Tag Archives: Museum

Something to Do in November!

November seems like the month of NO. No snow. No leaves. No sun. No fun. November.

But, let’s face it. We’re not completely at the mercy of the elements. We can still find ways to enjoy ourselves.

Sooooo, what CAN we do? Hmm.

Our museums have inside activities. Rockwell Museum and Arnot Art Museum are each hosting a portion of a show that explores Crafting Identity. We saw the foreign works at Arnot, and found them thought-provoking. We also enjoyed again seeing the permanent collection, heavy with 19th-century representational works, but we like to expand our horizons. We’ll soon be catching the domestic pieces at Rockwell, too.

Glenn Curtiss Museum is having a “First Across” centennial exhibit on the US Navy’s 1919 expedition that made the first transatlantic flight, in a Curtiss seaplane. (Eat your heart out, Charles A. Lindbergh.) National Soaring Museum opens its dollhouse and miniatures show on November 16… always worth a drive up the hill. And Corning Museum of Glass has a special exhibit on the role of glass in our first moon landing, fifty years ago. Yates County History Center in Penn Yan has a special exhibit on Groffdale Mennonites… their faith, their customs, and their lives among us.

Off-Monroe Players in Rochester does a free Gilbert and Sullivan production every November… this year it’s Ruddigore, with six performances between the 15th and the 24th. OMP performances are always a load of fun.

Clemens Center in Elmira is presenting productions that range from Disney Holiday Party on Tour to The Diary of Anne Frank.

Our region has deer, bear, and bobcat hunting seasons on some dates in November, along with squirrel, pheasant, ruffed grouse, and various small predators.

On the other hand, that can put a crimp into your hiking. But minimally you can still walk, and let’s face it – even though it’s snowing as I write this, that doesn’t have to keep us immured inside, and on top of that there will be PLENTY of nice days this month (along with some bad ones). Take a walk down the Main Street in Naples or Canandaigua… follow the audio tour of Bath… hike the rail trail through Elmira, which has just installed new mileposts.

When you get a half-way decent day, visit the marinas or waterfronts at Penn Yan, Geneva, Hammondsport, Canandaigua, Watkins Glen. They’re a very different world, and a much quieter world.

Go, not necessarily to the mall, but just to your local supermarket. Stroll through, taking the time to EXPERIENCE your visit. Take in all the Thanksgiving decorations, and get yourself into the season a little bit.

If you’re out on a walk or a drive, especially with kids, see how many decorative turkeys you can spot along the way. If each of you takes one side of the street, you can make a little contest of it.

Make sure you get your Scouting for Food bag out. And/or make a gift to the Food Bank, or to your church’s food pantry, to help those who are hungry as the year gets cold.

Put your bird feeders back out! Thanksgiving to Easter is a good rule of thumb here in bear country. Our juncos are back, here in Bath, though in reality they only go up to Mossy Bank Park – they’re pretty much altitude migrators, rather than latitude migrators. Birds in your yard are a promise of spring!

Out of the House, and in From the Cold — Check Out Our Museums!

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Last week we looked at places to get out of the house, while still keeping warm, and we put the spotlight on our wonderful public libraries. For more great places to get out of the house but in from the cold, try our region’s many museums.

*The huge CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS is rightly world-renowned. If you haven’t been for a while, stop in again. It’s constantly growing, constantly changing. It’s art, industry, science, local history, and pop culture. (Look for your Mom’s Pyrex, Corelle, and CorningWare.) EXTRA SPECIAL: the hot glass show, where glass artists create while you watch.

*Corning’s “other” museum sometimes gets unjustly overshadowed by the Glass Museum. But the ROCKWELL MUSEUM is worth repeat visits all on its own… to be honest, we’re at the Rockwell more than we are at the Glass Museum. It’s a worthy memorial to Mr. and Mrs. Rockwell… I knew him, and he was always a pleasure to visit. The Rockwell has had a history of groping for its own identity, but is now a Smithsonian Affiliate, focusing on art of the American experience. EXTRA SPECIAL: contemporary art by Native American and Latin American artists.

*I used to be director of the GLENN CURTISS MUSEUM, and I’m always amazed at the number of local folks who haven’t been, or who think it’s still in the old 1860 academy building. Curtiss Museum tells a triple-barreled tale… the Curtiss story, the early aviation story, and the story of a typical small town experiencing the flood of change in the early 20th century. EXTRA SPECIAL: the workshop, where volunteers restore of reproduce flying aircraft.

*Curtiss Museum’s sister institution is the NATIONAL SOARING MUSEUM atop Harris Hill, overlooking Big Flats. Snowy windy days are not the best for driving up that hill, but otherwise make a stop if you haven’t done so. Maybe you think you’re not especially interested in “the silent grace of motorless flight” – but soaring, gliders, and sailplanes have been an important part of our region’s economy and heritage. Why not learn something new? EXTRA SPECIAL: a large guest exhibit of dollhouses and miniatures.

*The OLIVER AND UNDERWOOD MUSEUMS in Penn Yan center on life in the Yates County area, from pre-contact Native times onward. EXTRA SPECIAL: Jemima Wilkinson’s coachee (a cut-down carriage) and other memorabilia. To her 18th-century followers Jemima’s word was not law… it was Divine Law. Eccentric she may have been, but she’s one of the founding figures of our region.

*CHEMUNG VALLEY HISTORY MUSEUM focuses on life in and around Elmira, including Mark Twain and the “big horn” (a mammoth tusk) which gives Chemung its name. EXTRA SPECIAL: this is the original home of Chemung Canal Bank, so you can still see the vault.

*Where would we be without our lakes? Check out the still-new (and ever-growing) FINGER LAKES BOATING MUSEUM near Hammondsport. Besides seeing the boats (and getting a whiff of summer), you can often watch restoration work, just as you can at nearby Curtiss. EXTRA SPECIAL: FLBM’s main building is the old Taylor (originally Columbia) winery, with its lovely 19th-century stone vaults and dark woodwork.

*And all that’s just for starters! Watch this space – more to come!