I absolutely loved Sonnenberg! The conservatory and gardens…read morewere beyond amazing. I really enjoyed walking through and taking in all of the beauty. They even have a section in the greenhouse with plants for sale. The mansion is of course just as great to walk through and take a little escape back in time. So many beautiful things and views. They do have a little cafe and gift shop/winery on the grounds. I highly recommend coming here if you get the chance!

It's a nice peaceful attraction to stroll the gardens and check out the mansion. There were binders…read moreof photos in the mansion to see what different rooms used to look like. Rooms were set up well with interesting garments and objects. You can look at some pretty closely. Some parts of the property remain dilapidated, like the pool. Some of the gardens weren't available for viewing. For example, we didn't see anything in the pansy garden area.

I went at the last day, and glad I did. It was a memorable…read moreexperience to be surrounded by the painting in motion during part of the exhibit. An immersing experience. I like the set up of the exhibit. The First part was informative more intimate with the correspondence between the brothers. The second part was a cascade of visions that started high up and came down toward your feet, creating the illusion of being swept by the art work. The third part, was the one that I experienced a number of times. Once, was not enough to grasp the emotions of the scenes being projected on the walls, the floors, the columns. A brilliant idea to explore different artists.

There's not many things I'd leave the house for in a snowstorm, but I really wanted to see this! I…read morehave been in love with Starry Night since the Boy Meets World episode, and it's one of those things that has just stuck with me. I was able to go to the preview night, thanks to Yelp. This really was not what I expected. I thought there would be several rooms we went into. It's just 3 rooms. In all honestly, I skipped through the first one. Reading a bunch of stuff is not my thing. :) The waterfall room was really cool. It was on a 5 minute loop. I stayed a few minutes. It was mostly the same. And I didn't realize there was only one other room either. The main room was really cool, but I think it would have been better if they had done a few smaller themed rooms or something like that. It was really cool and I have no idea how they do things like that. But it sat on some things a really long time that wasn't really needed IMO, then rushed through stuff that was really great, like Starry Night for me. The pictures would blink and do subtle things sometimes, but I felt those things slowed the show down. I stayed in that room the entire time to make sure I didn't miss any. Some of it was hard to tell if I'd already seen it. And a few parts gave me motion sickness. When the houses melted down, I felt like I was sinking and I knew I needed to sit down! Lol. There were benches there to sit on. The gift shop was right outside the room. There were several things I liked, but they were very pricey IMO. A $20 coffee mug was a lot, I think. It wasn't even 3D. The 3D prints were very cool, and a few other things. I was there for about an hour, and I watched the show on the big room the whole way through to be sure I didn't miss anything. Also, be sure to check the concession stand because I missed a beer sampling!

Well worth a visit for anyone interested in American history. It was hot but our tour guide Ally…read morewas unflappable, entertaining and gave us a fantastic experience. The history of the house and the Seward family was very interesting and Ally knew about every painting and object our group asked about.

William Seward could have been the US President instead of Abraham Lincoln at that time - did you…read moreknow that? Lincoln was selected by their political party to run. Candidacy was not in Seward fate. True. Yet, after the election Mr. Seward worked alongside President Lincoln. Much unrecognized credit goes to Seward for promoting forward thinking policies at the time. Seward may be best known for his contribution as US Secretary of State in the purchase of the Alaskan territory from the Russian Empire in 1868. Termed "Sewards Folly" as at the time many skeptics who thought it unworthy for the US to purchase Alaska for $7 million dollars. Seward went to his grave firmly believing that one day in the future it will prove to be a very good decision. Alaska, rich with oil and natural resources, later was appreciated as an asset. Willam Seward held office as a governor of New York and Senator of New York. He was also a US Senator. And a US Secretary of State. This and many other interesting and historical facts are to be learned when you tour the Seward House Museum in Auburn, NY. Our tour-guide was enthusiastic. Fantastic wealth of knowledge. He gave us so much information in a fun and lighthearted way, about Mr. Seward, his family members, his political involvement, and his contributions to ending slavery. Amazing tour, and beautiful historic home where almost every artifact is the original. Beautiful wood work in the home. Lovely China dishes and stately decor. Did you know that the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman had a stop in the basement of this now historic home? It sure did. The Seward family housed and protected slaves seeking freedom right in this very home. Harriet Tubman, a slave from Maryland who became a famous freedom fighter, finally settled in Auburn, NY in 1859. Harriet Tubman practiced her faith and continued to fight for human rights and dignity until she died in 1913. There is a National Historical Park dedicated to Harriet Tubman in Auburn that would be worth visiting on a future trip.

Though the staff was outstanding in every way, particularly our waitress,Beck. The train route…read moreitself was disappointing. The route was straight out of Waterloo. Across Cayuga Lake. And then back again. Along the exact same route.

I am not sure this is really the correct place to put this review. This past weekend the Finger…read moreLakes Railway, in conjunction with the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, ran a special scenic train excursion from downtown Canandaigua towards Clifton Springs. Nicknamed the "Finger Lakes Limited," it utilized three coaches were were pleasantly restored with comfy seats, ceiling fans for climate control, clean windows, and carpeting throughout. No old, dirty train cars here (though as a train buff, that would have been fine too!). Admittedly, it was in part a fund raiser so the $30 tickets ($45 for the special tickets including the Bar Car beverages) were a bit more than a typical fall train ride. But, as a railfan I appreciated that it went over tracks that I normally wouldn't get to ride on. And, the scenery and small town feel of the places we went was charming in their own way. Beverages and snacks onboard were cheap ($1 a soda, etc.) and the conductors were extremely friendly. By the end, though, I mostly just stuck my head out the window at the end of the car and listened to the train's locomotive as we rolled down the track. I believe the FLRR occasionally runs other passenger trains for special occasions too, but they are pretty rare. That is one reason why I jumped on this one. I can now cross it off my railroad bucket list. The trips sold out too, which is good for everybody involved. Thank you for a great train trip!

If you're a fan of the Christmas classic film, you will love the It's a Wonderful Life Museum in…read moreSeneca Falls. Having seen the movie many times, I was overjoyed to visit the museum, which contains a treasure trove of unique photos and artifacts related to the movie. While many of the items are replicas not used in the actual film, it's still a perfect place for fans of the movie to kill a bit of time perusing pictures of the cast members, some of which who visit the museum annually for events. Admission is a modest $5 donation, and they have a cute gift shop with items for purchase. Staff on site at the museum cannot have been any friendlier, and were willing to let us stay a few minutes even past the closing time as we had arrived shortly before they closed for the day. There is a perfect photo op spot to commemorate your bisit to "Bedford Falls." This particular museum is located in a temporary spot through 2026 while the original permanent museum is undergoing major construction and expansion. While I'm sure the permanent museum complete with theater.would be a perfect 5 out 5 rating from me, this temporary museum space was still a very enjoyable experience for me. If you are a fan of It's a Wonderful Life, make it a point to visit this museum in Seneca Falls. There is a bridge in town which served as inspiration for the bridge scene in the movie.

Was dying to visit this spot--this is a favorite movie, special to my family--as I I know it is to…read moremany--and certainly deserving of its esteem and lore, IMHO. The museum itself is a small spot that is chock full of great photos and interesting stories about the movie and its cast, many of which were new to me. I learned some interesting tidbits and could definitely feel the care and appreciation with which the museum is curated. It is, though, very small, and surprisingly lacking in actual memorabilia--as explained up front, only 5 known movie props exist, most with private collectors. Perhaps unfair, but I guess I was expecting something a bit more. Still and all, worth a visit if you are visiting scenic Seneca Falls and the amazing Women's History National Park nearby. Make sure to walk over to the nearby bridge after your museum visit, which is definitely a convincing piece of this town's claim to be the "real" Bedford Falls.

We visited Corning Museum of Glass on a weekend getaway trip, and it was a must see! Parking is…read morefree; admissions was $25 for adults and $23 for seniors (62+). They have activities and events for all ages. I really enjoyed the demonstrations (glass making and the torching- I wish I got to see the glass breaking but missed it). I would give this place a good 3-5 hours, especially if you enjoy art. They have SO many items on display and activities to do. We even went back a second day! (Included in the admission ticket)

My husband and I visited the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning last week after hearing great…read morethings about it from people who have visited. It's a large museum (larger than I was expecting) dedicated to the art, history, and science of glass. When you walk in, you enter the level with art galleries. There's some incredible art in these galleries - a few pieces by well known artists, but also just plenty of pieces that showed what artists are capable of when working with glass. As I walked around the galleries, other visitors probably heard me say, "THAT'S glass?!" From there, you move into the historical galleries, which is where they show some of their more than 50,000 glass objects, some over 3,500 years old. I didn't know when in history glass was invented or about the various cultures/people in history that put their stamp on work in glass, and I learned a lot from these galleries (which is organized chronologically and by nation). Then, one floor up, there are a few galleries dedicated to the science of glass: how it's made, how colored glass is made, and more. That's also where some (but not all) of the demonstration areas are. The museum offers demonstrations in different areas of glasswork throughout the day and in different areas of the museum: hot glass demo, glass breaking, flameworking, hot glass demo bubbleheads, and more. We stopped by the Innovation Center for the Flameworking demo, which was very cool to watch. The museum offers even more. In another building behind the museum, they have a building where you can make your own glass with the help of their staff. With several options (that vary in age required, cost, length of time), you can choose a project you want to work on and then come back to pick up your glass or have it shipped to you if you're not staying in the area. We decided to make glass flowers (ages 14+, $38/flower). You put on plenty of protective gear and then make a glass flower quickly with the help of staff. I can't wait to see ours (they shipped them quickly and they're supposed to arrive tomorrow according to tracking). Before we visited, I told a friend of mine we were going to visit the museum in a week or so. He told me I'd need six hours to fully enjoy it. I thought he was nuts, but now I can see why he said that. The Corning Museum of Glass is huge, and you can definitely spend a day here. It's an incredible museum and well worth a visit if you're in the area. Just make sure you give yourself enough time to enjoy it!

My granddaughter and I have been here several times. It's a great place for littles to explore in…read morea safe place with lots of different interactive stations and areas. However! Twice now we've been when LARGE groups from schools have been there and it is absolutely chaos. I checked the website before traveling the hour to get there and nothing was mentioned. It was so loud when we entered I couldn't hear anything the girl at the register said. There were many chaperones but no one was actually managing the kids. The place is not that large and it was wild. My granddaughter is 3 1/2 and could barely maneuver around. She had toys taken out of her hand by the older, larger kiddos and you couldn't hear a thing it was so loud. I did talk to a worker from the museum and asked if there's a place to find a schedule and she kind of brushed me off. I gave 3 stars because if you go on a "normal" day it's great for younger kids.

The Children's Museum in Oswego is fantastic and filled my kids with hours of fun and…read moreentertainment. We arrived on a Monday morning, left for lunch, and returned for more play until the museum closed at 4PM. The museum is technically two stories, although the first floor mainly consists of the admissions desk, a small gift shop, and a water play station. Waterproof smocks or covers would have been nice since my son's shirt did get quite wet. There were boats, fishing rods, and cascading channels of water for various kinds of water play. This was a hit with both of my toddlers. The second floor had much more activities. From large and small foam blocks, Magnatiles, a scarf suction pipe/chute, books, light tables, brite light pegs, and a mini spiral climbing structure, to a dentist's office, pizza and salad restaurant, fire truck, tree house, farmers market, farm, toilet to teach plumbing, aluminum recycling, color wheel, and much more, there was a lot for kids of all ages to explore. There was also a small sectioned-off area for 0-2 infants and pre-walkers. The space hosts birthday parties as well as STEM classes. The staff were lovely. We were given a stamp in our hands before we took a break for lunch so that we could re-enter for free that same day. The only complaint I have is that there was less in the way of offering arts and crafts or even free-form drawing. We did not see any parking lot, but took advantage of free 2-hour street parking. This is definitely a great spot for families with young kids in Oswego.

We had a great time on our tour at the 1890 house. Our tour guide, Rose was fantastic and very…read moreknowledge about many elements of the house and background of the family who lived a the home prior to it becoming a museum. Definitely recommend this tour.

The house tour was great. We went around Halloween time which added a spooky element. It was…read moreinteresting to learn about Victorian period customs and lifestyles in this region. I highly recommend.