Genesee Country Village & Museum

Each time I visit the Genesee Country Village & Museum (GCV&M) I experience it in a completely new way. This past weekend, Charlie and I were delighted to dine at the Hosmer Inn, at the invitation of friends who had “won” the experience in GCV&M’s Whirl fundraiser last fall. The Village was virtually empty when we arrived at 6pm, after closing hours, and the stillness was serene and unexpected. It was a leisurely stroll to Hosmer Inn, where most of the group was already gathered, and wine and beer began to flow. 

The Intrepid Ale tasted a bit fruity (I was informed it had lemon and ginger) and was delightfully refreshing at the end of what had been a perfect summer day.

Thus fortified, our interpreter for the evening, Allison, led a few of us on a brief tour of the Inn, which was built in 1818, and originally sat on Route 5, between Avon and Caledonia near the (now defunct) Genesee Valley Canal. Each of the rooms for rent was “high class” – clients rented a whole room (except for one room, which had 2 separate beds that could be rented), not just a bed or a spot on a floor, and each room had its own chamber pot – no sharing required! 

Our tour also took us to the basement to see the kitchen, which was a good 15 degrees cooler, and where day laborers would have taken meals. Allison was in costume, and as a lover of history, she was extremely knowledgeable about the village and the period in general. But she wasn’t “in character,” as Mrs. Hosmer, for example, because that would have prevented her from interacting with 21^stcentury visitors. That subtle distinction would have escaped me entirely had she not explained it.

When we joined the group back on the ground floor, it was time to sit and eat. We were divided in two rooms, and our server was actually Allison’s husband, Stephen. Both work full time at the GCV&M (Allison fell in love with the history of the village as a child, and has worked there for 9 years, and I think she even met her husband there, if I heard correctly). I learned from our hosts that, unlike some of the other living museums in the country, all 68 of GCV&M’s buildings are genuine; they are original structures that have been moved to Mumford, not built in place to look like something from the 1800s. Also, while I had always thought that the Village was the Museum, one of our hosts gently corrected me and encouraged me to visit the Gallery, which houses collections of sporting art and costumes, on my next visit.

Each course of the dinner was delicious: the hearty bread and interesting pickled fruits and vegetables; beef and cabbage soup; pork, with applesauce, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and a delicious mustard I would have bought a jar of, if it were for sale; and finally, the delicious cheesecake, which I’m sure we all wanted seconds of when they were offered, but we politely declined! Accompanying the dessert were incredible candied orange and ginger. It was such a lovely and leisurely meal, and such a joy to be away from the bustle and stresses of life for a few hours, enjoying good food and drink and conversation with old friends and new ones in the making.

There are so many different events at GCV&M throughout the summer that each visit brings some new adventure. I am seriously considering both the Lewis Carroll weekend and the Fiddlers’ Fair. And next time I have company from out of town, the GCV&M will definitely be on my list of places to take them.