Easy question:  What is your favorite zoo in Upstate New yuork?

Not so easy question:  What is your favorite Aquarium in Upstate New York?

There are over a dozen zoos, animal parks, and places to feed, pet, or ride animals in Upstate New York.  Some of the best of these are in small rural locales, like ZOO NY in Watertown, or Animal Adventure Park in tiny Harpursville.  Thousands visit these places, and all the others, each year.

But aquariums are few and far between in Upstate New York.  But we do have two very large, very cool aquariums here, located on either end of Upstate:  the Capital District and Niagara Falls.

Via Aquarium is located in Schenectady in a former mall (Rotterdam Square Mall).  It is a sprawling place with thousands of square feet of water tanks and exhibits.  They host many family friendly events each year, and Via has now become a major tourist destination when visiting this area.

Aquarium of Niagara is located in western New York just a few steps from the New York side of Niagara Falls.  This is a unique place where kids (of all ages!) can get up close with friendly encounters with sea creatures like seals, penguins, sea lions, and more.  It too has turned into a busy place during tourist season and has now become a great new adventure for the ever-growing tourist sector on the New York side of Niagara Falls.

This gallery takes a sneak peek at these two places.  You will see photos, hear stories, and also will be informed as to "Know Before You Go" information about each aquarium (admission prices, locations, website, etc.)

These are both great places and we encourage all of our readers to go and have a great adventure at either (or both ) Aquarium of Niagara and the Via Aquarium!

Go "Under the Sea" At These Two Large Upstate New York Aquariums

We have written about the many zoos, animal parks, and places to get up close with lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!) in Upstate New York. These two large aquariums, one in Niagara Falls and one in the Capital District, are great fun and should not be overlooked!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

A Remarkable Look Inside 22 Of Upstate New York's Most Historic Churches!

There are just way too many beautiful churches in Upstate New York to even begin a comprehensive list of them all. So this gallery is a bit different. It is unique in that for each of the 22 historic places of worship we highlight, we also include a video tour of the interiors of the place (if available). If no video of the interior was possible, we inserted a video of the exterior, grounds, etc. So you can do your exploring from the comfort of your own laptop! You will enjoy seeing the splendor of these magnificent places in our gallery.

Here you will see majestic cathedrals, a Tibetan monastery, a church that ultimately found fame as a fort, a church that is world-renowned as a "temple to the art of Tiffany windows,: two important churches that were way stations along the Underground Railroad, plus the smallest church in the world!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

Upstate New York Road Trip: Spotlight on Broome County!

We continue with our series of county spotlights with a closer look at Broome County. The county has a population of about 200,000 residents, with a quarter of them (50,000) living in and around the county seat of Binghamton. Home to fine schools including the State University of New York at Binghamton, one of the system's four university centers.

The county has many small town and villages as well as the larger cities of Binghamton, Vestal, Johnson City, Endicott, and Endwell. These smaller places include Chenango Bridge, Windsor, Deposit, Harpursville, Whitney Point (home of the Broome County Fair), and others. The county covers over 700 square miles.

Here is a list of 21 things to do and see to make your trip to beautiful Broome County enjoyable.

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

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