and photo op. What an adventure!
The New England Hurricane, also called the Long Island Express, or the Great Hurricane of ’38, is known as one of the most damaging hurricanes to ever strike the U.S. It hit New York and New England unexpectedly, with great loss of life and property. This is the story of what happened.
This museum in Syracuse is dedicated to everything Erie Canal. The museum is right on the historic banks of the Canal, and it’s housed in the old weighlock building– one of the Canal’s tolling places. So the museum has a history of its own, as well as offering a complete history of New York’s famous and nation-building Erie Canal.
The U.S.S. Slater is a Destroyer-Escort ship that served during World War II. It is the only Destroyer-Escort ship still afloat on display, sitting along the banks of the Hudson River in downtown Albany, NY. We took a tour of the ship, what an adventure!
WHAT a tremendous museum! Four enormous floors stocked full of everything you can possibly imagine– cars, instruments, dolls, an Iroquois longhouse, science experiments, and even a small glider airplane! A perfect place to spend a day.
What a beautiful park! Chittenango Falls State Park is the crowning jewel of Madison County. It has extensive trails with glorious views of the Falls. We thoroughly enjoyed our trek!
There is an element of deep sadness here. This was the battleground of the bloodiest battle in the fight for American independence. But it set off a shockwave of victory that helped to change the course of the war. Hundreds of men died here. We came to give our respects, and found time to have a little fun, too.
It’s still so early in the travel season for us. Spring has been a long time coming this year. Only this week does it look like we *just* may be past the snowstorm stage. But then again, this IS Upstate New York!
Our travels may be a bit more structured this year, because I currently have a part-time job. Still, I’ve promised the family that we will be getting out again this year. And I do still have a handful of places we visited last autumn and winter that I need to tell you about! But as per my custom, I’m writing down a sketchy itinerary of some places we’d really like to see this year. Here goes:
Erie Canal Boat Museum in Chittenango, NY
Hanford Mills in East Meredith, NY
Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown, NY
Herkimer Home in Little Falls, NY
Drums Along the Mohawk Outdoor Drama at Gelston Castle, Mohawk, NY (August 3)
Theodore Roosevelt Museum in New York City
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
Niagara Falls in Niagara Falls, NY
Renaissance Festival in Sterling, NY (July through August)
Central New York Scottish Games, Syracuse, NY (August 10)
Woodsmen Field Days in Boonville, NY (August 16-18)
Of course, this is a mere preliminary listing. I will probably continue my new tradition of visiting some place in the Adirondacks for the autumn season. I generally reserve the spring for downstate New York, summer for local events, and autumn for the ‘Daks. I also want to attend more festivals and events, too. I’ve stuck to museums and historic places pretty closely over the years. The kids are older and I think we may enjoy festivals more, now. So if you have an event coming up this year, definitely contact me about it!
I also want to expand our boundaries and see more of the Hudson Valley and the Catskills. More companies are interested in sponsoring our visits, and I’m very willing to get the word out about the fantastic things to do in New York State.
We also may take a few jaunts eastward, out of state. I might visit Vermont and I definitely want to see Plymouth, Massachusetts, and perhaps take a trip to Boston or Gloucester. The horizons are wide open!
And will we eventually be shipping baggage internationally?! Will we possibly expand our travels? We’ll see! Who knows what the future holds. For now, we have definite plans to stay local but I am open to traveling a bit more extensively in the future.
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of apartments.com for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I've driven through thousands of cities, towns, hamlets, and villages. All are wonderful in their own ways. I especially like the tiny, old-fashioned kinds of places where it seems as if you've traveled through a time warp, right back into 1956 or something. So little has changed. Many communities in the Adirondacks and Catskill areas are like that. I've even lived in a number of them, too!
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It’s still so early in the travel season for us. Spring has been a long time coming this year. Only this week does it look like we *just* may be past the snowstorm stage. But then again, this IS Upstate New York! Our travels may be a bit more structured this year, because I [...]
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of apartments.com for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. I've driven through thousands of cities, towns, hamlets, and villages. All are wonderful in their own ways. I especially like the tiny, old-fashioned kinds of places where it seems as if you've traveled through a time [...]
Drove by a small town near Utica, NY, and spotted this. Love it!
Last week, I had the opportunity to visit an old childhood destination: Oneida Lake. I was surprised to see that much of it was frozen. The temperatures had moderated quite well during the January thaw, but the lake still had some good, thick ice on the surface. This photo was taken from the boat [...]
Welcome to New York Traveler.net. It was created for the purpose of telling the stories of our travels all over New York State.
See the travel list of all the places we've visited. Read more about us here. And view our Google map of where we've been. Thank you for visiting!
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