Day 1

Our adventure begins when you meet your guide to travel back in time to the arduous days of travel before modern roads. Our first stop is the Harriet Tubman home.  Harriet Tubman was born a slave, but she escaped via the “Underground Railroad” and later helped over 300 slaves escape to freedom.  We will see a video on Ms. Tubman followed by a tour of the first floor of the home she started for aged blacks.

From here, we head into the charming lakeside village     The downtown district houses shops and galleries in restored buildings dating from 1796.  Our lunch today is at an historic stagecoach inn, built in 1807, which has been meticulously restored to the beauty of a bygone era.  There will be free time to browse the town or sit by the lake and watch the activity.

Next, we are on to tour the Seward Mansion.  William Seward was chided for purchasing a wasteland near the Yukon which we call Alaska, a land of wealth to the United States.  His home is a step back in time as it houses his collection intact from the four generations of Sewards which lived there from 1816-1951.  Seward hosted many gatherings of distinguished people from to Ulysses S Grant to Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Our final visit of the day is to the Willard Chapel, a rare example of the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany.  This chapel is the only existing location where Tiffany placed his work.  It consists of opalescent paneled windows and chandeliers which will leave you in awe.  A short video will detail the history of the chapel.

Our dinner this evening will be along a portion of the Erie Canal system where the boats depart the canal and enter beautiful Seneca Lake.  The sun sets behind the far side of the lake as we dine waterside.

After a hearty breakfast, we travel along beautiful Seneca Lake with a stop at a Mennonite Farm Store.  The store has a multitude of handmade quilts by local Mennonite ladies as well as jams and jellies, soup mixes, and pastries.  The store has a little of everything.  This is a family business and the children are present, quietly lending a helping hand.  The buggy sits outside the barn door and the family pet is always happy for a scratch behind the ear whether it be a puppy or a bunny.

Just a bit further down the lake, we stop at a winery for a tour of the winery processing plant and an opportunity to sample wonderful Finger Lakes wines.  From here we continue traveling beside the shimmering waters of Seneca Lake with a stop at another award-winning winery before our lunch stop overlooking vineyards and the lake.  We’ve viewed the water all day, now we have an opportunity to be on the lake with a scenic and informative boat ride.  From here we travel to the hilltop for a stop at a winery/restaurant for a homemade strudel dessert before traveling to our hotel for the evening in Corning, New York.  Here the group will be able to relax and have an evening on their own for dining, shopping or browsing the city of Corning.

Next morning, we visit the Corning Museum of Glass for a glass-blowing demonstration and an unguided tour of the museum. We drive through the historic district of Corning where the Chemung River flooded the town in 1973 and on to the town of Elmira, the summer home of Mark Twain.  We visit the Mark Twain study and exhibit and take a tour of the historic area.  We follow this with lunch overlooking the valley with the Chemung River below.  Mark Twain’s inspiration for “Tom Sawyer” came from this dynamic view.