Favorite Destination: Genesee Country Village & Museum

My daydreams these days revolve around a fully converted, off-grid-capable camper van, an assortment of photography/computer/wifi gear, a thermos of fresh coffee, a full tank of gas and miles of open road.

Sadly, I have neither the budget nor expertise to convert a van, much less launch out on a fall foliage tour of the Adirondacks, America’s breathtaking national parks or wherever that open road might take me.

Instead, I watch Facebook and Instagram and travel vicariously through the images of friends and mentors.

Which is why my bi-weekly day-trips to the hamlet of Mumford have been a godsend over the last two years.

Without spending more than a few dollars for gas and traveling less than an hour west on Routes 5&20, I can be transported — for the better part of a day — to another world.

Genesee Country Village and Museum, the third largest living museum in the United States, is a 600-acre complex boasting 68 historical buildings and an army of costumed interpreters who love local history, visitors and the museum. They keep the hearth fires burning, the heirloom gardens flourishing and the livestock tended. They demonstrate their skills and artistry at the pottery barn, cooper shop, tinsmith’s shop and blacksmith’s barn. They bake the breads and pies, weave the linens, spin and dye the wool, make the shoes, dry the herbs and brew the beer.

And upon each return trip, they also welcome me home with a familiar smile and a new story.

But for me, the experience is about so much more than photography. I’m there for the sensory feast — the sights, sounds, aromas, textures and tastes that explode at every turn. While I’m on campus, I’m constantly pondering and strategizing, discovering and smiling. And as I drive east toward home, the scent of open hearth lingers and helps me relive the day’s adventure.

At the Museum’s annual Civil War Reenactment, I savor the dusky scent of encampment fires; the haunting cadence of parade drums; the rough, scratchy wool blankets and uniforms; the snorting horses and clinking bayonets; the boom of heavy artillery and belch of gunpowder smoke and the bugle call announcing retreat.

The U.S. Citizenship Ceremony on the Fourth of July brings tears, hugs and joy as multinational immigrants become U.S. citizens.

Spectacular live music from fiddles, banjos, accordions, pipe organ and organ grinders blend with classic literature reenactments and storytelling at the Fiddlers’ Fair, Making Music weekend, A Novel Weekend,

Spirits of the Past Theatrical Tours and Sunset Concerts on the Great Meadow.

And where else could you play croquet with the Queen of Hearts and have tea with Alice and the Mad Hatter? Annual events (in non-COVID-19 years) include the Maple Sugar Festival, Hops Festival, Agricultural Fair, baseball games, Trick-or-Treating, Antique Show and Chocolate Fest, to name a few.

This year, I actually used each visit to learn more about my gear and hone my technique. I carried only one lens each time and pushed it to its limit, exploring what it could do well and what it struggled with. I also aimed to shoot a specific genre, like close-ups, colors, characters, bite shots, wide angle landscapes and architecture. On the next visit, I focused on a different lens and style.

General admission tickets were $10 to $13 for seniors and adults this past summer. But as a volunteer photographer through the Montanus Photography Classroom group on Facebook, I was able to visit and bring a guest for free by signing up in advance. It was the perfect opportunity to spend one-on-one time with my sister and her starter camera kit, and with a handful of other friends who tagged along for the ride.

GCV&C’s volunteer coordinators work through Montanus Photography Classroom to schedule one or two photogs per event, who then make images and memories to their hearts’ content. Images are provided by volunteer photographers to GCV&C via WeTransfer for use on social media and in print promotion.

It’s a winning destination and opportunity for those who are on a budget and who love history and colorful environments and people.

Even if you visit once and pay admission, it’s well worth the investment and that money goes to a worthy cause.

Sadly, GCV&M is now closed for the season, so I’ll have to wait until next year.

But I guess that gives me plenty of time to comb Facebook and Craig’s List for that used camper van in perfect condition that’s being sold for next to nothing.

Should be a breeze.

IF YOU GO

• WHAT Genesee Country Village & Museum
• WHERE 1410 Flint Hill Road, Mumford, NY 14511
• CONTACT 585-538-6822 or info@gcv.org
• ONLINE https://www.gcv.org/
• SOCIAL https://www.facebook.com/GCVMuseum https://twitter.com/gcvmuseum https://www.youtube.com/user/GCVMuseum https://www.instagram.com/gcvmuseum/