As much as the words New York conjure visions of looming skyscrapers and concrete avenues, a more pastoral image deserves its due. From the star power of Niagara Falls and Central Park to the serene getaways of the Finger Lakes and 1000 Islands, New York bears the gamut of natural escapes, with four mountain ranges, vast stretches of countryside, scenic beaches, and some 4,000 lakes, ponds and reservoirs.
“We market ourselves as a four-season tourism destination,” says Scott Flaherty, spokesperson for the New York State Division of Tourism. Adventures and excursions range from jet boating and bobsledding to lake cruising and strolling botanical gardens. “We typically offer everything—from river rafting in the Adirondacks to beaches on Long Island.”
Planners can set their sights on the great outdoors for a variety of unique ways to spice up agendas.
New York City
The Big Apple turns green with its nearly 29,000 acres of parks, in what is dubbed the city’s “Emerald Empire.”
“New York offers a wide variety of activities and not all of it focuses on the fast pace of New York City,” says Tim McGuiness, executive director of NYC & Company. “We’re known for theater and restaurants, but people also recognize us for the great parks and waterways.”
One of the main attractions is Central Park itself, which offers a multitude of activity options, including walking paths, carriage rides, bicycle tours, and rowboats and kayaks at the Loeb Boathouse. In winter, Central Park’s Wollman Skating Rink can accommodate up to 3,000.
At 1,255 acres, Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens is one-and-a-half times the size of Central Park. The park encompasses the Queens Wildlife Conservation Center and Queens Botanical Garden, which can host receptions. On the north end of the park, construction has begun for the New York Mets’ new ballpark, Citi Field, due to open in 2009.
In Brooklyn, the 52-acre Brooklyn Botanic Garden offers the Victorian-style Palm House for events of up to 300, while group horseback riding lessons are available at the Kensington Stable in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Other venues in the park include the Carousel, housed in a pavilion that can host up to 60 for receptions, and the circa-1905 Beaux Arts Boathouse, where boat tours can be arranged.
At the Bronx Zoo, the Conga Gorilla Forest is available for up to 500 guests. Also in the Bronx, groups can tee off at the country’s oldest public golf course, Van Cortlandt Golf Course, which opened in 1895. Wave Hill’s gardens, woodlands and views of the Hudson River provide the backdrop for meetings held in the Wave Hill House, which also has event space for up to 180.
The city’s Chelsea Piers serves as a launching pad for numerous boat companies, including the Offshore Sailing School, which organizes sailing races for corporate groups. At the piers, the city’s largest waterside venue is Pier Sixty, offering meeting facilities, ballrooms and catering for groups of up to 2,000.
Other aquatic options include harbor cruises with the Circle Line or New York Waterway Tours, and groups can also take in the Manhattan skyline from the Shearwater sailing company’s Old World schooner. Shearwater arranges team-building sailing programs for up to 24.
Long Island
Stretching some 120 miles into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island rightfully takes its place as New York’s beachfront playground, from the seclusion of the Fire Island National Seashore to the heavily populated sands of Jones Beach. On land, Long Island brims with parks and arboretums, while its East End sports a blossoming wine country.
“Taking meeting attendees on an outdoor excursion or to a venue that gives them a flavor of the locality is a fantastic way to build group morale,” says Regina Zara, director of sales and sports development at the Long Island CVB and Sports Commission.
The scenic setting of New York’s vineyards is another way to take in the outdoors, and most of Long Island’s 30-plus wineries are capable of accommodating groups for off-site dinners, receptions and tours. On the North Fork, Martha Clara Vineyards can host large groups on its Chardonnay Field or smaller functions in its tasting room or gallery. Bedell Cellars features a barn-style pavilion for up to 200, with views of the vineyards.
Captree Boatmans Association takes groups out for charter fishing. The JIB VI operates from Captree State Park in Babylon and offers seating for up to 40.
Meanwhile, Stony Brook Harbor Wetlands Discovery Cruise leads a pontoon ride through wetlands, perfect for birding and wildlife spotting.
For the more adventurous, Atlantis Marine World lets visitors plunge into its 120,000-gallon Lost City of Atlantis Shark Exhibit from the safety of an enclosed tank. Atlantis can also accommodate 500 for corporate events and receptions.
The truly daring can head up with Skydive Long Island for skydiving or with Sky Sailors for glider rides, tandem parachuting and hot-air balloon adventures.
Westchester
Featuring parks, gardens and parts of the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, Westchester County offers ample room for outdoor excursions.
“I consider our area more for soft adventure,” says Kim Sinistore, deputy director of tourism for the Westchester County Office of Tourism, pointing to hiking and biking trails as well as golf courses open to groups, including the new Hudson Hills Golf Course.
Group kayak instruction and guided tours on the Hudson River and Long Island Sound can be enjoyed with Atlantic Kayak Tours as well as with Hudson River Recreation.
Meanwhile, the Lakeside at Osceola, a waterfront entertainment complex in Jefferson Valley, offers lake swimming as well as picnic grounds. Groups can arrange lobster bakes, luaus and volleyball matches, as well as boating on the lake.
Other Westchester sites include the Edith Macy Conference Center at Briarcliff Manor, which offers 400 acres of walking and biking trails, team-building ropes courses, rafting on the shores of Lake Kinderogen, and organized scavenger hunts.
Albany
While Albany is known for its history and heritage attractions, New York’s state capital takes full advantage of its Hudson River locale.
In 2002, Albany debuted the Hudson River Way, a pedestrian bridge connecting downtown to the Corning Preserve on the banks of the Hudson River.
“The goal was to connect Albany to its past, which is the Hudson River,” says Gina Mintzer, director of sales for the Albany County CVB.
On the far side of the Hudson River Way, the Albany Riverfront Park is home to an 800-seat amphitheater, which is open to groups. To get on the river, Dutch Apple Cruises offers private charters for up to 149.
A short distance from the city is the Orchard Creek Golf Club, featuring a course built into an apple orchard. Sitting on a 1700s-era, family-owned farm, the club also offers a restaurant that can seat up to 80 people for a meeting.
The Rensselaerville Institute Conference Center offers maximum seclusion, with some 55 executive guest rooms located on a 100-acre estate.
Activities abound at Thompson’s Lake State Park, including fishing, hiking, volleyball, and boating, or in winter, ice fishing and cross-country skiing.
Saratoga Spa State Park, with its 2,200 acres of woods, lawns and pavilions, features mineral bathhouses, and in winter the park offers cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Buffalo/Niagara
With good reason, the city of Buffalo has earned the moniker the “City of Trees.” Buffalo boasts more than 20 parks, including the Olmsted Park and Parkway System, brainchild of Frederick Law Olmsted, who created Buffalo’s celebrated Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. It can host group events in one of its greenhouses.
Buffalo also holds prime real estate on Lake Erie. Charter cruises on the Miss Buffalo II visit the Buffalo River, Lake Erie, the Niagara River, and the Black Rock Lock and Canal. Groups can also sail on a catamaran, the Moondance, which can hold up to 40. Additionally, Sparky’s Charters offers group fishing charters and tournaments, taking boats out on lakes Erie and Ontario as well as the Niagara River.
For a more intensive Erie experience, the Seven Seas Sailing Center offers a one-day seminar and sail program for corporate groups, including team-building competitions. Catered lunches or barbecues can be arranged.
Adrenaline-seekers find thrills along the Cattaraugus River, located an hour south of Buffalo in the Zoar Valley, with views of cliffs, waterfalls and nesting bald eagles. The Zoar Valley Canoe and Rafting Company runs trips for a variety of skill levels, including flat-water canoe rides.
A star of New York’s collection of natural attractions is Niagara Falls, accessible from Niagara Falls State Park, the country’s oldest state park.
“Visiting the park is the way to experience the falls in its most natural setting,” says Ed Healy, director of communications for the Buffalo Niagara CVB.
There is a tram that offers access to the whole state park, or groups can follow hiking trails. Other options include the scenic Maid of the Mist boat ride up to the falls or to visit the Cave of the Winds on Goat Island, located in the middle of the river above the falls.
Six miles from the falls, Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours picks up the pace with what it describes as a “rollercoaster on the water” through the Niagara Gorge.
Rochester
Like Buffalo, Rochester is famed for its parks and gardens.
Nearby Letchworth State Park is known as the “Grand Canyon of the East,” with seasonal activities such as guided walks, white-water rafting, kayaking, hot-air ballooning, ice-skating, snow tubing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and horse-drawn sleigh rides. There is a conference center in the park and banquet services at the Glen Iris Inn.
Rochester also ranks as a top New York golf destination.
“For team building, we concentrate on golfing, with more than 30 public golf courses,” says Joe Demars of Carpe Diem Travel, which accommodates group requests for Rochester. “A lot of people don’t know how to play golf. We provide classes and competitions among the different groups.”
One of the courses is located at Durand–Eastman Park, with 5,000 feet of waterfront on Lake Ontario.
Wild Heart Yacht Charters caters to adventure-seekers, sailing Lake Ontario on its 53-foot catamaran, which can fit up to 49.
Additionally, Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruises offers narrated rides and also runs the canal-side banquet and meeting room space overlooking the canal.
Syracuse
Though Syracuse prides itself on its heralded performing arts companies and museums, the city takes its greenery seriously, with over 170 parks, fields and recreation areas totaling more than 1,000 acres.
“Location is still one of our largest assets, along with an award-winning convention center,” says Carol Eaton, director of marketing for the Syracuse CVB. “But groups who come here often are sometimes looking for something new to do, and our park operators are recognizing that as a new client base.”
At the 300-acre Camillus Erie Canal Park, hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding are popular in the summer, and snowmobiling and cross-country skiing are favorite activities in winter.
Mid-Lakes Navigation Company offers cruises on the Erie Canal in Syracuse, where guides are provided or guests can skipper their own boat.
South of the city is the Highland Forest, where there is horseback riding, hay rides, sleigh rides, and the new Skyline Lodge, which offers sweeping views.
Green Lake State Park, located east of the city, is home to a golf course and two emerald-green glacial lakes available for canoeing and paddleboating.
Binghamton/Central Leatherstocking Region
The friendly city of Binghamton, home to Binghamton University, is a draw for its central location, affordability and growing arts scene, but it also likes to spotlight its outdoor attributes—from fishing to golfing, hiking and bicycling.
“People come from all over for our fly-fishing,” says Gina Kress, manager of convention sales for the Greater Binghamton CVB.
Traditions at the Glen Resort and Conference Center, which features an 18-hole golf course on the premises, makes it easy to slip in a game of golf between meetings. The course can also host large corporate tournaments.
The 125-room Scott’s Oquaga Lake House is a meetings-friendly option on picturesque Lake Oquaga, with activities including fishing, canoeing, golfing, bicycling, and hiking.
Another facility known for its scenic setting on Lake Oquaga is the 20-room Chestnut Inn, which hosts lakeside breakfast sessions and can accommodate up to 80.
Fishing is just part of the attraction at the West Branch Angler and Sportsmen’s Resort, located east of Binghamton. The property is currently undergoing extensive renovations that will be finished this spring. West Branch offers team-building programs with obstacle courses and other exercises stressing trust issues.
In Cooperstown, located northeast of Binghamton, the meetings-ready Otesaga Resort, which dates to 1909, boasts an inviting wilderness setting along Lake Otsego and numerous ways to enjoy it, including golfing on a championship course, canoeing and fishing on the lake and guided hunting excursions.
Lake Placid/Adirondacks
Spanning almost one-third of New York State, Adirondack Park encompasses nearly 2,500 lakes and ponds as well as Mount Marcy, the state’s highest point.
Called the “snowmobiling capital of the East,” with over 500 miles of trails, the Adirondacks also offers nine downhill ski areas as well as trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, ice fishing on frozen lakes and dogsledding.
At the helm of the Adirondack region’s winter sports is Lake Placid, two-time host of the Winter Olympics. Lake Placid offers top-tier accommodations on the edge of all the natural beauty.
“In Lake Placid, anywhere you stay you get a nice room, and the next morning you can be in the wilderness,” says Arlene Day, convention sales manager at the Lake Placid CVB.
Lake Placid is building a 60,000-square-foot convention center at its Olympic Center, with an opening anticipated in 2008. The Olympic Center itself is a hub for team-building activities.
“We offer team competition, taking people out of their comfort zone,” says Stuart Hemsley, corporate development programs manager at the Olympic Regional Development Authority. Options include bobsledding, biathlons, ice hockey, curling, speed skating, luge, downhill skiing, and cross-country skiing.
“We can organize Gold Medal Games, each personalized to the corporation,” Hemsley says.
Other options include creating mock opening ceremonies, visits from former Olympics stars and cocktail parties in the Olympic Museum.
Beyond the Olympic Center, the destination is home to several resorts that take full advantage of the great outdoors, including Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa and the new Whiteface Lodge Resort and Spa.
At Lake George, Sagamore Resort is one of the region’s most popular properties for groups wishing to gather amid the pristine natural surroundings.
Attendees can get out on the water with the Lake George Steamboat Company, which hosts private parties and meetings.
Groups can also escape to the Roaring Brook Ranch Resort and Conference Center, a dude ranch with horseback riding and golf.
Catskill Region
Spanning six counties, the Catskills includes 30 peaks that rise over 3,500 feet.
“As far as a natural setting, our skyscrapers are our mountains,” says Herb Clark, vice president of marketing and sales at the Sullivan County Visitors Association.
Team-building options include white-water rafting down the Delaware River, home to the largest wintering population of bald eagles in the Northeast.
Hunter Mountain ski resort offers 53 trails on three mountains, and at the Yogi Bear Campgrounds, groups can hold team-building events such as scavenger hunts and tug-of-war contests.
For a more relaxed approach, the Delaware and Ulster Railroad at Arkville takes a scenic route through the Catskills.
Golf is another Catskills attraction, and among the many meetings-ready resorts with standout courses is the Villa Roma Resort and Conference Center, a 200-room property currently being revamped. The resort also offers snowmobiling and horseback riding.
Finger Lakes/Ithaca
Naturally, water is the theme for the Finger Lakes region, home to more than 150 waterfalls, including Taughannock Falls—higher than Niagara Falls—and nearly a dozen lakes that span 10 miles or more.
“We have some very unique hotels located on the water with great views,” says Sue Schmidt, director of sales for the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection.
The largest is the Inn on the Lake, with 134 rooms on Canandaigua Lake. Guests can rent sailboards, kayaks or water bikes and head to Squaw Island, New York’s smallest state park.
When it’s not water, it’s wine; the region is also known for its 80-plus wineries, many catering to groups. The New York Wine and Culinary Center, which opened in 2006, includes a wine-tasting room and hands-on kitchen that can accommodate up to 30. Groups can organize private tastings in the dining room, with a view of Canandaigua Lake.
On the western edge of the Finger Lakes, the Canandaigua Wine Trail includes Casa Larga and Widmer Wine Cellars, each with meeting facilities. Even more expansive, 16 wineries line the Cayuga Wine Trail near Ithaca.
Ithaca is close to Buttermilk Falls State Park, where a theatrical lighting of the falls can be orchestrated for large groups.
Ithaca is also home to Cornell University, known for its team-building ropes course. Cornell Teambuilding can take groups out for kayaking and paddling events and creates customized programs based on company goals.
1000 Islands
Technically, 1000 Islands is a modest description of a region that harbors more than 1,865 islands running along 50 miles of the St Lawrence River between New York state and Ontario.
Boating, golf and fishing are all part of the 1000 Islands experience, according to Gary DeYoung, director of tourism for the 1000 Islands International Tourism Council.
Thousand Islands Country Club on Wellesley Island features two 18-hole golf courses across Alexandria Bay, as well as meeting facilities.
Uncle Sam Boat Tours offers space for up to 300 on boat excursions visiting Boldt Castle, the St. Lawrence River and Alexandria Bay.
Groups can also visit the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton and take out charter boats or try rowing their own.
Other activities in the region include white-water rafting on the Black River.
The scenic Edgewood Resort overlooks the St. Lawrence River, and it opened a convention center last year.
Another new hotel set to open in the next 18 months, Hotel St. Laurent, will have its own marina.
For More Info
1000 Islands International Tourism Council 315.482.2520
www.visit1000islands.com
Albany County CVB 518.434.1217
www.albany.org
Alaska Travel Industry 800.862.5275
www.travelalaska.com
Buffalo Niagara CVB 716.852.0511
www.buffalocvb.org
Cooperstown/Otsego County Tourism 607.643.0059
www.visitcooperstown.com
Delaware County COC 607.746.2281
www.delawarecounty.org
Finger Lakes Visitors Connection 585.394.3915
www.visitfingerlakes.com
Greater Binghamton CVB 607.772.8860
www.binghamtoncvb.com
Greater Rochester Visitors Association 585.279.8300
www.visitrochester.com
Greene County Tourism 518.943.3223
www.greenetourism.com
Ithaca/Tompkins County CVB 607.272.1313
www.visitithaca.com
Lake George/Adirondack Regional CVB 518.743.8435
www.lakegeorge-adirondacks.com
Lake Placid/Essex County CVB 518.523.2445
www.lakeplacid.com
Long Island CVB and Sports Commission 631.951.3900
www.discoverlongisland.com
Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation 716.282.8992
www.niagara-usa.com
New York State Division of Tourism 518.474.4116
www.iloveny.com
NYC & Company 212.484.1200
www.nycvisit.com
Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau 518.584.1531
www.discoversaratoga.org
Steuben County Conference and Visitors Bureau 607.936.6544
www.corningfingerlakes.com
Sullivan County Visitors Association 845.794.3000
www.scva.net
Syracuse CVB 315.470.1910
www.visitsyracuse.org
Ulster County Tourism Office 845.340.3566
www.ulstertourism.info
Westchester County Office of Tourism 914.995.8500
www.westchestertourism.com
