Our area benefits a lot from tourism, and tourism is… whatever somebody wants to see or do. Railfans will bushwhack through the brush for half an hour to get to the place where the tracks USED to be, and consider it the best morning they’ve ever spent. Genealogists haunt the cemeteries. Some people enjoy wine tastings, though many others find that the most bizarre waste of time they could imagine. And golf is something you get, or you don’t get; there’s no middle ground.

Both tourists and local folks (not just here, but anywhere) often miss the thought of churches as places of interest. They have historical, social, architectural, religious, spiritual, and ecclesiastical significance, and they’re not usually hard to find. “Where there is a church there is civilization,” in the words of Lord Peer Wimsey. Our region has quite a few interesting edifices for churches and places of worship.

The FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH in Bath is a standout by any standard. Its late 19th-century incarnation was largely funded by the Davenport family, entrepreneurs and benefactors of fame in the county seat. The massive stone edifice rises dramatically on the courthouse square, right on the axis of Liberty Street.

Visitors come literally from around the world to view the sumptuous sanctuary, magnificently designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The church hosts drop-in tours on Wednesdays following the Fourth of July and through August, and by appointment.

ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL CHURCH, farther up Liberty Street, is a fitting counterpoint to First Presbyterian. Also a massive stone structure, with a sky-piercing spire, the St. Thomas edifice is the oldest in Bath village. The congregation is now celebrating its bicentennial.

The EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, by contrast to these breathtaking edifices, is a lovely century-old cobblestone creation, with craftsman-style touches, tucked quietly away on a side street in Savona. GARRETT MEMORIAL CHAPEL, meanwhile, is a jewelbox Norman Gothic style church on Keuka Bluff, with services on summer Sundays. The winemaking Garrett family built it in memory of a son who died young.

TEMPLE BETH-EL, an impressive understated structure on Church Street in Hornell, is interesting as home to the only formal Jewish congregation in Steuben County.

If you go looking for HARRISBURG HOLLOW METHODIST CHURCH outside Bath, you won’t find it. What you WILL find is the steeple – JUST the steeple – standing there for all the world like the lamppost in Narnia.

TOWN LINE CHURCH in Rathbone is interesting (to me, it’s also familiar), because it follows the old New England pattern of two front doors leading to two side aisles, rather than the more common central door and a central aisle.

Reverend Thomas K. Beecher (brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe) ministered at PARK CHURCH in Elmira, where a statue honors his memory. During his time here he led the church in creating a large up-to-date facility with banquet hall, social rooms, play space, and library – the forerunner of the modern mega-church.

George Pullman (the sleeper-car millionaire) underwrote PULLMAN MEMORIAL UNIVERSALIST CHURCH of Albion in honor of his father. It was built with local Medina sandstone and includes 56 (!) Tiffany windows.

ST. JANUARIUS CATHOLIC CHURCH in Naples has a remarkable 1966 edifice that delightfully complements its vineyard setting. It also features a chalet roof, and its floor plan represents a grape leaf. This is a fine example of modern church architecture, at once thoughtful and innovative. It draws from, adds to, and fits into its surroundings.

And, of course, you should see ST. GABRIEL’S CHURCH in Hammondsport – just because it’s the coolest Catholic Church in the coolest small town in America!