Summer always brings back childhood memories of melting ice cream cones, fishing poles, camping trips, parades, and adventures in the sun. It's not too late to recapture those carefree days. We have just the itinerary, whether you're young or young at heart, to create lasting summer memories, you'll treasure for years to come.
LODGING
Book your stay at the Yellow Lantern Kampground for the quintessential trip down memory lane. Lovingly preserved, The Yellow Lantern embodies your favorite childhood camping trips: generous campsites under big shade trees begging for a hammock, a rec room boasting all the classics (air hockey, foosball, bingo, and shuffleboard), a massive playground with an epic old school slide and a meandering river under the mountains just waiting for you to cast a line.
DAY ONE
Start your day on the right foot with a hearty breakfast at AJ's Diner. Classic Americana cooking, just like grandma used to make. You can't go wrong with their signature sausage gravy smothered biskets and homefries.
Burn off your breakfast with a farm tour at Daisy Hollow. Try your hand at milking a cow, bottle feed baby animals, toss some scratch to the chickens and take a pony ride. Pruse their farm store and bring home a jar of homemade jam, bacon straight from the farm, fresh veggies, hand-thrown pottery, or all-natural skin care.
When you've had your fill of the farm life, head out to the high seas! Shipwreck Amusements is a pirate-themed mini golf course. Play all 18 holes, including the world's longest mini golf hole, and toast your victory with a slush puppy. Brain freeze guaranteed.
A trip down memory lane wouldn't be complete without a meal at the drive-in. A&W in Cortland is keeping it old school, with a traditional drive-in burger experience. Have your chili cheese fries and root beer floats delivered on trays right to your car window.
Head back to Yellow Lantern for some campfire stories and s'mores around the bonfire.
DAY TWO
Sinfully Sweet Cafe's old-fashioned bakery case only looks too good to eat. We assure you, that breakfast here will not disappoint. We recommend any of their freshly baked muffins with your morning cuppa.
Just down the road, the National Brockway Truck Show, in August, is the perfect way to celebrate the days of yore. Watch history roar to life in a parade of historical trucks as they stream into Homer. Stop by the Brockway Museum and tour the permanent collection.
Looking to add some antiques to your permanent collection? Hunt treasures and local history at Gail's Antiques and the Olde Homer House.
If your tummy is rumbling like the big trucks, it's time to head over to Bob's BBQ. Famous for its excellent chicken and sweet corn, everything tastes better when you enjoy it picnic-style on their park-like grounds.
No day is done until dessert is had. While Cortland County is home to more ice cream shops than you can shake a stick at, two are especially retro. The Super Cream Dairy Bar serves up homemade ice cream in their 50s style dinner, and The Frosty Caboose serves its signature cereal flurries from inside a restored Leigh High Valley train car.
DAY THREE
What better way to start your day than with classic cars and coffee? Motor on over to the CNY Living History Center for breakfast filled with hot rods and a hot cuppa joe. While you're there, take a tour of the Homeville and Tractors of Yesteryear Museums.
Pack a picnic! Stop by Anderson's Farm Market for all the fixing for the perfect Sunday lunch. August markets are full of stone fruit, the season's first tomatoes, freshly baked bread, and local cheeses. When you've assembled the perfect spread, mozy over to Bill Knowlton's Bluegrass Ramble Picnic.
The longest-running Bluegrass event in the east, Bill Knowlton's Bluegrass Ramble, is celebrated on the first Sunday in August annually! Come on down for a day full of pickin' and singing, dancing, shopping, picnicking, and laughing on the banks of beautiful Little York Lake.
In search of more inspiration for your next Cortland County weekend getaway? Request a FREE Visitors Guide to start planning.