This morning blog post finds me in western New York state, at a place called the Chautauqua Institution. This place is, according to Wikipedia, “a summer resort and non-profit education center” in western NY state, about 1.5 hours from Buffalo. I’m here with my beloved aunt Cathy, who’s been here before. It’s on Chautauqua Lake, which is big (17 miles wide and 2 miles long) and fun for all kinds of recreation. The Institution itself, according to Google,
encourages and studies the arts and treats them as integral to all of learning. With symphony, opera, theater, dance, visual arts and a renowned music school, Chautauqua produces an “eclectic mix” of programming that can be found nowhere else.
Well, that sounds nice, doesn’t it? And they totally deliver. This week (week 4 of their 9-week summer programming) features opera, orchestral music, dance, gallery shows, and pop music (Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are playing here Friday night).
On the recreation front, they have guided kayak tours at all hours of the day, organized pickleball, tennis round robins, walking groups, English lawn bowling (I’m totally trying this, whatever it is), and goodness knows what else. Plus, of course, swimming in the lake. I brought my bike and am renting one for my aunt so we can toodle around.
Honestly, the array of options is astounding. They print out a weekly newspaper with the schedule. Take a look:
One historical note: the term “chautauqua” might be familiar to some from the chautauqua movement; it is the self-same. Here’s some more info, courtesy of Google:
The Chautauqua movement was an organized series of educational and entertaining presentations in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Speakers included teachers, religious preachers, actors, industrial figures, musicians, and specialists in a wide variety of fields.
Some of these places were more specifically Christian, while others maintained a secular identity. This place– the Chautauqua Institution where I am– is what they call interfaith: programming by all of the big three religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) is represented. But so far it the atmosphere seems more artsy and literary than anything else.
What I’m looking forward to is the combo of artsiness and gentle outdoorsiness that is the ambiance of this place. It’s cute in the extreme.
Our place for the week is a cozy condo with kitchen and balcony for eating and chilling out. Not that we’ll spend much time there. There are so many opportunities for activity and exploration and edification, we aren’t going to be lolling much. At least, I don’t think so. We’ll see…
My activity plans include kayaking with Cathy, biking, swimming, trying my hand at English lawn bowling, and maybe some pickleball. And lots and lots of walking. We parked our car in a far-away lot, as cars are mostly not allowed on the grounds. My step count was 7000+ yesterday, and we only arrived at 4:30pm.
You may be thinking to yourself, this seems familiar. Haven’t I seen a movie about such places? You’re thinking about Dirty Dancing, set at the fictional Kellerman’s resort in the 60s. Or Mrs. Maisel, the TV show.
I think this place purports to meet a similar need– a beautiful place where every generation of the family can have fun and hang out together, experience nature in a gentle way, and feel like they’re learning sometime at the same time. This is a novel experience for me, and I’m looking forward to what the week will bring. I’ll report back in seven days’ time, and promise to document any conga lines that form.