2023 Fall Mystery Tour

On Tuesday, I went on my second Mystery Tour with First Choice Travel in Batavia, NY…..this is where you know from where and what time you leave, what time you’ll return, that you’ll have a nice lunch, and that you won’t be more than four hours away….but, that’s all you know! I did one last December and LOVED it!!! (I’ll put a link to that blog post at the end of this post if you want to read about that mystery, too!) Before I took that first tour, I wondered about a couple key things: What if I spend the money and 1) end up going somewhere I don’t have any interest in or 2) end up going somewhere I’ve been before? Well, I typically responded to both the same way: I still get away for the day with someone else doing the driving…..and, add for the # 2 concern that just cause I’ve been there before doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy going again and I just might see it from a perspective I didn’t see it the previous time. As it turns out….so far….# 1 hasn’t been a problem at all…..and # 2 did come true on the most recent tour, but as you’ll read here, it was absolutely not a problem, either!!!

So, on Tuesday, I got up about 6:00 am to get myself up and ready to head to Batavia – about a 25 minute or so drive – to meet the bus by 7:30-ish. We all gathered and started getting on the bus by 7:45-ish and we were on our way by just about the estimated departure time of 8:00 am.

Our bus…..I believe I heard there were about 35 or so of us on this tour.

Our fearless leader, Kathy Hamm, and our driver, Brian……both were amazing!!! Kathy made the day super fun and Brian got us there safely and with a friendly smile!

Our first indication of where we were going was when we got on the thruway going EAST…..of course, that really wasn’t much of a clue – there’s a TON of places we could have been headed going east on the thruway! hehehe But, it fueled my thought that we might be going to the Southern Tier to see the fall foliage around the Finger Lakes and maybe visit some wineries. I was wrong….well, not totally – we did get down to the Finger Lakes area and we did have some tastings…..but, I’m not giving away the mysteries until I finish the build up of each of the stops…..but, as you’ll see, I wasn’t “totally” wrong in my original assumption.

After we were on the road for a little over an hour, we made a very quick pit stop at one of the new rest areas on the thruway – just long enough for a restroom break and to grab a cup of coffee. I didn’t get off the bus, but did take this cool pic of a cute frog outside the entrance from my seat on the bus:

Ain’t he a cutie???

Just as we started to get into Syracuse, Kathy gave us a couple hints……one of the hints referred to red shoes and I instantly knew it had to be Chittenango – the birthplace of L. Frank Baum – the author of the OZ books! WOO HOO!!! So…..we were going somewhere I’ve been before…..BUT…..it was somewhere I REALLY enjoyed and have recommended to others many times over the years and thought many times about going back – even thought about it as recently as within the past few weeks! My visit to Oz is a very fond memory for me. (I’ll also include the link to THAT blog post at the end of this one for you, as well)

I was happy to see that, yes – I was correct! I got a bit excited, but also wondered what we would be doing there – it wasn’t Oz-Stravaganza time (that’s the first weekend in June every year) and it was just the first of our stops, so we likely wouldn’t be there for several hours. When we arrived, we discovered we would be touring the “All Things Oz Museum” – a wonderful place jam-packed with thousands of Oz-themed memorabilia, information, and trinkets. Which brings me back to # 2 of the concerns I had about going on Mystery Tours — I have already been to this museum! But, my rationale was spot on — the first time I went through this museum, I did it as a self-guided walk through – which I totally enjoyed! This time, we were treated to the fully guided tour with an absolutely amazing guide who explained every single item and tidbit of information related to L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz movie, the Oz books, the other movies and plays and comic books and on and on that spun off from the original books and movie! WOW!!! It was so incredible!!! And, so much better than just walking through and seeing it all without all the back-stories!!! Everyone had an awesome time and raved and raved about the tour and what they learned.

I neglected to get a photo of the front of the museum…..I know, not like me at all, but I messed up – sorry! But, I did get a photo of the section of Chittenango’s yellow brick sidewalk that runs all along the main street on both sides. It was a drizzly day, so the sidewalk was wet and not as pretty as I remember it….but, if you click on the link for the blog post from my previous visit to Oz (at the end of this post), then you’ll see better pics of it!

Some of the exhibits…..most items in the museum are original…..some are replicas……some donated…..some the foundation has purchased over the years…..all are wonderful to see and learn about! They really do have an incredible collection.

Of course, I had to take a few selfies with the friends I found along the yellow brick road!!!

I wish I could have snatched up this table and chairs to take home to my great niece….she would have LOVED it!!!

Can’t visit Oz without coming across a flying monkey, now, can you???

This caught my eye, too…..so cute!!!

I love that they have this great backdrop for photos so you can commemorate your visit to Oz!!!

When we finished there, we drove the approximately 10 miles to nearby Cazenovia!!! This is part of my assertion that I wasn’t “totally” wrong in my guess that we might end up in the Finger Lakes! While Cazenovia Lake is not officially one of the Finger Lakes, it is located on the eastern end of the Finger Lakes and is often referred to as the “12th Finger Lake”. So…..we were definitely “Finger Lakes Adjacent”! hahahaha

On our way from Chittenango to Cazenovia, I got a view of the Chittenango Falls that was very different than the other times I’ve seen it. I always came up on it from the other direction and never realized you could see it from the road going the direction we went on Tuesday — and very close up, too! WOW!!! Really different perspective!

We had lunch at the Lincklaen House in downtown Cazenovia. I’ve also been to Cazenovia – I had lunch there on one of the days I spent in “Oz”, did a bit of shopping, and sat by the beautiful Cazenovia Lake. This time, I got to enjoy lunch with a fun group of people – in particular the ladies at my table – at a place I didn’t even notice the last time I was there! So, SCORE!

The Lincklaen House is a stunning hotel established in 1835. To say it is stunning, actually doesn’t do it justice, but I can’t think of a better word. It is beautifully decorated, warm and inviting, and the staff were so friendly and welcoming and seemed to enjoy us being there as much as we did!

And….the food….OMG…..absolutely incredible!!!

Beautiful old architecture beckons you inside!

What a lovely setting…..so inviting!!!

We were sent a menu of three entrée selections to choose from ahead of time. I had the Petite Filet Mignon w/ Bordelaise Sauce, mashed potatoes, and veggies! Absolutely perfect…it was a perfect mid-rare and so tender I cut it with a butter knife, the sauce was rich and delicious, and the squash medley was buttery and sweet – soooo good!!! The other choices were Chicken Picatta – pan seared chicken w/ lemon caper sauce, rice, and veggies or Cracker Encrusted Haddock with dill beurre blanc, rice, and veggies. The people who chose those raved about them, too – everyone absolutely loved their meals!!!

In addition to our entrée selections we each had an amazing LARGE pop-over with butter, a salad, and an apple-crisp-like dessert served with vanilla ice cream!

After a meal like that, it was good that we were given some free time to stroll around downtown Cazenovia to shop, sit, or just walk. Some shopped, some stayed in the hotel to enjoy coffee and conversation, and some just sort of wandered around and hung out…..I wandered the street a bit and then found a nice bench to sit and enjoy some conversations with some of my fellow mystery seekers in the nice fresh air! The day was a bit “gray” and a tad chilly, but while we were there, it was more refreshing than cold and nice to just relax and recuperate from the rich meal we just ate!

We didn’t stop at Cazenovia Lake, but we drove up to it and along side of it for a bit — lovely!!!

From there, we went to a nearby Critz Farms. It is a family owned farm that is also a brewery and cidery. They brew their own beers and press their own ciders – both sweet and hard ciders. We were treated to a flight of our choice – mix and match up to four items as we liked. Or we could have had a glass of any one item. They also offer wines that we could have tasted, but they are not their own wines.

So…this also takes me back to my claim that I wasn’t “totally wrong” in my original guess — we did enjoy some tastings….just not at a winery! Actually, I tend to enjoy breweries more than wineries, anyway….although, either are a nice treat! I don’t generally drink anymore, but do like a taste now and then and always find places like this interesting and fun! 🙂

The farm includes the tasting room, a corn maze, gift shop, a play area for kids, and area where you can visit the animals….and probably other stuff I didn’t notice! Nice place!!!

Look at all those pumpkins!!! The gift shop is in those open doors there on the side of the barn.

This is my flight….from left to right…..I got the Deep Well Pilsner, the Roasted Pumpkin Ale, the Double Vision Cider – a hard, but sweet apple cider, and the 20 Below Ice Cider – a VERY sweet dessert cider with a high alcohol content. All were VERY good!!! I’m not usually crazy about flavored beers, but thought it wouldn’t be right to not try the pumpkin one – given it is pumpkin season and all – and I really liked it!!! The pilsner was very smooth and refreshing. I’m also not usually a fan of hard ciders, but I really liked both of these! The ice cider was a bit strong and overly sweet, so I wouldn’t want much more than the small tasting they gave us, but I did really like it!!

The tasting room is straight ahead beyond that big white sign. It was a lovely room with lots of high tables and a bar. Very inviting and comfortable. I thought I took some photos of the room, but guess I just dreamed that I did, cause I don’t have any…..hhhmmm!!!

Here’s their tasting menu….

And….on the way to the tasting room, they told us we could poke our head in to see their antique cider press – that was cool!

Of course, I had to visit the gift shop…..

In case you need to ask….yes, I got some fudge to take home!!! hehehe

These are just a few more pics of the farm — inside the barn going in to the gift shop and the areas where they have the animals and kids playground. I didn’t walk down there – it was a steep walk on uneven surface, so I didn’t think it was wise to try it….but, the thought of seeing animals almost won me over!

When we were done at Critz Farm, we headed back to Batavia. What a wonderful day!!! Fun things to see and do, good company, great food, and just a great way to spend a day away with someone else doing the driving!!!

We got back to Batavia just a tad after the anticipated return time of 7:30 pm – after another quick pit stop on the thruway on the way. I had the drive to Albion after that, so I got home a little after 8:00….and I slept good that night!!! hehehe

I highly recommend doing the Mystery Tours that First Choice Travel put on – they offer 3-4 a year and so far, I have thoroughly enjoyed the two I’ve been on and from what I read about some of the others when they post afterwards, they all are quite nice tours and well worth the $149!!! While I know there are other groups that put these types of tours on and I’m sure they are very nice, as well, I can only speak personally to the Mystery Tours that First Choice Travel do – and I can say without hesitation that they do a really good job putting them together! I will definitely do them again….in fact, I’m a bit bummed that I am not able to do the one they have scheduled for December 10th……but, there’s always next year!

I also highly recommend all the places we visited on this tour… Chittenango and Cazenovia are sweet little towns to spend time in….Chittenango also has a beautiful waterfall with walking trails, a very nice canal museum, and they put on an amazing Oz-Stravaganza festival the first week in June every year. And….I would definitely recommend stopping in at the Critz Farms!

Here are the links I promised you:

Read about my FIRST Mystery Tour by clicking here!

Read about my visit to Oz and the Oz-Stravaganza Festival by clicking here!

And, a bonus link — just outside of Chittenango is a wonderful animal park called “The Wild Animal Park” – read about my time there on my way to Oz by clicking here!

Hope you enjoyed this post and any of the links you clicked….until next time – Happy Adventuring!