Charming Chautauqua County.

New York’s Little Napa

*Shake off the stresses and strains of the city in the charming Chautauqua County.
Chautauqua County, in the southwestern corner of New York State, is a landscape of rolling hills, historic inns and roadside stands that groan under the weight of fruit and fresh-baked pies. This pastoral paradise of lakes and dense forests takes its name from the largest lake in the area, known to the indigenous people as “Jad-dah’gwah”. If you’re in Buffalo, it’s an easy drive southwest on interstate 90 along the eastern shore of Lake Erie. The area is a magnet for hikers, nature enthusiasts, cyclists, kayakers and the curious— who gather for nine weeks a year at the Chautauqua Institute to hear lectures, concerts and enroll in classes.
After crossing from the neighboring Cattaraugus County into Chautauqua County (about 30 miles south of Buffalo), it might be worth stopping for a glass of wine on the gazebo, or even a picnic at the Willow Creek Winery (http://www.willowcreekwines.com/), which is one of several vineyards located within a few miles of the Lake Erie shores.
Due to glacial movements during the Ice Age, rich Canadian soil deposited in western New York provides ideal conditions for growing grapes. Wine production began in Chautauqua County in the fi rst half of the 19th century, and today the area has around 20,000 acres of vineyards, which produce a wide range of wines including European-style Chardonnay and Riesling. The Chautauqua area around Lake Erie is the largest grape-growing county in the US outside California, though around 90% of grapes grown here are for grape juice.
As you venture farther south along the shores of Lake Erie, you may want to explore Amish Country and pick up a few handmade quilts or some traditionally crafted furniture. If you see a horse and buggy, you’ll know you’re getting close.
Getting into the heart of Chautauqua County, you’ll enter Westfi eld, a quaint, all-American town that is home to one of the largest antique shops in the area. Landmark Acres Antiques (http://www.landmarkacres.com/) was established over 60 years ago and boasts more than 5,000 square feet of antiques and decorator items, from French Art Nouveau lamps to Federal banquet tables. Located in a barn dated 1802, Landmark Acres Antiques is on the oldest settled property in Chautauqua County.
The William Seward Inn, also located in the town of Westfield, is a fi nely restored mid-19th century country inn, peppered with period furnishings and recognized by the Select Registry as a distinguished inn of North America.
No expense has been spared on the fabric, which wraps most of the furniture in patterns that were popular in the 1800s—the sort of fl oral prints that drive grandmothers wild. Accommodations are quiet and comfortable, and the inn offers two dining rooms (advance reservations required), which are open to non-guests and serve up gourmet specialties such as Alaskan Butterfi sh in a kaffi r lime sauce, and rack of lamb with a caramelized shallot and thyme crust.
Lodgings perhaps more quintessential to the Chautauqua County experience can be found at the historic Athenaeum Hotel (http://www.athenaeum-hotel.com/). The lakefront hotel anchors the 750-acre community of the Chautauqua Institute (http://www.ciweb.org/) and towers above its gingerbread summer cottages. After a huge renovation 20 years ago, the 160 guest rooms of the Athenaeum boast 80 different wallpaper patterns. The hotel provides easy access to Chautauqua Lake, which you can stroll down to before breakfast for a quick swim.
The Chautauqua Institute is an intimate summer community of cottages, shops, a library, a post offi ce and narrow tree-lined streets. The institute was founded in 1874 as the Chautauqua Lake Sunday School as an experiment to combine vacationing and education. Over a century later, the Chautauqua Institute continues to offer a plethora of summer classes, guest speakers (such as Al Gore) and concerts by household names such as Abba and Kenny Rogers. The Institute even boasts its own symphony orchestra.
After breakfast, tee-off for a round of golf at one of the two 18-hole courses at the revered Chautauqua Golf Club (http://www.golf.ciweb.org/), which has played host to famous players from Walter Hagen and Cary Middlecoff to ex-president Bill Clinton.
But if you really want to get a taste for the county, get in the car and head out to explore the Chautauqua County Wine Trail (http://www.chautauquawinetrail.org/)—20 miles of vineyards and breathtaking scenery. Or, rent bicycles and soak up the countryside around the 18-mile-long Chautauqua Lake. For a guided tour on horseback, saddle-up at the Double D.A.B. riding stables (www..cecomet.net/doubldab/), about 20 minutes drive from the Chautauqua Institute. This year-round stable features a petting zoo for children and offers trails through secret creeks and cool, dark forests. A guide and helmet are included in the hourly price, which is so reasonable you can easily afford to spend several hours on horseback, and perhaps even go out for half a day with a packed lunch.
Map out the day’s hiking excursion through Chautauqua Rails-to-Trails (www..cecomet.net/crtt/), a project that aims to preserve abandoned “rail corridors” that wind through meadows, woodlands and wetlands, providing a natural habitat for fl owers, wildlife and over 170 different species of birds. The trails can be used for walking, mountain biking and cross-country skiing in winter—when the county regularly gets over 200 inches of snow.
On Saturday, from 9am to 5pm, don’t miss the Cross Roads Country Market (http://www.thecrossroadsmarket.com/), where local artisans set up stalls and sell everything from handcrafted wooden furniture to fudge.
If all the exploring and shopping has built up your appetite, hit Ye Hare ‘n Hounds Inn (http://www.harenhounds.com/) for dinner. The restaurant overlooks Chautauqua Lake from Bemus Point, on the other side of the Institute. Ye Hare n’ Hounds Inn is a replica of an English inn and opened in 1915 as a private retreat for the Emery family. It was established as a restaurant in 1921. This fi ne dining establishment features exposed brick, wooden ceiling beams and stone fi replaces. It also boasts an imaginative wine list with a plethora of choices to accompany plates of pan-roasted, honey-cured pork tenderloin with bronzed apples, and old-fashioned “mashers” with a cider glaze. Whenever possible, local and organic ingredients are used by chef de Cuisine Kevin Kidd and all desserts and pies are made in-house.
Tucked away in the southwestern corner of New York on the shores of Lake Erie, Chautauqua County bridges New England to the Midwest and offers visitors a unique opportunity to sample small-town American life, where the produce is fresh off the tree and local wine fl ows in abundance like the many rivers and creeks that make up this bucolic wonderland.


For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com