Guide · Hammondsport
The Glenn Curtiss Museum and a Taste of Hammondsport
Hammondsport is a village of about a thousand people at the southern tip of Keuka Lake. It is known for wine now, but before the vineyards took the name, it was known for flight. The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum is where that history is kept, and it is one of the few places around here that will hold a visitor for two hours without a glass in hand.
We send guests there regularly, usually families, usually on a day when the weather has turned. It is on State Route 54, the same road that runs up the west side of the lake past our gate. You can do the museum and a tasting in one afternoon without hurrying either.
What is the Glenn Curtiss Museum?
The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum is an aviation and transportation museum at 8419 State Route 54 in Hammondsport, NY. Its 60,000 square foot building holds aircraft, vintage motorcycles, automobiles and engines, along with a working restoration shop, a 75-seat theater and a gift shop.
Glenn Curtiss was born in Hammondsport and built his first machines here. Motorcycles first, then aircraft. The museum grew out of that local history and kept growing. What surprises most visitors is the range. Beyond the aeroplanes there are antique tools, toys, boats, home furnishings and fire equipment, the sort of collection that accumulates when a village decides to keep its own record.
The part worth planning for is the restoration shop. Visitors are welcome to walk in, watch the volunteer craftsmen work on historic aircraft, and ask them what they are doing. They will tell you. It is the most alive room in the building, and it is the one people talk about afterwards.
Current hours and admission are on the museum's own site, and they shift with the season, so it is worth a look before you drive over. The museum can also be reached at (607) 569-2160.
How long should you plan for the museum?
Most visitors spend between an hour and two hours. An hour covers the aircraft and motorcycles at a steady pace. Two hours lets you take in the wider collection and spend real time in the restoration shop, which is the part guests tend to remember.
If you are travelling with children, plan for the longer end. The scale of the machines does the work, and there is no need to read every card. And if the day is wet, this is the place that saves it. There are not many indoor hours available at this end of the lake.
What else is there to do in the village?
Hammondsport is built around a village square with places to eat, small shops and a short walk down to the waterfront. Most of it sits within a few blocks, so the museum, lunch and the lake can be done on foot in an afternoon before driving up the west side road.
The square is the centre of it. From there it is a short walk to the water, and the whole village can be crossed in ten minutes. We keep a separate guide to things to do in Hammondsport and one on where to eat around the lake, which will save you circling for a table.
An afternoon that works
- Museum first, while attention is fresh. An hour and a half is a good measure.
- Lunch on the village square, ten minutes away on foot.
- The west side road up the lake, with the water on your right.
- A seated tasting to close the day, once the sun comes around.
Where do we fit in?
We are Céline and Sébastien LeSeurre. We make wine on the hills above Keuka, on the same State Route 54 that runs past the museum, a few minutes north of the village. Sébastien is the sixth generation of a winemaking family from Champagne, and we settled here in 2012 because of this lake and this slope. French roots, Finger Lakes soul.
Curtiss built his machines in this village because the hills gave him room to fail. We planted here for the same reason — the ground lets you try things.
A seated tasting runs about forty-five minutes. We will walk you through the wines and where they grew, without hurry. Dogs are welcome, inside and on the terrace, and children have a tasting of their own that our daughters put together.
Finish the afternoon above the lake.
Common questions about the museum
Where is the Glenn Curtiss Museum?
The museum is at 8419 State Route 54, Hammondsport, NY 14840, at the southern end of Keuka Lake. It can be reached at (607) 569-2160.
How big is the Glenn Curtiss Museum?
The building covers 60,000 square feet and holds aircraft, vintage motorcycles, automobiles and engines, plus antique tools, toys, boats and fire equipment. It also has a 75-seat theater and a gift shop.
Can you watch the aircraft restoration work?
Yes. The museum restoration shop is open to visitors, who are welcome to watch the volunteer craftsmen work on historic aircraft and talk with them about what they are restoring.
Is the Glenn Curtiss Museum good for a rainy day?
It is one of the better indoor options at the southern end of Keuka Lake. Most visitors spend an hour to two hours there, and the scale of the machines holds the attention of children as well as adults.
Written by
The Domaine LeSeurre Team
Céline & Sébastien LeSeurre and the team at Domaine LeSeurre — a family winery on Keuka Lake, in Hammondsport, New York. French roots, Finger Lakes soul.
