Funny I live in Ohio an hour ish away and I’ve only ever heard it called Lakeside and never that big “C” word!!
I think it’s more of a IYKYK situation.
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There’s a wealthy lady on social media who (allegedly) recently got kicked out of the hotel there. She (alleges) that there are many parts and amenities of the hotel that are blocked off to regular guests and accessible only to the upper most echelon of guests. She posted the signage to these areas. When she complained, she and her husband asked to vacate. She also said the hotel is run down and not worth the cost of staying there (take with a grain of salt since she is disgruntled).
The only reason I hung on for the drama is because I am from NY and had never heard of this place, so I was intrigued. Seems like a cool place!
I’ve never stayed at the Athenaeum, but an older relative and I regularly visited the lobby years ago as we were fascinated by the extravagant floral attangements.
There are, btw, plenty of affordable places to stay – many with cooking facilities. As I write that, I am reminded of another relative who always met interesting people during the day whom she would bring “home” to dinner. The delightful vegetarian rabbi who came for a dinner of burgers will always be a favorite. Which in so many ways sums up the wonderful vibe of this place!
I’ve resisted saying anything. I have not been to the Chautauqua Institute. I have visited one in my state.
To me, and this is my opinion, it’s a great place. It was set up as a Methodist community at the beginning of the last century to promote faith and community. It retains that today.
It’s a place that many went to summer camp as kids, their kids went and their grandchildren will go. It’s not plush, it has that built a century ago shabby chic, we aren’t all that worried about plush amenities type of place. I’ve only been in a few cottages and while they are starting to be renovated, they are not lavish.
If you are looking for lavish and plush accommodations, go down the road to the very expensive cottage community where see and being seen are what you do.
I can see where it’s an ideal vacation for some. I personally don’t feel like I would fit in.
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100%. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. You’re right in your assessment, @deb922.
And if your vacation time is limited and you are looking for something that is culturally or geographically different (travel) or very sporty or posh, it’s not that.
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We just came back from a Seabourn expedition cruise to Iceland, the Faroe’s, the Shetlands, and Orkney Islands. The Faroe Islands were STUNNING!!! The highest cliffs in Europe, surrounded by fjords, very friendly locals, rich history, amazing seafood. Would be an amazing place to have an active vacation!
There are all kinds of small group hiking tours that do the Faroe’s, including one from Butterfield and Robinson which we heard from others is a great company.
Domestically, we had an absolutely stunning stay at Blackberry Mountain in TN. It’s the sister property to Blackberry Farm but they own an entire mountain. Everything from hiking, to bouldering, to zip lining, to kayaking, to horseback riding, aerial yoga, etc… Food, service, and accommodations were some of the best we’ve ever experienced.
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Did you do Blackberry Mountain on your own or through a group? I think that’s the place I was shocked when I saw the price of, but I could be incorrect.
Stayed there for an event which was heavily subsidized by a family member. It is gorgeous and fun- but definitely on the high end of high. The staff is incredible, you will literally not lift a finger unless you want to-- but there are no ways to keep the costs down at all.
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On our own. Yes it’s pricy but it is truly special.
Thank you! I visited Longwood in spring many years ago! It’s just a few hours’ drive for me, so it might be worth a mini-trip sometime 
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OP here - no final decisions made, but we are thinking our “anniversary trip” will be in the Canadian Rockies, including 3-4 nights at the Moraine Lake Lodge, probably a couple of nights at the Cathedral Mtn Lodge, and a couple of nights in downtown Banff. We did a similar “group trip - hike/bike/helicopter” back in 2000. Someone posted a pic of Moraine Lake on CC recently, and when I showed it to my husband he said “that’s where we should go…” It’s a lovely place, and it’s a splurge for us (rooms are over $1,000 per night). This will likely occur in late July/early August. We are thinking we can take it easy and just enjoy our surroundings while we are there, but we’re not great at staying still for long :).
We are still thinking we will go to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, probably in September. Unfortunately Crater Lake (well, the trail to the lake) will be closed for a couple of years, so we likely won’t make it there during that trip. We may add on another place, like the Oregon shore, or just stay in the Willamette Valley area and bike/do wine tastings.
We may decide to add a trip to Europe onto our list, but we’ll decide that once we get back from our October bike trip in France/Switzerland.
Our actual anniversary is in late April, so we may do something then, but we have a family wedding in early May which will be fairly expensive to attend (and we will likely pay for kids/SOs), which is in Charleston SC. Not sure if we will add on to that trip and go to the shore in NC or SC, hang around Charleston, or maybe do something else entirely.
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We spent a lot of time in the Moraine lake area and don’t regret sleeping in an off-season ski condo in Canmore which was super cheap. It was very easy to get around during the day; we had our pick of fun restaurants (and breakfasts in the condo), and it came in way under budget because of the inexpensive accommodations. We found downtown Banff very cute but traffic was crazy and the restaurants were also crazy and overpriced. We were glad we hadn’t decided to bust the budget with one of the super luxe hotels there. I was going to do afternoon tea at one of them but when we couldn’t get a table with a view, we skipped and went horseback riding instead (there is a nice stable right in downtown Banff….) Just a thought. The mountains, lakes, views, hiking, are all world class but congestion is congestion. The park does a great job managing vehicles- the towns and hotels not so much!
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I appreciate the input. Part of what’s making us want to stay at Moraine Lake Lodge is that you can no longer drive there, you either have to stay there or take a bus up. We may stay in Canmore instead of Banff, but we really liked downtown Banff the two times we were there. When we stayed at the Rimrock we didn’t like having to shuttle or drive to downtown. I haven’t started official planning yet, so we’ll see where we wind up.
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Anyone ever do anything like this? Hang Gliding Interlaken - Fly like you dream | Bumblebee
I was listening to one of my German podcasts and they did something like this - a different place I think. But it sounds right up my alley. And now I’m leaning toward this for my 55th bday (2 years) vs going on a week long hike in the Alps with a German group. H would hate it and he’d hate if I went by myself. This trip we could do together. I don’t think he’d want to fly, and he’s likely too heavy. It lists in 1 place 187 though another it said 200. He’s 190-195.but it would just be a couple of hours of our trip and he could take pictures lol
but we also love scenic train rides, so I thought maybe train through Switzerland and into Italy perhaps. Any other ideas? Food and/or wine tours are NOT us. I’d much rather eat at a food truck vs a fancy restaurant. Scenic nature, especially mountains, history, animals, are more us
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Interlaken area is beautiful and there is lots to do but I would avoid high season - it is very crowded. Go in early May or early October if you can. We went late May and it was ok but getting crowded. Consider staying in one of the smaller towns like Lauterbrunnen or Wengen - all very touristy but beautiful. Transportstion is super easy on the trains. If you want to move south toward Italy afterward we really liked Lugano and it felt like Italy.
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We joke that Lugano is Disney Italy. Architecture, language, food - Italy. But super clean and manicured. Also, super expensive compared to Italy (just an fyi).
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Last September we traveled to Switzerland, stayed in both Interlaken and Wegen. My daughter paraglided in Interlaken and loved it. We also did a small group bike tour to Lauterbrunen, hiked in Wegen and traveled to other towns by train. This was a short trip- just a week. I loved it so much I’d go back again.
Weather was perfect and nothing was crowded.
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Haha yes exactly!
Cost was in between Switzerland and Italy we found.
We are doing a Seabourn cruise around New Zealand Australia ending in Sydney. DHs brother and wife live in Sydney and we will spend an additional 12 days with them.
This trip would fit the $40k. And we are going late December and returning at the beginning of Feb so it will be summer there!
We are very excited about this long trip!!!
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