The Enchanted Mountains Region is a great place to vacation, visit and live.  There are plenty of vacation "hot spots" to enjoy.

Uniquely & Naturally Yours in Western New York

Geographic Area: Chautauqua-Allegheny Region

West Valley, Ashford, Ellicottville, Portville, Olean

Recommended Season: Spring, Summer, Fall

There is a lot of walking involved.

Day One

West Valley

Gooseneck Hill Waterfowl Sanctuary (GooseneckHillWaterfowlFarm.com; 716/942-6835). Begin your day at the largest waterfowl park in the country open to the general public. Watch singing & dancing swans, hand-feed the geese, see the two largest covered aviaries in the world, catch the fantastic parrot show, and behold the endangered NeNe Geese from Hawaii- only 600 in existence.

The Antler Shed Whitetail Museum (716/699-4427). See over 4,000 sets of whitetail antlers, many complete with history. See hundreds of hunting, fishing, and trapping related artifacts dating from the 1800s to today.

Lunch in Ashford at Carson's Ashford House (716/942-3840).

Griffis Sculpture Park (GriffisPark.org; 716/257-9344). Over 200 sculptures inhabit 400 acres in this outdoor gallery. Most of the sculptures are colossal in size and give you a feeling you've encountered extraterrestrials, or, in the case of the insects, prehistoric beings.

Overnight & dinner in Ellicottville at Holiday Valley Mountain Resort & Conference Center (HolidayValley.com; 716/699-2345).

Day Two

Portville

Pfeiffer Nature Center (PfeifferNatureCenter.org; 716/933-0187).Begin your day with a guided nature walk through 20 acres of old-growth forest composed of large specimens of Eastern Hemlock, White Pine, Red Oak, and American Beech. See a 60 year-old cabin constructed from American Chestnut, which was a recent addition to the NYS and National Register of Historic Places. The center offers gorgeous vistas, trails, and nature-oriented educational programs and research opportunities.

Lunch at Sprague's Maple Farms (SpraguesMapleFarms.com; 716/933-6637).

Olean

Rock City Park (716/372-7790). Millions of years-old quartz conglomerate and silica plus one prehistoric ocean combine to make Olean's Rock City an interesting place to hike. Once an Indian fort and long-range signal station, Rock City today is a great place to stretch your muscles as you follow a path over, under, and even through rocks that tower as high as 80 feet. If you can't get enough, then visit the rock shop for your very own Rock City specimens.

For more information, please contact the Enchanted Mountains offices.