Otsiningo Park

Sandwiched between the Chenango River and I-81 this three mile linear park features ball fields, picnic tables and grills, a playground, restrooms, and a great paved walking/biking trail. Although the trail follows the river there are only a few places where it's possible to catch a glimpse of it due to the thick vegetation. Huge trees line the paths in the wooded section. Unfortunately the noise from the interstate is a constant presence.

The trail is in good condition and mostly level with a few steep sections where wheelchair users may need assistance.

RVs will fit in the main parking lot if parked through or across the spaces. Park  42.12726, -75.9036

The Shoppes at Johnny Appleseed

Another unique Harvest Hosts site! This former apple orchard and furniture store now houses 55 local artists and vendors selling antiques, specialty foods, beautifully crafted pottery, handmade jewelry, stained glass, home decor, handmade soaps, and all kinds of other things. A café serving soups, sandwiches, and desserts is opened on the weekends. 

 

The Harvest Hosts site is on the gravel at the west end of the lot. Guest may use the seating area at the pond. We arrived too late to eat at the café but Erica offered us a quart of Italian wedding soup to go - very good! We also browsed through all of the shops and bought a handmade mug.

The grassy ground at the parking spot is hard packed but the route over the grass to the pond is uneven and sloped. The gravel in the lot is loose and hard to push through. The building is accessible except for one long and very steep ramp that leads to a few of the shops. Shoppes  42.8967, -75.77033

All Things Oz Museum and Chittenago Creek Walk

The museum name says it all. The displays are full of memorabilia from every Oz movie, play, and book. Just one small area is dedicated to the original movie and author Frank Baum, who wrote14 Oz books, which may be a disappointment to some Oz fans. The museum location, Chittenago, New York, is Baum's hometown and also where the Oz-Stravaganza Festival is held. It's in it's 45th year and looks like great fun.

The museum is accessible except for one area that has a step up.

A large parking lot where any RV will fit is located a block south. The sidewalk is in good condition.The creek walk starts at the west end of the parking lot and is a short but nice 1/3 mile stroll through the forest. It's hard packed and accessible. Museum  43.04492, -75.86675

Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute

The institute is named after three generations of the Munson family. Alfred  and Elizabeth Munson's daughter Helen married James Watson Williams, and their daughters married brothers Frederick and Thomas Proctor hence - Munson-Williams-Proctor. Alfred  and Elizabeth Munson accumulated a large fortune from interests in manufacturing, coalmines, canal development, and railroad and steamboat transportation which they willed to their children. Helen Munson Williams wisely invested her inheritance and was able to pursue her passion for art. Her art collection was passed to her daughters who, along with their husbands, enjoyed collecting too. The two couples didn't have children to inherit the large collection of paintings, prints and decorative furnishings so they drew up plans for an artistic, musical, and social center to open to the public after all family members had died.

Rachel and Frederick Proctor's home, Fountain Elms, was the original exhibit area but as the institute grew additional space was needed. The Johnson building, which houses the main galleries, was opened in 1960 and an education wing, built in 1995, connects the two buildings. We entered through the Johnson building and almost missed the long hallway to Fountain Elms. This is a relatively small museum with four or five galleries in the Johnson building. Fountain Elms has been renovated as a Victorian house museum. The rooms are overly decorated with clashing designs and colors. Fountain Elms also has displays of the family's collections and historic information on all of the family members.

The museum is accessible. Each building has three floor with elevators to access them. The elevator control panels are located high on the walls so some wheelchair users will have difficulty reaching the buttons.

The parking lot is large enough for RVs if parked across the spaces, The lot has a good slope so if you have a short vehicle park in the accessible parking which is level and close to the entrance. Museum  43.09793, -75.2405

Farmers’ Museum

The museum property has been a working farm since 1813. It was originally owned by James Fenimore Cooper, author of the popular Leatherstocking Tales, then by Judge Samuel Nelson who bought it in 1829. By the 1870s it had been bought by Edward Severin Clark, an heir to the Singer Manufacturing Company fortune, who had a mansion and a showcase farm with a barn, creamery, and herdsman’s cottage constructed of local stone. Today the farm is run by a private organization as a nonprofit educational museum.

There are over two dozen historic buildings located on the grounds. Most have been relocated from other areas of New York and grouped to form a village representing rural life in the 19th century. The Clark barn has exhibits about farming and a display of the Cardiff Giant, an amusing hoax of the 1860s. Costumed interpreters are present in many of the buildings to demonstrate crafts and chores from the time period. Farm animals include pigs, goats, horses, cows, and turkeys.

A map of the farm and village layout is provided at the admissions desk. The buildings marked with a wheelchair have ramps but most are not truly accessible. Problems include rough gravel paths, high thresholds, and ramps that don't meet flush with the ground. Most wheelchair users will need assistance. The second floor of the barn which has exhibits of farm equipment is not accessible.

RVs will fit in the parking lot if parked through two spaces. RVs may also be parked at the Yellow Trolley Lot which is less than 1/4 mile to the north. Paths lead from the lot to the museum. Museum  42.71483, -74.92855