Overview
Chautauqua County is in the Southern Tier of New York state.
1 things to do
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Chautauqua County
Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail
There are 21 wineries along 40 miles of Lake Erie countryside.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Sep. Summer highs reach about 81°F; winter lows dip to about 14°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Jun and Jul. (climate data from nearby Titusville)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- ERI Erie International Tom Ridge Field, Erie — 41 mi away. Directions
- BFD Bradford Regional Airport, Bradford — 51 mi away. Directions
- BUF Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Buffalo — 57 mi away (major hub). Directions
Sample 3-day trip
- Day 1: Jamestown — National Comedy Center, The Lucy-Desi Museum, Chautauqua Belle.
- Day 2: Chautauqua — Miller Bell Tower.
- Day 3: Fredonia — State University of New York (Fredonia).
Built from the best-covered destinations in this region; open each for its own day plan.
Food for you
If you like Buffalo wings, you will find them in many bars and restaurants.
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Places in Chautauqua County
Understand
Chautauqua County is an area of rolling, wooded hills and small towns in the extreme southwest of New York State, much closer to Cleveland and Toronto than New York City. As a result, it has a somewhat Midwestern vibe.
Cities
- Chautauqua , a tiny town that is home to the Chautauqua Institution.
- Dunkirk , a port on Lake Erie
- Fredonia , the home of State University of New York at Fredonia.
- Jamestown , a small city, yet the largest in the county.
- Mayville , a village that is the county seat.
Other destinations
Chautauqua Lake, the inland ribbon of water that gave the county its name. Most people visit in the summer, when the weather is best, but another popular choice is fall, as the leaves are changing color.
Get in
By plane
- Chautauqua County/Jamestown Airport (JHW)) is very small. Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) is larger, though further away. When you price shop, work in the cost of transportation from each airport into your calculation, as the distance between Buffalo and Chautauqua County is significant.
Get around
You will have trouble getting around the county without a car.
See
The most pleasant things to see in this county are the landscape and the wonder of the tremendous Lake Erie. Lake Chautauqua - much longer than it is wide, like the Finger Lakes, but not considered a finger lake - is also beautiful, but generally too cold to swim in even in the summer.
Do
- Skiing/Snowboarding: If winter sports are more your thing, there are many places in the hilly interior where you can carve your trail in the slopes.
Eat
If you like Buffalo wings, you will find them in many bars and restaurants.
Go next
- Buffalo
- Niagara Falls
- Erie, Pennsylvania
Nearby
Randolph
City / town · 10 listings · 24 mi away
Cattaraugus
City / town · 9 listings · 28 mi away
Little Valley
City / town · 13 listings · 31 mi away
Evans
City / town · 1 listings · 32 mi away
Warren
City / town · 3 listings · 33 mi away
Erie
City / town · 43 listings · 36 mi away
Allegany State Park
Park · 29 listings · 36 mi away
Salamanca
City / town · 6 listings · 36 mi away
My experience
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