Chautauqua Institution

IT’S A TOWN, IT’S A DISNEYLAND OF VICTORIAN HOMES AND MUCH MORE. It’s not cheap especially for a family but it is an educational experience for young and old to share. It’s cleaner than Disneyland and that is clean. Each home has their own well kept garden and all homes are kept in first class condition. There is a tourist center for tickets, restrooms, lockers, and information. Parking is a little walk away and the admission charge is cheaper after noon on some days. A word to the wise wear good walking shoes, grab your camera and enjoy

We recently attended a show in the ampitheater (Garrison Keiller) & when entering found out they had sold more tickets than seats. A lot more! So, for $ 50 we stood for the whole show. The next week’s show — same thing, No seats for all the tickets sold. We won’t be back for any future events. Hopefully the institute changes this policy.

While we agree with many of the reviews — both good and bad — something must be said about how poor the institutional communications are. The maps of the grounds omit facilities where programs take place, the website lacks coherence and information and the first time attendee is often unable to find crucial information.
A good example happened to us when we saw a reference to an event that interested us. After some difficulty in finding out how to purchase tickets we were able to obtain them. They arrived and while they had a time and date on them, no venue was specified. And when we looked on the weekly calendar the event was no where to be found. These are simple things that suggest that more complicated ones may be suffering the same fate.

The original travelling «Chautauquas» brought the arts, music, and culture to the common person, it lifted the spirits, and provided a sense of hope, and promise during the great depression. Everyone finds their own particular purpose for visiting the Chautauqua Institution today, but for me personally it serves as a reminder that each and everyone of us has an obligation to use whatever gifts, and talents we have to try to improve upon the human condition. Returning every summer for the 9 weeks of programming, arts, lectures, concerts, recreation, etc., (or whatever I can fit into my schedule) on the scenic shores of Lake Chautauqua, can help connect, re-​energize and revitalize an individual with that sense of purpose, and meaning that they can then take and share with others, and «pay forward» after even a short stay and upon leaving the gates of the Institution.
There really is something for everyone at Chautauqua Institution, but you really have to leave that sense of entitlement behind, and realize that this place runs primarily on volunteers, a handful of full-​time staff, and people who simply share a passion and love for the kind of things that bring people from many different cultures and faith’s, including atheists, together. The arts, music, discourse, recreation, dance,… all these things elevate the human condition, and allow us to transcend our differences to the betterment of mankind. It’s a place that’s hard to describe, and you can only understand once you’ve visited, and participated, but it is hard to visit this place and not walk away feeling inspired, and motivated to aspire to add more meaning, and purpose to whatever it is you do for an occupation, or in other aspects of our everyday lives, while feeling restored, and rejuvenated with a little rest and relaxation added in between.
Chautauqua is a place for children, and adults alike, but mostly for children at heart, those who come with an open mind, and sense of inquiry, and want to be engaged, and involved in any sort of mental or physical «play» whatever that is, who have a love for life, and living, and are not content with just sitting on the sidelines, watching what is going on. Our kids get on their bikes and explore, meet new friends from all over the country (that they keep for life), play in the creek, have a pickup game in the plaza with kids they’ve never met before, go to «Club» (the day camp), or the «Children’s School», where our daughter flourished one summer, and we had to move her to a more challenging school upon returning home that year in the fall.
We walk (cars are limited) to programs at the beautiful Hall of Philosophy, or Amphitheater, sit and talk on porches, meet and interact with people of different faiths, politics, and culture from across the country, and around the world. Probably the only place in the world you can be fishing one minute, and within a short walk be sitting watching ballet recital on an open air stage, or listening to a best selling author discuss her new book on the porch of the oldest book club in America. My six year old son and I stopped after fishing one day to watch a ballet recital, and I said to him «isn’t this great», thinking of the cultural experience, and of course his reply was «yea, I can see their butts», and so I realized art has it’s own particular meaning for us all, but it was the shared experience that was important to us.
It’s a place to try new things, like attend a performance from a popular artist on Friday evening you’ve never heard of or seen before, or would normally go to; take a class on photography, see a play or an opera, go for a bike ride, learn to sail, catch and cook up some lake perch, or bass, chase a miniature white ball around the links, and nearly an unlimited host of other options available. It does take a healthy dose of self-​reliance to navigate through the ticketing process, finding accommodations, and figuring out how you want to spend your time there, but this is also what makes the experience that much more rewarding and unique to each individual who goes there. Like any destination, do your research, try to find and talk to people who currently and frequently visited, and the experience will be that much more positive for the effort you put into it. I’m a «Seasoner», but still find new things to explore, and do after 20 years of annual summer visits to the Institution.

Wow. I miss this quaint little place so much. My family has a house on the Lake and although I thought that it was so boring and stupid growing up, I wish I could teleport there for a little getaway whenever LA gets too stressful. The Institution is so quaint and cute. I love it there! Yes it is a «theme park for senior citizens» but the houses are gorgeous and the vibe is so relaxing. I’m 24 and still I liked it when I was 14.

Theme park for senior citizens–
I got dragged to this place by a friend of mine who swore up and down that it was greater than the Taj Mahal, Niagara Falls, and Chuck E. Cheese all rolled into one.
After parking, waiting for the shuttle (no, you can’t just drive in), rolling in with a bus full of geriatrics, we arrived and did a little walk around.
I don’t know… I understand they have extra special culturally relevant speakers up in there, but all I saw was churches and old people.
If you’re old and get excited by the musty odor of church, mobility scooters, and folksy architecture, this place is for you. They must eat the children there, because I didn’t see any, so leave your grandkids at home (they’ll be bored senseless anyway.)

It is an experience that is almost indescribable. You must come to expand your mind and to tantalize all your senses, the grounds are kind of like an adult fairy tale, you can come for a day a week or a summer and always find something new and exciting. Great for kids!

Words can’t describe or can’t begin to explain how much I love it here. This place is pure paradise a getaway from the work week but still includes learning and fun. So what the Chautauqua institution is it’s a place near the Chautauqua lake that has just about everything you could ask for. Classes to learn how to make a mosaic. Sitting in on a lecture at the amphitheater or just taking a dip in the lake. This place has it all. You can rent bikes to go for fun bike rides around the property. There is a huge park in the middle for tossing a ball around our hanging out on the lawn. They have cool shops cafés. And there isn’t a moment that goes by where you are sitting inside bored out of your mind. We keep coming here because my aunt has a really cool apartment and she let’s us use it when she is away. And it is just the perfect vacation even if you stay for just a week I promise your drive home will be memorable

The Chautauqua Institution is a not-​for-​profit, 750-​acre educational center beside Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State. It was founded in 1874 as an educational experiment in out-​of-​school, vacation learning.
Their mission is, «The exploration of the best in human values and the enrichment of life through a program that explores the important religious, social and political issues of our times; stimulates provocative, thoughtful involvement of individuals and families in creative response to such issues; and promotes excellence and creativity in the appreciation, performance and teaching of the arts.»
This private community really is the very definition of charming. Pedestrian-​only streets, lovely (and perfectly maintained) Victorian cottages, a sweet little village center, and beautiful historic gardens all nestle along the shore of the lake.
Interspersed with private residences are performance, practice, classroom, and lecture venues where residents and guests can partake of the daily seminars and workshops, watch a performance by the opera company or symphony, or enjoy a performance by one of the many national touring performers who stop through this venue. (On this visit, we watched a conversation about the creative process between Paul Simon and US Poet Laureate Billy Collins; earlier in the season, filmmaker Ken Burns was in residence.)
If you’re at all interested in history, this is a fascinating place to visit, as it was the start of a huge self-​education movement (for adults) in the US at the turn of the 19^th century. Thomas Edison was also a regular visitor (his second wife’s father was a co-​founder of the Institution). Franklin D. Roosevelt’s historic «I hate war» speech was delivered from the podium in the Chautauqua Amphitheater in1936. The Chautauqua Institution Historic District is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Old and outdated. The amphitheater and opera house both are lacking in any sort of modern amenity. The opera house in particular is really bad with 100 year old seats and paint. If you are over 5’8″, your knees will be against the seat in front of you.
The restaurants are much too small for the demand. The hotel restaurant is overpriced with microwaved food and an untrained wait staff.
It sure is pretty though. I suggest visiting Chautauqua Lake but avoiding the institution.

The Amphitheater at Chautauqua Institute is the tops; the finest, most historic of its rare kind in the world kind. Just being seated in it, though plank board creaky uncomfortable, is like taking a seat inside a book of cultural history. No matter what you may think of it, you can’t help but respect it, the timelessness of it, its age and the thousands of cultural performances that have taken place upon its stage over the years.
To me it’s a thrill just being outdoors in fresh air, being cuddled and surrounded by the Institute itself with a view of the Amphitheater’s Massey organ If Chautauqua Institute had a heart, the Amphitheater would be the heart of it.
As I forgot my camera and since I’m not much of a photographer anyway, I’ve taken the liberty of posting pictures of the Amphitheater from the Internet.

It is an amazing place, opera, several daily lectures and talks. On the downside, it is a gated community that costs an absurd amount of money just for access to the grounds and the whole place has a very Stepford Wives vibe as you walk around. If you’ve never been here, check out lecture and music calendars and make a trip during the summer and be sure to allow time to walk the grounds. It’s one of the WNY/​southern tier’s best kept secrets (evidently by design), but well worth the trip. l

Crowded!
Used to be a nice place — but something has changed.
Also, it’s no longer a Christian place.
People are pushy and rude
Very, very sad.

No place on earth like this place! Arts, Education, Recreation and Religion with so much history that it is impossible to overstate the effect this place has had on the world for the past 137 years. Their last birthday celebration had someone that had been coming there yearly for 94 years! The place does have a Norman Rockwell-​like feel to it– but in a good way. Expensive to stay here for the season– we estimated it would take $ 13,000 for rent and gate fees for a small family of 3 to stay there May-​Sept.

I like Chautauqua Institution when it is not in season. I like it enough that my wife and I got married there. It’s got beautiful grounds and really interesting historic buildings. The history of the location itself is rich. I just really dislike it when it is in season. Ridiculous to get in, super crowded and just a lot pretentious. If you don’t have an address in the Institute, you’re just part of the hoi polloi. There’s plenty to do around the lake without making this your final destination.

Lived here and grew up every year at Chautauqua and it was an incredible place to visit. Waterskiing in the morning, lunch on the dock, head bag to the house by bike, stop by the Amphitheater and watch the ballet dances practing head to an art class, chill on hall of philosophy and listen to one of the worlds greatest minds, enjoy some ice cream in the party, head back back to the Amphitheater for a full production show and then out for drinks with friends. it doesn’t get any better than this place for life.

I worked and lived here for a summer while in college. I spent 3 months roaming about the place and I never really understood what was going on here or the purpose.
It took time and a little perspective to «get» what they do here.
Its all cultural events lectures, ballet, opera, theater, concert, symphony ect. It really is a VERY unique environment. It took a few years but now I now appreciate the experience much more.

Quite possibly my favorite place on the planet. I’ll spare everyone the complete and unabridged history of the place but it is a beautiful place that is a center for learning, culture, and religion. A typical day could include grabbing coffee from the kiosk in bestor plaza, then going for a walk of the grounds and shopping at the farmers market at the gate. Maybe do little reading on one of the many porches then grab some lunch before going to see one of the numerous speakers. In the evening opportunities abound such as seeing a pops concert or the opera (my last one there was Tosca). In short this is a can’t miss experience is you have the opportunity and the means (it’s not cheap)

I just attended my brothers wedding this past weekend at the Chautaqua Institution. The area is absolutely gorgeous.
The setting was perfect for a wedding (the lake, peaceful environment, etc). Guests stayed at the Athenaeum Hotel, which is a really cool old hotel on the premises (one of the first hotels built with electricity, since Thomas Edison lived in a house in the Institution at one point.
If you get the chance to explore the area, I highly recommend it. Keep in mind though if you are going here for an event after ‘in season’ then the stores/​shops/​venues on the Institution grounds will be closed.

Rich people on vacation. Mainly a bunch of bike riding Grandma’s and Grandpa’s. AMAZING architecture. Yuppies…
Oh and most importantly if you ever come here you will quite easily spot me out of the crowd. Apparently I didn’t get the no jeans memo. Only khaki pants, khaki shorts, khaki skirts and khaki dresses are allowed…
This place is the HOTNESS.
I hope to come back one day before I die.
Maybe I can come when I’m a grandma and hop on a bike!