New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently brought together a group of state tourism experts, Cabinet members and newspaper reporters to spend a day canoeing, fishing and hiking in the state’s vast Adirondack Park.
One of the many great facts about the Adirondack Park that I’ve always found most striking is this one: its 6.1 million acres constitute a land area greater than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks combined. Amazing.
And an amazing New York State resource that we would like to see become even better. Of course the governor’s gathering wasn’t really about a day of fishing at its heart. It was about promoting New York State tourism, one of our premiere assets and strengths.
We’re fortunate in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions to hang our collective hat on tourism as a cultural and economic anchor. From the Corning Glass Museum to Watkins Glen State Park, from Hammondsport, America’s Coolest Small Town to Mark Twain Country, and from cheese making to a world-class wine industry, tourism is big business around here — and we’re lucky for it. We can never do enough to promote it.
The opportunities are endless.
In late summer, for example, my father and I visited Sunset View Creamery in Schuyler County to sample a few locally made cheeses and help bring attention to an important sector of New York State’s agricultural industry. (As a brief aside, it was also an opportunity for both of us to reflect on our own family’s history in New York State cheese making. My grandfather John O’Mara was a cheese maker who owned and operated the Colosse Cheese Factory in Oswego County in the early 20th Century. My father, also named John, grew up working in the factory throughout his high school and college years. Colosse Cheese is still produced in Pulaski although our family’s no longer involved in the business.)
But back to Sunset View Creamery (www.sunsetviewcreamery.com). It’s a Farmstead & Artisan Cheese Production Facility that’s operated on Hoffmans Dairy, a century farm located in Odessa, New York, just south of Watkins Glen. Fourth and fifth generation Hoffmans operate the farm and all the milk used in their cheese making comes from their predominantly Holstein herd.
My father and I appreciated the recent hospitality of Ron Hoffman and his family, as well as the opportunity to sample their great cheeses. It was also an occasion, like I said, for my father to remember his father, for me to recall my grandfather, and for all of us to reflect on how far the industry’s come since the first half of the 20th century.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently brought together a group of state tourism experts, Cabinet members and newspaper reporters to spend a day canoeing, fishing and hiking in the state’s vast Adirondack Park.
One of the many great facts about the Adirondack Park that I’ve always found most striking is this one: its 6.1 million acres constitute a land area greater than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks combined. Amazing.
And an amazing New York State resource that we would like to see become even better. Of course the governor’s gathering wasn’t really about a day of fishing at its heart. It was about promoting New York State tourism, one of our premiere assets and strengths.
We’re fortunate in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions to hang our collective hat on tourism as a cultural and economic anchor. From the Corning Glass Museum to Watkins Glen State Park, from Hammondsport, America’s Coolest Small Town to Mark Twain Country, and from cheese making to a world-class wine industry, tourism is big business around here — and we’re lucky for it. We can never do enough to promote it.
The opportunities are endless.
In late summer, for example, my father and I visited Sunset View Creamery in Schuyler County to sample a few locally made cheeses and help bring attention to an important sector of New York State’s agricultural industry. (As a brief aside, it was also an opportunity for both of us to reflect on our own family’s history in New York State cheese making. My grandfather John O’Mara was a cheese maker who owned and operated the Colosse Cheese Factory in Oswego County in the early 20th Century. My father, also named John, grew up working in the factory throughout his high school and college years. Colosse Cheese is still produced in Pulaski although our family’s no longer involved in the business.)
But back to Sunset View Creamery (www.sunsetviewcreamery.com). It’s a Farmstead & Artisan Cheese Production Facility that’s operated on Hoffmans Dairy, a century farm located in Odessa, New York, just south of Watkins Glen. Fourth and fifth generation Hoffmans operate the farm and all the milk used in their cheese making comes from their predominantly Holstein herd.
My father and I appreciated the recent hospitality of Ron Hoffman and his family, as well as the opportunity to sample their great cheeses. It was also an occasion, like I said, for my father to remember his father, for me to recall my grandfather, and for all of us to reflect on how far the industry’s come since the first half of the 20th century.
Cheese making has long played an important role in so many upstate New York communities, including Schuyler County. The great news is that it’s still going strong and has an exciting and promising future. For more information on local cheese makers, including dates for Open Houses being held during the upcoming Columbus Day weekend and other fall events, visit the Finger Lake Cheese Trail online at flcheesetrail.com/.
Remember it’s a great complement to the wine trails of the Finger Lakes (www.fingerlakeswinesociety.com/trails/ or www.fingerlakes.com/wine/). Or the Finger Lakes Beer Trail, which helps to show off our growing and vibrant craft beer industry (www.fingerlakesbeertrail.com). Evidence of the success — and especially the future promise — of these two industries came with last week’s announcement that the governor will convene a Wine and Beer Summit at the Capitol in late October. It’ll be an opportunity for regional leaders and industry representatives to share ideas and suggestions for how the state can help strengthen the industries, similar to New York’s first-ever and well-received Yogurt Summit in August.
While you’re out and about this autumn, keep in mind that many of the region’s Farmers’ Markets continue to operate into October. For more information, visit www.ilovethefingerlakes.com/basics/agriculture-farmersmarkets.htm
Don’t forget our apple growers www.nyapplecountry.com. It’s apple picking season!
In other words, we offer an abundance of fall tourism opportunities and you can read all about them through the state’s official tourism website, www.iloveny.com, or www.fingerlakes.com.
