The Beauty Around Us

Finger Lakes Vacation: Day 6

By Linda G. on June 12, 2022

We planned to drive into Auburn on Monday (May 30) to watch the Memorial Day parade.  We reviewed the parade route. The parade route was short, and we opted not to go.  Instead we relaxed at the Airbnb. I took a few pictures, while we relaxed.

Bob and I went for a walk down and back up Wyckoff Road. This road goes by the Airbnb.

Late morning or very early in the afternoon we drove into Auburn to see some of the city’s attractions. The city of Auburn is an approximate 8-mile drive from our Airbnb.

The first two places that we visited relate to Harriet Tubman, an African-American abolitionist who was born into slavery in Maryland in 1820. After emancipating herself and members of her family, she moved them from Ontario, Canada to Fleming and Auburn, New York in 1859. Central New York was a center for progressive thought, abolition, and women’s suffrage where Tubman continued to fight for human rights and dignity until she died in 1913.

Harriet Tubman is buried at Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, NY.

We also saw the the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center, the William H Seward House, and the Memorial to Cayuga County Soldiers and Sailors of the Civil War.

The New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center is Auburn’s Welcome Center. According to an online information source this center features a state-of-the-art exhibition titled “Seeing Equal Rights in NYS”, where New York State’s progressive history supporting equality comes to life through interactive displays. Unfortunately, the center was closed. We could only walk through its grounds.

Next door to the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center is the Seward House Museum.

William H Seward was a politician of the 19th century. He served as NYS Senator from 1830 to 1834, as NYS Governor from 1838 to 1842 and as Secretary of the State from 1860 to 1868.

The Seward House Museum was not open at the time.

Across the street from the Seward House Museum and next door to City Hall is a Memorial to Cayuga County Soldiers and Sailors of the Civil War.

We left downtown Auburn and drove to Tom Thumb Drive In and had ice cream for lunch. The view from Tom Thumb is gorgeous.

We didn’t play golf…maybe next time.

We left Tom Thumb Drive In and drove around Owasco Lake. We drove south down the eastern side of the lake and up the western side. On Thursday we had driven around the lake in the opposite direction.

There is an area to the right of this sign, where it is possible to pull off the road and park for a short time. We did this, as I wanted to photograph Owasco Lake a short walk from here.

Back at home, at 4:30 pm, we prepared our Memorial Day dinner.