Things to do, places to eat, shows to see, places to stay in Madison County, NY      

The Central New York Region offers a taste of everything you’d find on a trip to New York State. Literally. The seven-county area is host to a variety of restaurants and pubs touting local dishes made with farm-fresh ingredients and paired with beer and wine straight from the area’s vineyards and hop yards. In fact, in the 1880s, New York State produced 80 percent of the nation’s hops, and most of those hops came from Madison, Oneida and Otsego counties. Visitors to the region are invited to celebrate the historic culture of New York State’s hop industry by touring a beverage trail or two.

Here are some of the highlights of the area’s beverage trails and cuisine hot spots:

New York State’s very first official cuisine trail, the Cooperstown Beverage Trail, is located in Otsego and encompasses four establishments: Fly Creek Cider Mill, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown Brewing Company and Bear Pond Winery . The trail offers tastings plus a close-up look at how the beverages are made on a tour. The Madison County Hop Heritage Trail is marked by hop kilns and other related hop sites still in existence documenting the agricultural impact of commercial hop production in the history of Madison County and New York State. Madison County was known as "one great hop yard" for a century. Sites on the trail include the Foothill Farms, Ye Olde Landmark Tavern, Coolidge Hop Farm, Chenango Canal Cottage Museum and many more. Sweet apple cider is pressed on an antique Boomer & Boschert press built circa 1890 at Harvest Moon Cidery at Critz Farms , and Owera Vineyards is comprised of four acres of Minnesota cold, hearty varietals Frontenac Gris and Marquette set amidst the rolling hillside near the village of Cazenovia.

The Saranac Brewery, founded in 1888 and located in the heart of Utica, in Oneida County, offers a hands-on tour. The aroma of fresh hops and malts leads visitors to the 1888 tavern to sample brews. The Saranac Brewery also concocts several tasty soft drinks like Root Beer, Ginger Beer and Orange Cream. The Number 5 Restaurant in Greater Binghamton presents a broad range of wines from around the world, with particular emphasis on California Chardonnays and hearty reds. Recipient of various esteemed awards from "Wine Spectator," "Wine Enthusiast" and "Restaurant Wine" magazines, the Number 5 Restaurant offers the largest selection of the highest rated wines available in upstate New York. Another superb establishment, Moxie Wood Fired Grill, welcomes guests with a warm, upscale ambience and trendier types of food – something you'd find in New York City.

Chenango County’s Black Bear Winery produces some of the finest fruit wines and hard ciders made from New York grown fruit picked at the peak of ripeness and pressed into luscious flavors. The American Hotel in Schoharie County features an award-winning, inventive, "American-French" cuisine all its own. The menu focuses on creative dishes that bring the enticing flavors of France, Italy, America and Asia to the table while also changing with the seasons as they feature local produce. The hotel’s extensive wine list includes over 2,500 selections and has been awarded the esteemed "Grand Award" from The Wine Spectator since 1981. The restaurant has received the DiRoNA Award since 1992 for the highest standards for food, wine and spirits, service, atmosphere and value.

Eateries featuring seasonal dishes based on farm-fresh ingredients right from the backyard. Wineries touting a variety of wines made from handpicked, ripe grapes grown in the area’s vineyards. Breweries offering the best of locally grown hops. And to top it all off, trails to walk visitors through this extraordinary, taste bud-pleasing experience. The Central New York Region offers all of this and more. It’s easy to see the historic culture of New York State’s hop industry is alive and well in the Central New York Region.

For more hop heritage trails or to plan a visit to the area, check out: www.JustGoCNY.com.

A Yesterday was the hottest July 21st EVER!  It hit 101 at the Syracuse Airport, only the 9th time in 100 years that the mercury broke 100 in Central New York.  I hope everyone found the shade of a nice big maple and kept cool yesterday.
There are a lot of things happening this weekend including the much awaited Open Farm Day.  It is your chance to see over 40 farms and 3 farmers markets to learn about where your food is coming from.  Without further ado, here are some links of interest this morning.

Madison County Hosts Open Farm Day (Syracuse.com) More details and a link to the passport are in this story.

Vernon Downs Opens $8.9 Million Expansion (Oneida Daily Dispatch) They may be located in Oneida County, but you can throw horse hair from the track into Madison County!  Congratulations to this state tax paying casino and hotel that employs hundreds of Central New Yorkers.

Cuomo: Chobani yogurt maker to expand, create 450 new jobs (Syracuse.com) Another cross-county link, but using the rising tide theory this is huge news for an area that has struggled to attract manufacturing jobs for ages. 

Tips to Avoid Heat Related Illness (Madison County Courier) If you are indulging your sense of adventure in Madison County this weekend, make sure you stay well hydrated.

The heat that has gripped the country is moving into the Northeast and it looks like we could approach 100 degrees tomorrow.  Sounds like the perfect time to find some shade of a nice park.  Beaches at Chapman Park and the park downtown in Cazenovia will be open for your water pleasure.  Now on to some news and notes from around the internet today.

The Mysterious Caves and Underground Waterfalls of CNY (Central NY Region) Chittenango Falls is featured in the latest travel story to come out of the Central New York region.

Oneida Indian Nation's film 'First Allies' to be filmed, produced locally (Oneida Daily Dispatch) A little Hollywood will come to Madison County as the Oneida Nation will fund a $10 million film about their role in the Revolutionary War. 

"First Allies" Casting Call July 25th (Oneida Daily Dispatch) You can audition for a role in the upcoming film!

Historic Properties Showcased: Exhibit Places Special Focus on New Woodstock (Madison County Courier) The area is full of wonderful historic buildings and this exhibit highlights many of them.

Greyrock Farm CSA Blog If you have ever wondered what goes into running a CSA, here is a great blog from Greyrock Farm near Chittenango.  It is a very interesting read.

I'll be honest,we've slacked over the past week updating you with links about what is happening in the county.  A little vacation here, a little pile on the desk there and it is suddenly Friday.  So without further ado, here are some relevant links from around the interwebs this morning.Canal Fest Eventful Day in Chittenango (Oneida Daily Dispatch)  This event often gets lost as it is only two weeks after the annual Oz celebration, but this National Park recognized gem puts on a great event.

Cyclists Pedal Through Madison, Oneida Counties on Cycling the Erie Canal Tour (Oneida Daily Dispatch) Every year a group of bicyclists take a cross state tour along the Erie Canal. They passed through here yesterday. 

Madison County to Host CNY Firemen's Convention (Madison County Courier) This is a great opportunity for the Hamilton Area to show itself off.  There will be a lot of firemen in town this weekend and it should be a nice economic boost to the area.

Brookfield Speedway Drivers Take to the Track in Reunion (Madison County Courier) Another new event to the county fair was very well received.

Lorenzo Driving Competition in 35th Year (Madison County Courier) A fantastic event that allows us to stake our claim as Equine Alley.

Summer Cycling starts in Cazenovia (Cazenovia Republican) Share the roads with our bikers, the motorized ones and the leg powered ones too.

Formerly known as the “Central Leatherstocking Region,” in 2010 the New York State Department of Economic Development renamed the eight county area located just south of the Adirondacks, in the central section of the state and anchored by the Erie Canal the “Central New York Region.” The Central New York Region is home to everything unique that characterizes New York State. From big city entertainment to small town charm – and everything in between – CNY encapsulates all that makes New York, well, New York. It all lives and thrives here: Live theatre and entertainment, fascinating museums and halls of fame, historical landmarks, farmers' markets bursting with fresh produce, year round festivals, country style B&Bs, some of the best antiquing and golfing greens in the northeast, and trail after trail of boundless nature. With that said, the “Leatherstocking” name, a name that stuck with the area from James Fenimore Cooper’s "Leatherstocking Tales," a series of novels depicting adventures of characters from early settlement times where frontiersmen donned leather leggings, was simply not going to cut it. With the region representing a sort of vibrant microcosm of New York State as a whole with its wide mix of experiences and attractions offered in one convenient, central location, the “Central New York Region” just made sense.

In taking off the leatherstockings, the Central New York Region will be unveiling a whole new rebranded look, featuring a refreshed logo, a new tagline, “Just Go,” and the icing on the cake? A website overhaul, incorporating a dynamic map of the region with interactive capabilities and a closer look at what makes each county within the area so unique and attractive. To coincide with and complement all of this newness, the region will also be revamping its online communications as well as developing a follow-up edition of Central New York’s highly acclaimed, official travel publication, Simply Getaway Magazine.

This rebranding campaign aims to further promote tourism in the Central New York Region and awareness of all the area has to offer.

For more information about the Central New York Region, or to plan a trip, please visit www.JustGoCNY.com.

Did you know…
1 in 9 jobs in Central New York are supported by tourism, which equals out to be about 31,000 jobs; the area receives $1.6 billion in visitor spending; and $200 million in local and state taxes is generated in the region?