The winds drifting through the hills surrounding New York’s Finger Lakes constantly shift, making it possible to catch a ride on one of them on just about any spring, summer or fall day. Aloft, you’ll look down on sweeping views of the valleys and lakes of this idyllic region.
Your magic carpet, as it were, will be a sailplane you’ll board at the Harris Hill Soaring Center in Elmira, New York. Try out the Schweizer 2-33 sailplane, the sort that’s widely used as a training craft, or the high-performance Schleicher ASK-21, which provides the smoothest ride.
Before you board, visit the National Soaring Museum to learn how Elmira became a soaring center with gliding contests in the 1930s and training flights during World War II. On display are a 1930s winch truck, which towed planes onto the runway, World War II troop gliders — some of them used in the D-Day landing at Normandy — and replicas of 1902 and 1911 gliders used by the Wright brothers.
You can also earn your wings on the museum’s flight simulator, a computerized program that puts you in the cockpit and lets you land a sailplane. The museum is part of Harris Hill Park, an outdoor recreation area built in the ’30s by the Works Progress Administration. The park’s 400 wooded acres have hiking trails, a pool, miniature golf, a driving range and an amusement park.
If visiting the museum turns your family into aircraft buffs, head over to the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center at Elmira-Corning Regional Airport. The center houses impeccably restored military transport, fighter and observation planes.