Is it just me, or do other people also tend to bypass attractions in the town they live in, that bring in people from other parts of the country and even the world to visit?

This conversation began with some of my co-workers earlier this week when someone brought up the question if anyone has ever stopped at the New York State Southern Tier Welcome Center just inside the state border on Interstate 81 north. Someone had mentioned how popular the rest stop is, and how nice they had heard it is.

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No one here has stopped at that welcome center except me. Actually I visited it way back when it first opened. There have been many changes since then. A couple of weeks ago, as I was returning from a wedding in Montrose, Pennsylvania, I drove by the welcome center and noticed a cool display of a race car. Obviously it was promoting the Watkins Glen Race Track as a New York State attraction. I wanted to stop and look around, but I had already passed the entrance.

Southern Tier Welcome Center
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I grew up in the Corning, New York area, and half my relatives work or have worked for what was the Corning Glass Works, now Corning Incorporated, and as long as I can remember, has always had a world famous glass museum. The first time I visited the museum, I was 21 years old. I guess my family wasn't really interested in visiting a museum that was a part of where they worked, so growing up, we never visited the museum. 

The museum has evolved over the years into a worldwide attraction, and was renamed CMOG - Corning Museum of Glass. I've been back to visit many times and am impressed at how there is never a day that the museum isn't filled with visitors from all corners of the planet. It also helps that Corning has a great downtown district and other interesting attractions.

CMOG
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There are still several attractions in the Corning area and even the Binghamton area where I've now lived for about 40 years that I have yet to visit. And I can't give you a valid reason why.

via NYS Southern Tier Welcome Center

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