Attractions

Corning

Corning Inc.'s major gift to the city, the Corning Museum of Glass (I-86, exit 46; tel. 800/732-6845 or 607/937-5371; www.cmog.org), is the premier and most comprehensive collection of historic and art glass in the world. Anyone with an interest in glass (even if you think you are not one, you are almost certain to be surprised), could spend many hours or even days here; it is quite literally dazzling. On view are 45,000 glass pieces representing 35 centuries of glass craftsmanship, beginning with a piece dating from 1411 B.C. There is also a gallery of glass sculpture and a glass innovation center, with ingeniously designed exhibits that depict the use of glass in technology. The museum, now entering its sixth decade, is anything but static: It offers hot-glass demonstrations, glassmaking workshops, and some of the best shopping to be found, with a sprawling array of shops dealing in glass, crystal, and jewelry. Crystal fans familiar with Steuben glass (which originated in Corning), and particularly the work of glass artist Frederick Carder, will delight in finding a huge gallery of his works. The museum is especially well designed for children, who usually can't get enough of the interactive science exhibits and opportunities to handle telescopes and peer out a periscope that "sees" out the roof of the building. A walk-in glass workshop allows visitors to make their very own glass souvenirs. The museum is open daily from 9am to 5pm; July through Labor Day it's open daily until 8pm. Admission is $12.50 per adult, children 17 & under are free. With one paid admission, you are allowed to visit again one time in the same calendar year for free. A $16.50 combination ticket for adults ($15 for seniors and students) includes admission to CMoG and the Rockwell Museum . The museum also operates a free shuttle service from the museum to Market Street, downtown.

The Rockwell Museum of Western Art, 111 Cedar St. (tel. 607/937-5386; www.rockwellmuseum.org), which occupies the former City Hall, maintains an excellent collection of both historic and contemporary Western and Native American art, as well as one of the best-designed small museums in the Northeast. An inviting design of bold colors and gorgeous woods inside the shell of a neo-Romanesque building, the museum features daring juxtapositions that work surprisingly well, including a number of fantastic pieces by Native Americans. The second floor features a lodge room with a fireplace, couches, and chairs, and feels ripped from a classic Western lodge inn. A neat idea for children is the color-coded "art backpacks," which come equipped with games and lesson and drawing books, making the museum an especially interactive place. Museum hours are as follows: July through Labor Day daily from 9am to 8pm; September through June, Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm. Admission is $6.50 for adults, $5.50 for seniors and students, $4.50 for children 6 to 17, and free for children under 6. Allow an hour or two.

Those hungry to get outdoors can do so on the water or in the air. Today's Tom Sawyer, 56 Golden Glow Dr., Elmira (tel. 607/734-3804), offers raft and inflatable kayak rentals on the Chemung River for river trips from Corning to Elmira. Balloons Over Corning, 352 Brewster St., Painted Post (tel. 607/937-3910), organizes hot-air balloons with beautiful views over Corning and the Finger Lakes area. Flights take off 2 hours before sunset in summer.

Elmira

Although Elmira's most famous son currently is Tommy Hilfiger, the designer who co-opted red, white, and blue from Ralph Lauren and successfully marketed his jeans and sweats to the hip-hop community, the city was once home to a much more important cultural figure. Mark Twain, born Samuel Clemens, met and married his wife, Olivia Langdon, in Elmira, and he spent 20 summers in the area. From his study at Quarry Farm, he composed some of his most famous works, including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. On the pretty campus of Elmira College, 1 Park Place (between Fifth St. and Washington Ave.), is the Center for Mark Twain Studies (closed to the public) as well as Twain's original study from 1874, now a literary landmark, with several original artifacts, including his chair, photographs taken at the farm, and several documents. The study, located next to the pond, is open to visitors mid-June through August, Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (tel. 607/735-1941; free admission). Twain, his wife, and their children are buried at Elmira's Woodlawn Cemetery (Walnut St.; tel. 607/732-0151; daily 8am-9pm). Twain himself wrote many of the epitaphs on the tombstones. Nearby, Woodlawn National Cemetery hides a little-known secret: the graves of some 3,000 Confederate soldiers, making it the northernmost Confederate grave site (at one time, there were about 12,000 POWs in Elmira, which earned it the sobriquet "Hellmira," at least down South).

Architecture buffs may be amazed by the collection of Victorian, Greek, Tudor, and Georgian Revival houses, built in the mid- to late-19th and early 20th centuries. Pick up a copy of A Walking Tour of the History Near Westside (available at the Tourism Information Office and several inns and hotels), which spotlights and describes a few dozen homes along West Church and West Water streets, and to a lesser degree, Gray, Walnut, and Grove streets, all just north of the Chemung River. Elmira's major museum, the Arnot Art Museum, 235 Lake St. (tel. 607/734-3697), is housed in an 1833 neoclassical mansion. The museum contains 17th- to 19th-century European paintings, 19th- and 20th-century American art, and some Egyptian works on loan from the Met. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday from 1 to 5pm; admission is $5 for adults, $4.50 for seniors and college students, and $2.50 for children ages 6 to 12.

About 5 miles north of Elmira, the National Warplane Museum, 17 Aviation Dr., Horseheads (tel. 607/739-8200; www.warplane.org), is the place to see 37 original military flying machines from World War I to the Gulf War. Even better than seeing the planes up close, though, is the opportunity to go up in one -- whether a PT-17 or a B-17 bomber, known as "Fuddy Duddy." Flights aren't cheap (ranging $150-$400 per person; Apr-Nov only; reservations required), but it could be the thrill of a lifetime. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 4pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm, and Sunday from 11am to 5pm; admission is $7 for adults, $5.50 for seniors, $4 for children 6 to 17.

The National Soaring Museum, Harris Hill, 51 Soaring Hill Dr. (just south of Rte. 17, exit 49, 50, or 51; tel. 607/734-3128; www.soaringmuseum.org), has the country's largest collection of gliders and sailplanes that takes visitors through the history of motorless flight, but also offers graceful sailplane rides in either a Schleicher 21 or Schweizer 233 ($55-$65; spring through fall; reservations recommended), a unique and mesmerizing experience. Flights soar some 2,000 feet after takeoff from Harris Hill, providing stunning views of the valley. The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Admission is $6.50 for adults, $5.50 for seniors, and $4 for children 5 to 17.

Shoppers shouldn't miss The Christmas House, 361 Maple Ave. (tel. 607/734-9547), a gift shop housed in a Queen Anne mansion that stocks all manner of Christmas and other items and has become a bit of a destination all its own. The top spot in town for performing arts is the Clemens Center, 207 Clemens Center Pkwy. (tel. 800/724-0159; www.clemenscenter.com), which hosts orchestra, dance, and theater, including Rent and La Bohème.

Tip: One of the best ways to see a lot of Elmira in a short time is to hop aboard The Elmiran, a green trolley car that makes daily runs July and August, with a narrated history of the town, Mark Twain, and more. Catch it at the Holiday Inn Riverview, 760 E. Water St. (tel. 607/734-4211; $2 adults, free for children under 12).

Women Make the Grade -- Founded in 1855, Elmira College, off exit 56 of Route 17/I-86, was the first exclusive women's college and the first institution of higher learning to grant degrees to women that were equal in stature to those awarded men.