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When I was 21, I discovered Chautauqua Institution during a summer stay in a family cottage belonging to my sister’s boyfriend’s mother. My sister and I lived as residents in the charming summer home in upstate New York, part of the tradition where properties pass through families.
We were in that beautiful in-between period of life—having left our family home but before marriages and children, when the world felt full of possibility and uncertainty. While the prestigious lectures and performances of the Chautauqua Institution were happening nearby, my sister and I spent those summer days in our own carefree way. We weren’t drawn to the cultural programs then—we were too busy being young, taking boat rides under the bright sun with music blaring across the water, surrounded by other twenty-somethings who, like us, were finding their way. Those evenings under the stars, sharing stories and dreams with friends by the lake, held all the meaning and magic we needed at the time.
My Return After Three Decades
Life unfolded in the three decades since that first visit—a marriage, children, a divorce, the steady march of years. Through it all, Chautauqua remained a vivid memory of that time before adult responsibilities, when everything felt like an opportunity, and the future stretched endlessly before me.
A golf cart picked me up this September, and returning for a visit at 52 with a group of people who had never visited before, I felt almost possessive of the place. They couldn’t possibly understand what it had been like back then—the energy of youth on summer evenings, boats dotting the lake filled with young people living life large. A bittersweet nostalgia washed over me as the place seemed to whisper, “I knew you before.” While we had both changed over the years, my fierce loyalty to this special place that had captured my heart remained constant.
The Chautauqua Story
Founded in 1874 by inventor Lewis Miller and Methodist Bishop John Heyl Vincent, Chautauqua began as a modest training program for Sunday school teachers before evolving into something unprecedented—a place where education, culture, and spiritual growth could flourish together. Today, each nine-week summer season transforms the grounds, with the Special Studies program offering over 400 courses. At the same time, the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Opera Company, and theater performances fill the evenings with arts and culture.
The institution inspired the broader Chautauqua Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a nationwide initiative that brought lectures, performances, and cultural programs to millions of Americans who previously had limited access to such enrichment.
The platform has drawn history’s most influential voices. Four sitting U.S. Presidents have spoken here, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose 1936 “I Hate War” speech drew 12,000 to the amphitheater. Supreme Court Justices like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, civil rights leaders like Booker T. Washington, and suffragists like Susan B. Anthony chose Chautauqua as a forum for advancing national dialogue. Even Thomas Edison’s wife, Mina Miller Edison, maintained a family cottage here, now a National Historic Landmark—a testament to the institution’s deep roots in American intellectual life.
Chautauqua in the Off-Season
During that first golf cart ride of my return trip, my host shared stories about the cultural life that fills Chautauqua’s nine-week summer season. As we wound past Victorian cottages being cleared for winter—still as beautiful as I remembered—he described how the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1929, fills summer evenings with music. The Opera Company stages both classic and contemporary works in the renovated 4,400-seat amphitheater, while performers from John Philip Sousa and Duke Ellington to Harry Connick Jr. and Leann Rimes have graced its stage.
The Athenaeum Hotel – A Victorian-era Marvel
The Athenaeum Hotel, which I barely noticed in my younger days, now served as my base. Perched high above the grounds, this Victorian-era marvel built in 1881 is reputedly the largest wooden building in the eastern United States. With 156 uniquely decorated rooms, it manages to blend historic charm with modern comfort. My room featured floral wallpaper, an old-fashioned tub, and a small window offering a glimpse of sky. The elevator creaked its way between floors. While some rooms await a planned renovation, the hotel’s elevated position offers spectacular views that compensate for anything outdated.
The dining room serves seasonal menus that showcase the bounty of western New York. Dining on the balcony transforms every meal into something special—breakfast included with my stay and served continental style, brings breathtaking sunrises and paints the lake in soft shades of pink. At the same time, early risers walk their dogs below. That evening, I started with a roasted beet and butternut squash salad with baby kale and pumpkin seeds, followed by lobster ravioli in champagne cream sauce. Dinner offers a front-row view as the sun melts into the horizon, turning the water into liquid amber.
During my youthful visits, I didn’t know that the Athenaeum carries its own mystique. Like many historic hotels, it has accumulated its share of ghost stories over its 140-year history. Staff and guests have reported unexplained noises, fleeting apparitions, and an overall sense of presence in certain areas, particularly in its older sections. These whispers of the past only add to the hotel’s Victorian charm.
Chautauqua on the Ground
The institution’s terrain surprised me with its hills at first, but as I walked them, memories of navigating these slopes in my youth gradually returned. I quickly learned why comfortable shoes are essential here. Brick paths wound up and down slopes, past gingerbread-trimmed houses and manicured gardens.
The Miller Bell Tower’s Westminster Chimes played throughout the day, marking time in fifteen-minute intervals and signaling upcoming events with special peals that echoed across the grounds.
Down by the lake, I discovered a small white sand beach where residents let their dogs play off-leash, their joyful barks mixing with the sound of gentle waves. The 17-mile-long glacial lake provides year-round recreation, from summer sailing to winter ice fishing when conditions allow. The lake’s presence moderates the local climate, contributing to Chautauqua’s pleasant environment throughout the seasons.
A Painter, Literature, and a Simple Gesture
In Bestor Plaza, the institution’s central gathering place built in the 1940s, I met a woman doing plein air painting. As we talked beside the plaza’s fountain, she shared her deep knowledge of Chautauqua’s literary heritage.
She told me about the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, founded in 1878 and recognized as America’s oldest continuous book club. She described the Writers’ Center’s workshops and Poetry Makerspace where creativity flourishes year-round, explaining how the institution recently established the Chautauqua Prize to further support contemporary literature.
As I walked the hilly streets with my new friend, we passed a particularly beautiful Victorian home where a woman was preparing to close for the season. When I commented on her home’s beauty, she invited us inside. She was a flight attendant whose family had owned the house for generations.
As we talked, she offered me Werther’s Original candy—a simple gesture that transported me back decades to the last time I’d tasted one. Something about that moment felt quintessentially Chautauqua—the familiar crinkle of the wrapper in this family home, the sharing of something sweet between strangers who were now connected through this place.
Like so many houses here, hers held memories, and that small butterscotch candy seemed to embody the institution’s spirit of passing down traditions, of sharing stories across time. As the caramel melted slowly on my tongue, I felt another thread weaving me into Chautauqua’s tapestry of connections, old and new.
A Resilient Community
While the 2022 attack on Salman Rushdie at Chautauqua led to enhanced security measures, including photo ID requirements, the institution maintains its dedication to open discourse and cultural exchange.
When I watched the news that day, my heart ached for the community I’d known in my youth—for the people, for the sacred space of ideas that Chautauqua represents. Yet I wasn’t surprised when I learned that the community, resilient as ever, returned to the amphitheater just days after the attack, refusing to let fear diminish their commitment to open dialogue.
Similarly, when COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the 2020 in-person season, Chautauqua adapted by developing robust online programming, now maintaining both digital and in-person offerings. Through each challenge, the institution has demonstrated what I’ve always known about this special place—its strength lies not just in its buildings or programs but in the unshakeable spirit of its community.
Chautauqua Celebrates 150th Anniversary
Though I couldn’t attend this year’s 150th anniversary celebration with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the event captured everything special about Chautauqua.
The celebration yielded over 1,000 recorded stories through the StoryCorps program, a new historical exhibit, and a $50 million endowment gift, ensuring future generations will continue discovering its magic. The season saw record attendance with 20 percent more first-time visitors and earned recognition through the National Medal of Arts.
As I prepared to leave, I was already planning my return—next time during the summer season to experience the full array of classes and programs, followed perhaps by a quieter week afterward to savor that special Chautauqua peace I’d just discovered. Standing on the hotel’s deck one final time, watching the sun paint the sky in brilliant colors, I understood that while we had both changed over three decades, Chautauqua and I shared something timeless—a connection forged in youth that had weathered the years between.
The ghosts of my younger self still walk these brick paths, and perhaps they mingle with the spectral residents of the Athenaeum Hotel, all of us part of Chautauqua’s endless story.
If You Go
The institution is easily accessible from several airports: Erie International (40 miles), Buffalo Niagara International (70 miles), and Pittsburgh International (150 miles). During the nine-week summer season, gate fees range from $15-45 daily, while the off-season (September through May) offers free access to this National Historic Landmark. The Chautauqua Bookstore stays open year-round, offering program-related books and local crafts.
Rooms at the Athenaeum Hotel range from $200-$350 per night during the season. The additional gate fee gets you into the summer programming except for a few things, such as the cinema, which would be an additional charge. There are many other housing options on the property, which can be found here.
The surrounding region offers rich experiences for visitors.
- The National Comedy Center in Jamestown celebrates American humor with interactive exhibits and archives.
- The nearby Lucy Desi Museum honors Jamestown’s most famous daughter.
- Lake Erie Wine Country stretches through western New York into Pennsylvania, offering tastings and tours of local vineyards.
- Peek’n Peak Resort provides year-round recreation, from winter skiing to summer adventures.
- Presque Isle State Park in Erie offers beaches and hiking trails along Lake Erie.
- Nature enthusiasts might appreciate the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, which is dedicated to nature education and conservation.
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Dr. Tamara MC is a food and travel writer specializing in BIPOC, solo women, and vegetarian/non-alcoholic travel. With a Ph.D. and knowledge of 7+ languages, she’s explored 77 countries. Her expertise spans spas, resorts, cruises, and off-beat destinations. A pop culture enthusiast, she seeks out quirky and iconic sites, blending her diverse interests into unique travel experiences.