FAMILY TRAVEL
— by Deborah Williams
Jamestown Close-To-Home
Attractions Have Much To Offer!
T
his month, visitors to James-
town and Chautauqua Lake
have the chance to be wowed
by flocks of tundra swans, the new $50
million high tech National Comedy Cen-
ter, and horse drawn sleigh and wagon
rides through the tranquil Chautauqua
Institution, complete with Santa.
The tundra swans pay a visit to the
16-mile-long Chautauqua Lake every
year in late fall on their way south for
the winter. “There could be 100 swans at
a time or even as many as 1,000 — it is
unpredictable but they are quite a sight
and make a wonderful high pitched coo-
50 WNY Family December 2018
ing sound,” explained Jeff Tome, a natu-
ralist at the Audubon Community Nature
Center.
Just an hour and a half drive south of
Buffalo, the area makes an ideal day trip
but for those planning an overnight, the
welcome mat is out at the dazzling new
lakefront 135-room Chautauqua Har-
bor Hotel on the grounds of the former
Celoron Amusement Park.
The hotel is next door to the Lucille
Ball Memorial Park — the area’s most
famous hometown citizen. Two statues
honor the First Lady of Comedy. The
original became a nationwide phenom-
enon in 2015 when locals requested the
artist re-work the “Scary Lucy” to more
accurately resemble her appearance. A
new statue was erected in 2016 and both
are currently on display in the park.
It was Lucy herself who envisioned a
place in Jamestown where comedy would
be celebrated as an art form.
The city already was home to the an-
nual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival and
the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum
when the Comedy Center opened last
August. It quickly drew national acclaim
and has been named the country’s official
comedy center.
“It was always (Ball’s) preference
that Jamestown become a destination for
the celebration of all comedy in a way
that would foster and inspire the next
generation of artists,” says National Com-
edy Center Executive Director Journey
Gunderson. “What we’ve done here is fi-
nally bring her vision to fruition.”
There’s a bit of irony in the center’s
location in the beautifully restored down-
town train station. It was from this station
that Lucy left Jamestown to start her ca-
reer in New York. The museum is spread
across 37,000 square feet and also incor-
porates a former trolley garage and a new
addition.
Prepare to be dazzled, entertained
and to laugh — a lot. It is the most en-
gaging and certainly funniest museum I
have ever visited. I did not want to leave
and likely you won’t either. You will need
a minimum of three hours and you can
easily spend much longer. Middle and
high school kids will likely be totally en-
thralled by the center.
It is interactive from the start. Ev-
ery visitor receives an electronic wrist-
band that stores your comedic likes and
dislikes. The goal is to provide a unique
experience tailored to your funny bone.
At the entry kiosk I select the comedians
and TV shows that make me laugh: Jerry
Seinfeld, “Big Bang Theory,” and others.
More than 50 immersive exhibits take
visitors on an interactive journey through
comedy history. Along with educational
games and fun competitions guests can
step into the shoes of comedy pros, trying
their hand at cartooning, comedy writing,
live stand-up and fake pie fights.
The highlights are everywhere:
• The Hologram Theater seats 75
and is designed to replicate a real comedy
club and the performers appear on stage
in hologram form.
• Comedy Karaoke offers the oppor-
tunity to try out your own delivery skills
by getting up on stage. Choose a favorite
performer’s lines and then get up in front
of a crowd and try to make them laugh.
• Laugh Battle invites two people to
sit opposite each other at facing screens.
Each person takes turns reading jokes
trying to make the other laugh, without
laughing yourself.
• The Prop Area is the place to play
with funny props like chattering teeth and
whoopee cushions.
• The Blue Room downstairs is an
adults-only space that features George
Carlin’s seven dirty words and other
comedians including Lenny Bruce and