In a sleepy corner of western New York, there’s a place more American than a Norman Rockwell painting. It’s a community of pastel Victorian cottages and unlocked front doors. Instead of cars, bicycles cluster near the morning farmers’ market, the tennis clinic, the lakeside beach. All the trappings of an idealized summer resort are here. This is Chautauqua – a destination unlike anywhere in America.
Beneath the picture postcard exterior, Chautauqua is a community with history and purpose. Founded in 1874 as a summer retreat for Sunday school teachers, Chautauqua Institution became the birthplace of a movement that would educate and entertain turn-of-the-century Americans. Long before CNN and summer blockbusters, traveling Chautauqua assemblies brought culture to rural communities through musicians, lecturers and performers. Radio and film eventually changed Americans’ appetite for entertainment, and circuit Chautauquas ceased in the 1920s. But the original Chautauqua thrives. Its summer residents continue the tradition of intellectual exploration, open discourse and tolerance.
Today Chautauqua creates an ambitious artistic and educational program for nine weeks every summer. It’s a bounty: opera, ballet, a symphony orchestra, musicals and plays. The morning lecture series takes place in an open-air Amphitheater with seating for 5,000; recent speakers include Elie Wiesel, Ken Burns and Jim Lehrer. Evening entertainment like Alison Krauss and Steve Martin delights audiences that span generations. With such rich cultural offerings, it’s surprising that few have heard of this 250 acre campus with the funny name. Chautauqua is a secret best shared.
People have said that Chautauqua must be experienced to be understood; once understood, it becomes part of your soul.

To learn more about how to create a summer experience that’s uniquely yours, and uniquely Chautauqua, visit ciweb.org.