The Great End of Summer Road Trip - Part 7

A destination 55 years in the making

The year was 1971. The Richard family consisting of Lenny, Dot, and their three boys, Doug, Dave and Mark were on a family road trip to the Finger Lakes region of New York state. Destination: Canandaigua Lake, the smallest and most distant Finger Lake in the region. The mode of transportation was a Rambler station wagon of a vintage long forgotten in time.

I-90 was not as direct as it is today, and stops had to be planned to eat on the side of the road and hit bathrooms during the 7 or so hour drive, especially with three boys in the back. No GPS, so everything was mapped out in advance. Given the Richard family finances of the time, we stayed in an out of the way (meaning cheap) motel where two beds and a cot served as sleeping quarters.

Dad brought a small charcoal grill to use for lunches and suppers cooked just outside the room. Everything was done on the cheap.

The beach on Canandaigua Lake was a short walk from the motel, and the waters were crystal clear, as was the norm for all the Finger Lakes at that time. The Richard family couldn't imagine a better vacation before the boys began graduating high school two, three and five years down the road, when lives and loves began the inevitable separation of distance.

Moving forward to 2026, and out Great Summer Road Trip continues westward from Massachusetts on our way to the Hershey RV Show in late September. So what better destination than one Barbara had never experienced, and that I remembered so fondly over the years?

Our campground was Bristol Woodlands nestled in the Bristol Hills outside Canadaigua, and I've got to tell you, in seven years of RV-ing full-time, this was one of the prettiest and well-maintained campgrounds we have ever stayed at. A gentle slope brings you down through incredibly wide, level campsites terraced down the hill with gravel driveways on lush green grassed and shaded lots. Twenty feet or more separated you from your neighbors lot. The mountain view looking down into the valley was spectacular.

Since it was Labor Day weekend and the campground was full, the hosts served up a full eggs, pancakes and sausage breakfast on Sunday morning, cooked at their pavilion at the top of the hill. The camp hosts and staff were very friendly. The location ended up being about a 20-25 minute drive to the downtown area of Canandiagua, so it was peaceful and quiet each and every night.

There's a beautiful old-money mansion just outside the city center called the Sonnenburg Gardens and Mansion. It doesn't have the over-the-top opulence and size of the Vanderbilt mansions in Newport, RI, but it is a much more livable space, and the gardens are actually nicer than what we experienced in Newport. Two of the three floors are open to the public and furnished. It was home to Frederick and Mary Thompson from 1887 to 1923, with most of the redesign of the home and gardens being done by Mary after her husband's death in 1899.

Sonnenburg as viewed from the edge of the Italian garden

 

Twice a year, Mary would invite the public to tour the home and grounds so that the locals could experience the various international-styled gardens and walkways. The variety of plants and flowers is simply overwhelming, and are grown onsite in the property's own greenhouses. It is said that a young Winston Churchill even visited Sonnenburg. After Mary's death, the property was sold to the the Federal government, where a portion of the land was used for the local VA hospital. You can see the hospital building behind and to the right of the mansion. The mansion and gardens were later taken over by New York state, which helps more than 170 volunteers keep it in beautiful condition today through historical preservation standards, however all funding for Sonnenburg comes from private sources and visitor fees.

So what was 55 years in the making?

Dipping my toes into Canadaigua Lake again.

Barbara and I had taken a trip to the local big marina area, which featured dozens of brightly painted boat houses used by the locals. Pretty little things with electricity only, so they're day use, but not a bad place to keep a boat and spend a few hours on the water.

Just around the corner was a local park which laughingly boasted a “beach” and dog park. We figured we take Grover for a dip in the lake if he wanted (he didn't) and I could complete my pilgrimage (as it were) to recreate a time of my youth. The “beach” was a 4-foot wide stretch of sand that was used primarily as a launching point for kayaks and paddle boards. Nevertheless, I managed to dip a foot into Canandaigua Lake anyway.

There is a nice little paddle wheeler on the lake which does cruises during the day and dinner cruises, but they were booked solid for the time frame we were there. If you'd like to visit Canandaigua Lake so day, be sure to get reservations for a cruise well in advance.

So where to next? The destination we built this entire End of Summer Road trip around – The World's Largest RV Show in Hershey, PA.

In the next Parental Parolees!