Mom and Pop’s first trip to New York
My in-laws recently came to visit. Before anyone starts commiserating, I confess I adore my in-laws! They are fun, easy-going, and never visit for long enough. They are typically in and out in 3-4 days, and just roll with the flow.
This was their first trip to New York, so we wanted to show them some of the highlights of the area without wearing them completely out in the few days they were here.
I have to say, there are a ton of things to do in this area. Being in Skaneateles, we had to take them for a lake tour on the Judge Ben Wiles, which is a fun, double-decker wooden cruise boat. The captain does a guided tour, highlighting interesting facts about the lake and some of the famous people who live on it.
We visited the Creamery Museum, which has a ton of history about Skaneateles’s early days as the U.S. teasel industry hub. I know, now you are asking “What the heck is a teasel?” My thoughts exactly. So, a teasel is a spiny plant that vaguely resembles an elongated thistle. Not much to look at and can definitely cause an “ouch” if you stumble upon one, but boy, they apparently changed the wool industry.
The teasels were harvested, dried, and then used to comb wool into a soft, even surface. The crop was introduced to this area in the 1830’s and continued to be a thriving export, both domestically and internationally, through the middle of the 20th century.
One of the coolest parts of the museum is the section on the area’s boat building history. There are some beautiful specimens of wooden sailboats, rowboats, and canoes dating back to the 1800s. The craftsmanship on the wooden stunners is admirable, and really highlights the history of Skaneateles Lake. If you find yourself at loose ends in Skaneateles on a Saturday between 1pm-4pm (the museum’s operating hours) I highly recommend you stop in for an hour or so.
We also visited the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, which was truly fascinating. The Erie Canal used to come right through the middle of Syracuse, and the museum is located on a weigh station that served as a toll collection center for the canal. The museum is great, with lots of interactive exhibits, and it even has an original canal packet boat you can walk through. Me and my mother-in-law both got a little choked up reading some of the letters people had written while traveling on the canal. I would happily go back to this museum again.
Waterfalls
From there, we headed west toward Chittenango to visit the falls. We had a lot of rain in the spring and early summer, and the falls were gorgeous. We hiked down the trail to get a better view, and we were not disappointed. This is a gorgeous, easily accessible waterfall and one of those “do not miss” sights in the area.
We also visited Carpenter Falls, which is a lovely waterfall near Skaneateles you get to by way of a raised walkway through some beautiful woods. There were many flowering plants and gorgeous trees along the trail, making the walk to the falls really enjoyable. Yet another gem near our scenic little village.
We spent our last evening together laughing and playing a game, which was so nice because it has been a while since we’ve gotten to do that. We are hoping they decide to visit again before too much time passes.
That’s all for now. It’s time to prepare for our next guests.