Things To Do In Batavia

The picturesque grounds at Cherry Hill Campground invite campers to pitch tents, unfurl sleeping bags, and enjoy the relaxed pleasures of camping with family and friends. Dig stakes into spacious sleep sites, where lush trees shield tents from traffic, sun, and skinny-dipping deer. Simple amenities, including picnic tables, hot showers, and restrooms keep campers comfortable without spoiling the ground's rustic charm. A private fire pit melts s'mores and flickers light onto faces, setting the proper mood for scary stories and revealing that you replaced both of your hands with hooks. Friendly staffers stock the camp store with essentials such as firewood and vittles, and eagerly guide campers to nearby attractions, recommending one of the local golf courses or pointing out the dramatic skyline of the Darien Lake Theme Park.

The Livingston Country Club's golf course hosts an octogenarian expanse of 6,462 sloping green yards, sculpted into a winding par-72 test of skill. Golfers can take along a club-swinging companion and play eighteen holes while driving a golf cart across wide fairways renowned for their views of the Genesee Valley and centaurs arrayed in this season’s most fashionable tartans.

Men in heavy aprons hammer iron inside smoky wooden stores, and women in bonnets mingle in front of inns and churches. An octagonal house's shingled roof and windowed cupola soak up the sun as they've done since the 1870s. Genesee Country Village & Museum and its historical interpreters immerse visitors in the daily life of a 19th-century village. Interpreters may discuss the lives of their characters or participate in up to a dozen live demonstrations of old-fashioned trades such as pottery throwing and blacksmithing. They travel among more than 68 historical buildings such as farmsteads, a brewery, a printing office, and a one-room schoolhouse. In the kitchens of many of these buildings, staffers cook historical meals suited to each building's time and its owner's socioeconomic status; visitors can sample the food during tastings and hands-on classes.

The village’s newly renovated Wehle Gallery encompasses four centuries of wildlife and sporting art by American artists. An old carriage and oil paintings share space with early sculpture castings and pieces from the Taos art colony. Other rooms contain interpretive exhibits on 19th-century life, such as a Lincoln Log room filled with craft activities. Inside other buildings, adults and children can take part in indoor classes in textiles, cooking, and foreign languages; outside, a network of nature trails leads visitors through natural fields, woodlands, and wetlands.

In 1930, golf enthusiast and LeRoy resident Donald Woodward, the youngest son of Jell-O magnate Orator Woodward, was determined to bring his dream of a hometown golf course to fruition. He lamented the fact that his fellow townsmen had to settle for miniature golf because regular golf was unaffordable. After turning his personal airport into a driving range, Donald continued spreading his golf seedlings by building LeRoy Country Club, a nine-hole track sprawled across 30 acres.

The first fairways opened in 1931, and after five years of success and the tireless efforts of a 25-man crew, the grounds expanded to the 18-hole course golfers experience today. Golfers must contend with the landscape's rolling terrain and frequent water hazards, then can head straight to the course grill after rounds instead of waiting in the ghost-filled breadlines lingering from a bygone era.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Total length of 6,579 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 71.2 from the back tees
• Course slope of 122 from the back tees
• Three sets of tees per hole

Hickory Ridge Golf & Country Club incorporates the natural lay of tree lines and waterways to form an 18-hole, par 72 course that presents shot-making challenges and scenic views. The signature fourth hole showcases the challenges and charms of the course, as the 431-yard par 4 requires a long tee shot to clear a ravine and before the dogleg left curves around walls of trees on the way to the green. Water comes into play on 13 holes, striking fear in the hearts of players who don’t trust their swings or haven't yet converted their golf bag into a personal flotation device. A driving range that stretches 300 yards into the distance helps golfers prepare for upcoming rounds and serves as the venue for golf lessons and clinics conducted by Hickory Ridge’s resident aces. The club also quiets rumbling stomachs with burgers, sandwiches, and french fries from the snack bar and Friday night dinner specials. Before or after rounds, golfers can load up their bags with balls and tees or replace shirts eaten by a rogue ball-washer at Hickory Ridge’s pro shop.

The expert rafting guides at Adventure Calls Outfitters, Inc. lead trips down three waterways: the Genesee River, Cattaraugus Creek, and the Salmon River. As they glide through calm waters and swirl through rapids, rafters drink in the rugged scenery, occasionally glimpsing fish and harmless snakes. Under the watchful care of an ACA-certified rafting guide, visitors safely ride the wild current of the river, learning about the unsullied countryside of western New York. The scenic trips are available most of the year, although in the cooler months, wetsuits are recommended.