Mid-atlantic Travel Tips, By Kitty Cayo

New York State
It took a mere nine months to build the impressive New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua. The .6 million, 19,000-square-foot center on South Main Street, flanked by gardens and overlooking Canandaigua Lake, offers culinary classes, wine tasting and educational tours. There is a concierge desk; a Taste of NY Lounge for light meals and wine-and-food pairings; and an exhibit hall showcasing New York agriculture.
There is a fee to register and attend any of the several demonstrations presented by guest chefs and for the hands-on cooking classes; however, admission is free.
Speaking of wine, the trail is growing ever stronger and longer in Western New Yorks grape growing region along Lake Erie. Word is three new wineries are joining the Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail. Specializing in sparkling and ice wines, the Sparkling Pond Winery in Ripley is now open for tasting and tours. Sparkling Pond joins 13 other wineries in time for the trails annual Holiday Weekends event, taking place during two consecutive weekends in November.
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor opens in November in New Yorks Hudson Valley, about 10 miles from West Point. It occupies the site where George Washingtons army camped toward the end of the Revolutionary War, where in 1782 Washington created the award, decreeing it be designed as the figure of a heart in purple cloth. The Hall of Honor pays tribute to those killed or injured defending the nation. Visitors can search out facts and stories about Purple Heart recipients. Officials estimate 1.7 million soldiers are eligible for inclusion in the memorial.
The Farmers Museum near Cooperstown celebrated its new acquisition earlier this season-the Empire State Carousel. The whimsical contemporary folk art was created by more than 1,000 volunteer artisans from across the state, featuring original carvings, paintings and quilts, each specially designed for the ride. The carousel depicts a colorful cultural history of the state. It includes 25 hand-carved riding animals indigenous to New York and 23 portrait panels of famous New Yorkers, including Susan B. Anthony, Jackie Robinson, Grandma Moses and Theodore Roosevelt.
The Farmers Museum offers visitors a first-hand look at rural and village life in New York circa 1845 through authentic demonstrations and interpretive exhibits.
Madame Tussauds, the famous wax attraction, in the heart of Times Square in NYC, announces new additions to its strange and fascinating exhibits. Over the years the museum has found novel ways for visitors to interact with the life-like figures carved from wax. The latest? Visitors can now check out Lindsay Lohans latest bling, practice movie lines with Will Smith, decide whether or not to vote for Hillary Clinton for President

Mid-atlantic Travel Tips, By Kitty Cayo