Exploring the
Chautauqua-Allegheny region
in SW New York

     Located in the shadows of the Enchanted Mountains, southwestern New York offers a unique tradition of art, entertainment, recreation and culture. Known to New Yorkers as the Chautauqua-Allegheny Region, the area is replete with rural gems and culture.

     A handful of treasures in the Chautauqua-Allegheny Region include:

   •  Griffis Sculpture Park: Located in Ashford Hollow, this 425-acre outdoor art museum features 225 sculptures in the midst of some of New York’s most stunning landscapes. With more than 10 miles of hiking trails along open meadows, ponds and ravines, the park’s blend of nature and art can be enjoyed year round via bike or snowshoes. For more information, visit www.griffispark.org or call 716-667-2808.

   •  Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt: Nestled between Lake Erie’s eastern shoreline and the Allegheny Plateau lies a stretch of land uniquely suited to growing grapes. With 20,000 vineyard acres along beachfront communities and charming villages, the Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt is the oldest and largest Concord grape growing region in the world. For more information, visit www.tourchautauqua.com or call 800-242-4569.

   •  Hotel Lenhart: The Hotel Lenhart was built in the 1800s and has been owned and operated by the same family since 1881. Located in Bemus Point on Chautauqua Lake, the hotel has 54 rooms of various sizes and styles. More than 40 comfortable rocking chairs line the veranda, wrapping around the front of the hotel. This is where guests gather daily to watch spectacular sunsets over Bemus Bay. For more information, visit www.hotellenhart.com or call 716-386-2715.

   •  The White Inn: Built in 1868, the White Inn in Fredonia opened to the public as a hotel in 1919. In the 1930s, Duncan Hines discovered the White Inn and included it as one of the 50 finest establishments he named the “Family of Fine Restaurants.” The inn features 23 beautifully restored guest rooms and suites as well as banquet and conference facilities for up to 150 guests. For more information, visit www.whiteinn.com or call 716-672-2103.

   •  Seneca-Iroquois National Museum: Experience the proud history of the Seneca Indian Nation, a branch of the Iroquois, at the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum. Located in Salamanca, the largest American city on an Indian Reservation, the museum includes a collection of artifacts and reconstructions as well as cultural exhibits and treaty documents. For more information, visit www.senecamuseum.org or call 716-945-1760.

   •  Amish Country: When you take a trip to Leon, Conewango and Randolph, you can see how the Amish plant and harvest crops, educate their youth, build furniture and mill lumber. Spend the day traveling along tree-lined dirt roads where well-tended gardens and horse-drawn buggies are a plentiful sight. (Please, no photographs or Sunday sales.) For more information or to download a map of the area, visit www.enchantedmountains.info or call 1-800-331-0543.

   •  Allegany State Park-Red House Area: Explore Thunder Rocks, an outcropping of gigantic rocks located on the eastern side of Allegany State Park. These large, square boulders, as tall as two-story houses, offer an amazing view of Limestone Brook and the surrounding mountains to the east. The park’s Red House Area provides five miles of paved bike paths for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, boat and bike rentals, fishing and snowmobiling. Visit www.nysparks.com/parks/info.asp?parkID=92 or call 716-354-9121 for more information.

     For more information about other hidden gems in the Chautauqua-Allegheny Region, visit www.iloveny.com.