Chautauqua – My Happy Place, Part 2

 

Chautauqua – My Happy Place, Part 2

 

In Part 1 of “Chautauqua – My Happy Place”, I talked about all the reasons to spend a week or more at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York. Here, in Part 2, I will discuss some of the logistics associated with planning and executing a trip to Chautauqua. Lenora and I have been five times, each time different as there is no ‘right’ way to proceed. I will describe some of the factors to enable you to make choices that suit you.

Big picture, Chautauqua is summer camp for adults seeking a combination of mental stimulation and release from the everyday hustle and bustle. The physical setting is a Victorian village on the shores of a picturesque lake in a tranquil corner of rural America. In practical terms, it is not near anything but that is a large part of its charm. It is not a day trip; it is an ‘unpack and stay in the same place for a few days’ trip.

The first step in planning a Chautauqua visit is picking a week(s). The summer season is broken into nine weeks with a different theme for each week. Go to https://www.chq.org/ and make this site a Favorite as you will return often. I recommend subscribing in the Planning Your Experience popup. Then make sure Summer is selected from the top menu. Clicking Discover, you will find a wealth of practical information. To see the themes, click on 2023 Season. There are no bad weeks, pick a theme that resonates with your interests or simply pick one that fits your schedule. You can’t go wrong.

Having picked a week (or two or even three), the next critical step is to decide whether to go on your own, to go as a self-organized group, or to go with a tour company. We have not used a tour company ourselves, but I will use Road Scholar as an example as it is recommended by friends. They take care of transportation details (bus from airport), lodging (onsite hotel) and meals (at the hotel dining room.) One downside is that they don’t go for an entire week and there is a tradeoff of individual choice for convenience. Twice in the past, we connected with a group of friends to share a house enjoying shared dinners but otherwise having total freedom to tailor our experience. Three times, we have gone on our own booking housing and being unconstrained as to meals and scheduling.

If, as is likely, you decide to go on your own, the next step is to secure housing. As mentioned above, there is a hotel on the grounds. The Antheneum is an experience in itself. It is a Victorian era building with a magnificent view of the lake from its wrap around porch. It has a wonderful dining room, and its porches and meeting rooms host many events. Available rentals include houses, condos, apartments, and individual rooms. We rent a centrally located, one bedroom unit with a kitchen allowing us to prepare virtually all our meals. It is possible to rent just a room with kitchen privileges as we did our first visit. Twice we had a room in a house that was rented by a self-organized group. We knew, or quickly came to know, everybody else through group dinners. Off the grounds, a full gamut of housing options exists - from conventional hotels to campgrounds - but I strongly recommend staying on the grounds. The Chautauqua day starts early with sports and meditation events and the evening music events run late.

One interesting housing option is the Denomination Houses. Each of the major religions has a presence at Chautauqua providing a significant amount of the programming. In addition, most of the houses have rooms to rent with shared dining. These rooms are popular and book early with varying rules as to who may rent. For example, the UU House prioritizes first time visitors. They are an attractive housing option offering opportunities for conversation with like-minded people and convenient locations.

People don’t go to to Chautauqua for the food, but, definitely, after your housing is set, decide on your balance between eating in and dining out. There are several restaurants on the grounds, more in the nearby towns and, in a pinch, there is pizza delivery. That said, we plan on eating most of our meals in our housing. Going by car, we can transport a lot of food and drink with us. For perishables and prepared food, we stop at the Wegmans in Jamestown which is just 20 minutes from Chautauqua. There is a small farmers market during the week for fresh vegetables and baked goods plus a convenience store. One thing we do plan for is appetizers as we inevitably want to gather with old and new friends to socialize. We also get BBQ chicken dinners at the Sunday event sponsored by the volunteer fire department.

The next important step is deciding how you will get to upstate New York. Chautauqua is a 10 hour drive (plan for at least 12 hours on the road) from Cary. We have always driven and have done it in one day but, generally, we take two days. The changeover day is Saturday with most housing becoming available midafternoon. We drive most of the way on Friday, layover, then drive the rest of the way, stopping in Jamestown for groceries, on Saturday morning.

There is absolutely no need to have a car at Chautauqua; when we have unloaded the car, it goes to a parking lot just off the grounds where it sits all week until it is time to depart. The campus is very walkable and there are multiple bus routes serving the major venues and housing locations. This makes flying is a very feasible option with the caveat that Chautauqua is not near any major city. The nearest big city is Erie, PA, fifty minutes away. Other options are Buffalo, NY, Cleveland, OH, and Pittsburgh, PA. I can’t speak from personal knowledge, but I know people have arranged ground transportation from each of these locations.

While you are encouraged to commit to a week Chautauqua, one very viable option is to combine the trip with another destination either before or after. We have visited friends in PA and WV coming and going. If flying, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland. We have combined Chautauqua with college reunions and family visits plus trips to Canada and Cape Cod. One special note is that the National Comedy Center and the Lucile Ball Museum are in Jamestown, NY. We have visited both, spending 6 hours in the Comedy Center. I highly recommend tacking on a full day before or after to do one or both of these attractions.