Trip 2: Canandaigua/Victor

Date: Thursday, July 17, 2025

Events/Locations:

• Tour Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Site.
• Lunch Buffet at New York Kitchen overlooking Canandaigua Lake. 
• Tour Ganondagan State Historic Site (Victor, NY) – Seneca Art and Cultural Center, Seneca Bark Longhouse, Mother Earth Walk. 

$110 for members and guests

Non-member guests must create an Osher online account in order to register for trips.

After you register, open the registration confirmation email you will receive, then click on the link within the email to fill out the questionnaire specific to this trip.

Some walking and standing is involved. Dress for the weather — rain or shine. Wear comfortable walking shoes. If you need a cane or walker, please bring one and use it. Don’t forget your camera. This trip is NOT wheelchair accessible.

At Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park in Canandaigua, we will take a 2-hour walking guided tour of the gardens and mansion. For those with mobility issues, two trams will be provided.  Each tram holds up to 7 people. Sonnenberg is ADA accessible, including the gardens, mansion, gift shop, greenhouses, everything except the second floor of the mansion is wheelchair accessible.

Our lunch at New York Kitchen (Canandaigua) will take place in the Sands Gallery. It has views of Canandaigua Lake, access to gardens and is protected from the elements. The entire property is wheelchair accessible and ADA accessible. Our menu at NYK will be the ROC City buffet. See the details below. 

At Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, we will be given a guided tour of the Museum and the Longhouse. In addition, we will be guided on the “Mother Earth Walk” through the woods, with descriptions of plant-life in Iroquois history. The walk could last up to 40 minutes and has a few elevational changes on the pathways. There are picnic tables outside for people to sit if they don't want to go on a walk. In case of rain, we will have the option of watching the Iroquois Creation Film (17 minutes long) instead of going on the walk.

Lunch at New York Kitchen: It will feature the ROC City Buffet, which features Beef on Weck, assorted wraps (veggie, turkey, ham), mixed greens salad, house-made potato chips, and choice of potato salad OR macaroni salad, and cookies will be available for dessert.

If you have special dietary needs, please indicate so on the registration questionnaire.

On Tuesday, July 15 at 10 am all members are invited to a free lecture. David Hutchings is the Executive Director at Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion. He will provide background information on this State Historic Park. He has an MS degree in Plant Science Education from SUNY Oswego, a second MS in Urban Forestry and Land Use Master Planning from the University of Missouri, and an associate’s degree in Horticulture and Conservation from FLCC.

The second lecture will be announced at a later date.