Visit the city of Jamestown to explore some of the best cultural attractions and museums in western New York. From comedy to history, nature and entertainment, you will find a combination of learning and fun that makes for a perfect overnight trip or weekend getaway.
City of Laughs
Visit the National Comedy Center and Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz Museum for a day of laughter in downtown Jamestown.
Recently named "Best New Museum" in the country by USA Today, one of the "World's Greatest Places" by TIME magazine, and among the “Top 25 Family Weekend Getaways in the U.S.” by U.S. News & World Report, the National Comedy Center provides hours of fun.
The Comedy Center features state-of-the-art technology, interactivity, and personalization to create a 21st-century museum environment. Explore your favorite comedies and comedians at over 50 exhibits, including Johnny Carson: The Immersive Experience, which contains 30 digital projection screens that surround the audience and a holographic host, Jimmy Fallon.
The hometown of Lucille Ball, Jamestown honors the legacy of “The First Couple of Comedy” with the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum. The museum features replica sets, Lucille Ball’s Emmy awards, costumes, rare memorabilia from I Love Lucy and other shows, and much more.
Save with a dual admission pass to both the Lucy Desi Museum and the National Comedy Center.
History and Nature
Discover the life and legacy of Robert H. Jackson – Supreme Court Justice, Chief U.S. Prosecutor at Nuremberg, and Chautauqua County native – at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown. Tour the Jackson Center’s exclusive collections and exhibits, plus program and meeting facilities, housed in a historic 1858 Italianate mansion. The Jackson Center is open for self-guided, individual, and group tours.
Learn about what makes Jamestown great at the Fenton History Center. Housed in the 1863 mansion of New York State's 22nd Governor, Reuben E. Fenton, the museum features numerous exhibitions including Made in Jamestown: How Furniture Built a City, Lucille Ball: Not the Girl Next Door, the Military Room, the Lookout Tower, and many others.
Visit the Roger Tory Peterson Institute to explore a beautiful museum with nature art exhibitions, walk 2.5 miles of trails on a 27-acre preserve, and discover the largest collection of Roger Tory Peterson’s original artwork, films, slides and papers. Peterson, the premier artist-naturalist of his time, connected people with nature as never before. The father of the modern field guide, Peterson’s artwork offered a way for readers to discover the beauty and wonder of nature.
Stretch your legs at the Audubon Community Nature Center, located just outside the city lines between Jamestown and Warren, Pennsylvania. The Audubon offers a 600-acre wildlife sanctuary with 6 miles of easy hiking trails through fields, woods, and wetlands with observation towers, a handicap accessible overlook and outdoor play areas. Indoors, the Nature Center features three floors of family fun with live animals, exhibits, a gift shop and play spaces.
Sights and Sounds
Whether you love concerts, theater, comedy, sports, or festivals, you will find many fun events throughout the year in the city of Jamestown.
The Reg Lenna Center for the Arts hosts concerts, comedy, movies, and more in a 1,165-seat historic theater.
The Northwest Arena attracts more than 250,000 visitors annually for numerous events including performances by top comedians during the annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival in August. Residents and visitors alike regularly head to the arena for public skating, ice bumper cars, skate 'n shoot hockey, backyard curling, or walking and running on the “cool” track.
Catch a Jamestown Tarp Skunks baseball game at the 3,000-seat Diethrick Park.
Enjoy more live entertainment at Lucille Ball Little Theatre, Scharmann Theatre at Jamestown Community College, and the Spire Theater downtown.
Take in outdoor music during the summer during the Third Thursday concert series as well as other festivals and events. You will also find live entertainment at other locations downtown, including Wicked Warren’s and Brazil Craft Beer and Wine Lounge.
Discover fine art and artisan crafts by award-winning regional artists at Chautauqua Art Gallery in Jamestown. Then get your hands dirty and explore your creative side at Pearl City Clay House, a community arts space.
Shop downtown at several unique shops, dine at a variety of restaurants, and stay in a hotel such as the DoubleTree by Hilton – located within walking distance of many attractions – or just a few minutes from the action at the Clarion Pointe or the lakefront Chautauqua Harbor Hotel.