Things to do / Travel Guide
If you are looking to spice up your trip with a couple of quirky or atypical regional novelties, be sure to make planned detours to include some of the following sites:
Western New York
In the summer and fall, lose your way at the Macedon, New York (NY) Amazing Maize Maze at Long Acre Farms. And if you think maze-walking is child's play, try the moonlight maze alternative and navigate your way to freedom after dark!
If you find yourself in Auburn, New York at the Fort Hill Cemetery during late fall and early spring you may just witness a bone-chilling phenomenon: 50 to 70 thousand crows swoop down onto an old Indian burial ground at twilight. One evening a year, nobody knows which, the crows fly to a nighttime roosting place in downtown Auburn. National Geographic was so impressed by this unsolved natural mystery that they produced a television program featuring it.
In Canandaigua, NY the Fall Foliage Chairlift Ride at the Bristol Mountain Resort is a unique and oft-missed attraction. In late September and October fly high to the top of Bristol mountain, amidst the reds, oranges, and browns of fall leaves in western New York.
In Corning, near the southern border of the state on the west, you'll find lots of novelty activities. The town's got lots of museums, and it's home to the largest glass collection in the world. The place is permeated with boutique glass shops, arts shops, and crafts. It's a good excursion for a day-trip, with lots of one-of-a-kind activities.
Niagara Falls
Here are some attractions you might not think about at Niagara Falls. First, don't just hang out in your hotel room at night, even if “nightlife” doesn't thrill you. Head back to the Falls, as every night of the year the waters are lit up from across the river, and it's a spectacular sight. There are fireworks on Friday and Sunday nights from the end of May until early September. Often a concert precedes the ‘works, which begin at 10:00.
Also, the Whirlpool Rapids below the Rainbow Bridge, some ways from the Falls, is a natural oddity worthy of your precious time. Take the whirlpool aero-car to dangle high above the twisting current. The aero-car departs from the station located around three miles down north of the Horseshoe Falls. The rapids that begin at this point, by the way, are one of the wildest stretches in the world, and worth a visit to as well. These two attractions aren't open at night, or past 8:00 p.m. in the summer.
Finally, if you happen to go to Niagara Falls in the winter, maybe on your way through or whatnot, the Falls are truly a spectacle: The water mostly freezes over, and instead of a waterfall you see a wide column of white ice. Water continues to flow, but its beneath the ice, and it flows at a much smaller rate. But be warned, most of the attractions and hotels are closed for the wintertime, and the surroundings get very, bitterly, cold.
While in Niagara Falls, Ontario, make your way to the Butterfly Conservatory. Designed to feel like a tropical rainforest, a stunning collection of exotic butterflies flutter through the air - and one or two may even find a comfortable spot on your shoulder.
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