How to Visit Lake Chautauqua, New York
Between Mayville and Jamestown, New York, lies a 17-mile-long lake that looks like a “bag tied in the middle,” otherwise known as Lake Chautauqua. Lake Chautauqua and the surrounding western New York area are a great place to visit any season of the year, but nothing beats a summer at the Lake.
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Instructions
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Fish this 13,000-acre lake for walleye, record muskies, bass and pan fish year round.
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Set sail, canoe, kayak or boat on Lake Chautauqua for a day of water adventure. Go waterskiing, jet skiing or tubing. Beware of heavy boat traffic on busy summer holidays like Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day (see Resources below).
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Visit Lake Chautauqua during winter and enjoy winter sports such as cross-country skiing, ice surfing, snowmobiling, ice-skating and ice fishing.
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Have an afternoon picnic at Long Point State Park in Bemus Point under a pavilion, let the kids swim at the beach and launch your fishing boat at this scenic state park on the lake.
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Take the entire family on a nostalgic adventure to Midway Amusement Park, located on the shores of Lake Chautauqua. Midway has entertained more than 100 years of families with arcades and amusement rides like the tilt-a-whirl, the swings, a wooden roller coaster and an old ride in train around the park.
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Rent a house on Lake Chautauqua through one of the local real estate agents or a reputable online vacation rental site, and bring the entire family to the lake for an old-fashioned summer vacation (see Resources below).
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Go to the Chautauqua Institution for a unique educational opportunity, an evening symphony or performance or a summer lecture series about politics, religion, the arts or world issues (see Resources below).
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Take a boat out onto Lake Chautauqua on the evening of July 4 for an all American fireworks and patriotic experience. In Mayville, the town seat, there is a magnificent fireworks display and a Ring of Fire (flares from backyard docks and other boats) is lit around the lake.
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Visit any one of the cities and towns nestled on the banks of Lake Chautauqua for a simple flavor of western New York and its culture. Jamestown is the largest city on Lake Chautauqua (see Resources below).
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