1. Oneida County History Center

0

Utica, NY

Cancel

Open app

Search

Oneida County History Center

3.0 (1 review)
Closed • 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

Oneida County History Center Photos

Recommended Reviews - Oneida County History Center

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration
Photo of Tim L.
17
66
223

15 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Ask the Community - Oneida County History Center

Munson - Sol LeWitt; Wall Piece #2; 1976; white painted wood

Munson

4.5(13 reviews)
0.7 mi
•$

This was an unexpected gem of an art museum in the heart of Utica. We came here on a half-day trip…read morefrom Cooperstown (1 hour away on rural roads) for a brief visit and had modest expectations. The MWPAI has two main buildings and includes a lovely collection of paintings and sculptures. The highlight of the museum is the set of paintings by Thomas Cole on the top floor of the main building. These works illustrate various stages in one's life cycle from youth to middle-age to older-age. I was impressed by the quality of the collection here and a visiting exhibit of works by a contemporary artist from Atlanta. We arrived around 11:30am on a Thursday and went immediately to the Terrace Cafe after a quick restroom stop. The cafe is open from 11am to 3pm Tuesdays through Saturdays and has outdoor seating. I was impressed by the quality of our bistro-style lunch prepared by a professional chef. We enjoyed some iced tea and the fried deviled eggs with horseradish, dijon and scallions as an appetizer. My 13-year old son devoured his MWP burger (mustard-whiskey-peppercorn glaze), while I had the Saratoga Quiche which was light and refreshing. We were too full for dessert. Who knew that Utica could provide an elegant yet affordable lunch with a lovely outdoor view? Be sure to ask the waiter for recommendations on main dishes and appetizers. Although the service can be a bit slow, it's a delightful spot for a leisurely lunch where you can relax and unwind. My wife, teenage sons (15 yrs, 13 yrs) and I really enjoyed our short day trip to Utica. MWPAI was a highlight along with Utica Coffee Roasters and the half-moon cookies from Hemstrought Bakery.

I was glad to make another quick visit here. The Mad Men interior space alone is worth a step…read moreinside but I wanted to see an exhibit of seven glorious Tiffany stained glass windows that were recently rediscovered. These luminous eight-foot tall angels were aglow in a darkened gallery.

Photos
Munson - Ralston Crawford; Buildings; 1936; oil on canvas

Ralston Crawford; Buildings; 1936; oil on canvas

Munson - Interior of Main Building.

Interior of Main Building.

Munson - Philip Johnson designed this building completed in 1960

See all

Philip Johnson designed this building completed in 1960

Adirondack Scenic Railroad - Getting ready to go

Adirondack Scenic Railroad

2.9(34 reviews)
1.7 mi

We took the train out of Utica, for what was basically the fall gateway leaf peeping tour. I had…read morenever actually been on a train ride so I'll give it five stars all day because it was a pretty relaxing time. There were different price points as far as tickets and the main difference was the amount of seating and legroom you would have. We did walk around the entire train when it reached our destination because they kept it stopped for long enough as they had to move the engine to the other end to drag it back down the track toward Utica, and some of the cars you could tell were a little more cramped but all of them had tables in front of the seating so you could enjoy beverages and random food items. We ended up booking the diamond class lower level. I originally wanted the upper level because the ceilings were glassed in however it was sold out and as it worked out I'm glad I didn't get that level cuz the amount of legroom on the upper level was not anywhere near as spacious as the lower level diamond class. We had these comfy chairs that were almost better the one I have in my living room at the house. The train ride we booked came with an hors d'oeuvre kind of a thing. We had a small meat and cheese platter and some shrimp, and it also came with one alcoholic beverage per adult. While we were walking around the train checking out the rest of the cars, one of the cars had a separate little bar/food area and that particular train car had chocolate cake . So yes absolutely we bought some chocolate cake and took it back to our own seats in the diamond class where a few other people got a little jealous because.. I mean hey where did you get the cake? The whole ride took about 4 and 1/2 hours, there were a couple of cool features on the train like this old style Barber chair which was probably left over from when the train was originally in use, and this one gentleman came into the car on the way back and gave us a brief history of the entire railroad and why it existed and that was also rather interesting. The only downside to this particular trip was the scenic splendor. I had expected a train ride into the Adirondacks for the sole purpose of checking out the foliage to include maybe some spots where you'd be going over a bridge and you'd be able to see rolling hills of multicolored leaves and stuff like that. Yeah not so much . Aside from a few bodies of water, creeks and small ponds, there weren't really any open areas to see the leaves. The tracks basically go through people's backyards and both sides of the tracks have trees growing on them but a lot of the branches are missing and the leaves are already gone. I mean I can't need Dr star for this because the railroad themselves can't really control where the track is. That was up to the person that originally built it and it wasn't for the scene expender it was more than likely for the usefulness of what they needed it for. So anyway I'd give the whole thing a five-star deal and as an added bonus there was a whole lot of the area that didn't have any cell service, which I consider a bonus because if nobody can call me for a couple hours it's that much more peaceful.

This ride and stop at Old Forge was a blast... My friend [the railroad buff] told a few of us…read moreabout this trip and the opportunity to ride an older RR to the beautiful old town of "Old Forge." For me it was going to be one big photo opportunity. It was fun from the moment we boarded until we arrived. We were guided through some of the stops with short history lessons. The dome car was amazing and really gave us a great view of the area we were traveling. At one point we went down to the old baggage car where we could stand by the open doors and look out. Not bad for taking pictures either. When we got to Thendara we boarded a bus for a five minute ride to Old Forge. While everyone in my group elected to go to lunch, I walked down to the lake then back to the train station taking pictures all the way. (I've posted all of them). It was about a mile and a half journey. There is some cool stuff by the station including an old speakeasy in the store across from the station house. I also walked over to the area (a temporary tent) where they are repainting an old locomotive. Throughout the whole trip up they gave us muffins, coffee, tea and other soft drinks in the morning and snacks and coffee, tea, water, etc.. On the way back they gave us a shrimp cocktail and a cheese plate. This was just so nice and the folks taking care of us were terrific. All in all, this was a really fun trip and I definately reccomed this as an overnighter. There are some really nice restaurnts in Utica. KUDOs to the team at Adirondack Scenic Railroad

Photos
Adirondack Scenic Railroad - Getting the new engine ready

Getting the new engine ready

Adirondack Scenic Railroad - In and around the train station and Old Forge

In and around the train station and Old Forge

Adirondack Scenic Railroad - Gettting the new engine ready

See all

Gettting the new engine ready

Oneida County History Center - museums - Updated October 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...