A July Review: My Favorites from Local Travel
July was filled with adventures and local travel around the Finger Lakes! Find out what were my favorite moments locally!
Syracuse, NY: Destiny USA, Rosamond Gifford Zoo, and the Emerson Art Museum
Starting off the month, we visited Syracuse originally for a concert that was canceled due to the smoke from Canada. Unfortunate as it was, we still were able to enjoy our trip by visiting one of the largest malls in America, Destiny USA. We didn’t realize how big it was until driving towards it and once in the parking lot. The 4-story mall was filled with the obvious shops, but then even had an indoor jungle gym, racetrack, Tequila featured bar, then a Beers of the World bar, and so much more. Honestly, I feel you could spend two days here.
The next day, we spent the morning picking up breakfast at the hotel and then went off to see the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. There were a lot of exhibitions out there, from Barn Owls to Primates. While it was hot, there was plenty of shade around the Zoo as well as plenty of indoor exhibitions as well from aquariums to the bird observatory.
We closed off the day by visiting the Emerson Museum of Art. Although it’s slightly smaller than the Memorial Art Gallery here in Rochester, NY, the Emerson Museum of Art was just as interesting. Their current exhibition that caught my eye was “Off the Rack,” which was a mix of so many art pieces. From the Emerson Museum of Art’s official website, “Off the Rack is the happy by-product of a major renovation of the Everson's on-site art storage. As hundreds of paintings and framed works are displaced from their racks while renovations take place.”
Penfield, NY: Lavender Fields at Wickham Farms
Late June and throughout July in New York is the best time to see the lavenders bloom. The sweet and calming scent filled the air at Wickham Farms. The day also was filled with a surprise; there were two baby goats who were born just the day before. From the main area, we took a tractor ride up to the fields. The scenery was beautiful and there were so many places to take photos. The lady running the Lavender fields talked to us as we were waiting for the car ride back and said we should visit in August for sunflower fields and in the fall for pumpkin and apple picking. We closed off the day getting a strawberry slushie, with vanilla ice cream, and a dozen fresh donuts. Now we’re looking forward to the cider version of our summer slushie drink!
Honeoye Falls, NY: Mendon Ponds in the Rain
Closing off July was spent in the rain. The weather has been quite interesting in New York lately, filled with rain, sunshine, and storms, all in one day. Mendon Ponds though was the perfect getaway to enjoy the rain and the greenery. Walk through one of the many trails that surround this nature conservation park and you might get a peak of a deer from afar or go mushroom hunting for different types fungi.
Plans for August Adventures?
Now here’s the new month of August… what will August Adventures hold?
