Ever wonder what Utopia is like? Experience something close at the
Chautauqua Institution, a picturesque lakeside community and National Historic District. Every summer, over 150,000 visitors arrive for a 9-week schedule of arts, education, religion and recreation.
You can join this cultural and educational community for a day or an entire summer. Stay in a Victorian cottage, a condominium, or the 156-room
Athenaeum Hotel. Famous actors and musicians perform with Chautauqua's acclaimed theater, orchestra and opera. Shows feature popular comedians and country, pop and rock stars.
You will find over 600 different workshops as well as the 36-hole
Chautauqua Golf Club. Guest lecturers and performers over the years have included Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Gershwin (he composed his Concerto in F in a Chautauqua practice shack in 1925), Jane Goodall and Bill Cosby. The grounds are open during the off-season for biking,
cross-country skiing, sleigh rides and fall festivals. In season there is no admission fee if you are younger than 12 or older than 90. Gate fees are waived for everyone on Sundays.