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Where we headed this time?watkins glen international Find Hotels near Rochester Airport (ROC) (BUF) Buffalo Niagara Internationl Airport NY: |
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Hotels Accommodations nearby?
For Hotels / Motels and resort Accommodations near Watkins Glen & Horseheads new york see:
Hotels near Watkins Glen
> Distance from:
> All USA Hotels
> Is there camping at the track? Yep. You can camp right beside the track, contact the glen. Campground Websites (not the circuit): Watkins Glen/Korning KOA; Wakins Glen State Park
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Got Directions?
Driving
If you're driving from Canada or across the United States and plan to pass through Niagara Falls, remember to keep lots of change handy as you'll pay bridge and thruway (particularly New York State thruway) tolls along the way. While most of these are less than 2USD, I don't like your chances showing up at a toll booth with a large denomination note. Note too that stopping on the thruway for supplies is not a good idea, EVERYTHING (including gas) is overpriced, and then there's the TAX. Fill up way ahead. From the thruway you'll take exit 42 along the west bank of Lake Seneca. I've never been along the East bank of the lake, if you have experience and this is easier (although locals asked tended to think not) let me know. Let me know too about good routes from the South. Note traffic becomes inwards bound on race day and outwards bound after. The official website has specific maps regarding this.
Parking Parking is copious. The circuit is set apart from everything else in the area and surrounded by fields that are used for parking on event days.
> Where's the Map? > Check out this Watkins glen geonames satellite and road map
Got a trackmap? ???
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> Got the weather and radar? The setting by beautiful lake Seneca makes this a perfect stop through summer when the weather heats up. For Weather and vacinity radar, see the U.S. National Weather Service Watkins Glen Weather forecast
> What's the local newspaper say? ?????
> What else is there to do?
The Town of Watkins Glen, just a 4 miles from the circuit gates is a perrenial American Lake Resort town. Almost anything a vacationer might need for entertianment, shopping (practical and specialist), and food is available from a scenic and historic main street (Franklin Street), which of course services locals year round. Beautiful lake Seneca not only provides a rich source of irrigation for the wineries located along it's length but provides still further opportunities for diversion.
Franklin Street offers all kinds of shopping, as well as eating, opportunites from circuit merchandise at THE SHOP, to antiques and several very fancy wine stores, featuring the famous local Finger Lakes Wineries product.
Cinema
The Glen Theatre (pic) on Main Street (Franklin Street) in the town shows current popular movies and from time to time hosts concerts and theatre productions from time to time. Check the the theatre website for schedules.
Family
Lake Seneca offers any number of family related activities, whether it be a lake cruise with Captain Bill on the very tip of the lake in the Northern edge of the main street (you really won't miss it, see the pic of the big boat out front) or to use the play ground out around the pier (pic) near by, or movies, or take your own boat out for some fishing. (Got tips about mooring on a race weekend - The cost? who to call? What it costs? Let me know). Watkins Glen is a unique American vacation resort that is busy all through Summer, so there's more than enough to keep you entertained while chilling in this pretty town.
Worship
The town contains several Christian Churches. For a list with addresses/phone numbers of all churches in Schuyler County see rootsweb.com (scroll down to WG)
Casinos?
There's a heap of Casino Gaming Places in Niagara Falls, but then that's a long way to go. Don't know about closer, if you do, let me know. I suspect, however, that it wouldn't take too long a walk around the campgrounds to find someone with a deck of cards a and flashlight!
> Speed related stuff we got to check out nearby:
>
> "The Shop" - Downtown Watkins Glen racing Merchandise store
> The Motorsport History Research Library.
Nearby Weedsport, New york dirt track hall of fame & classic car musuem
> Find more U.S. Speedways
Places of Worship Check out Worship here.org
> Liquor Laws: The legal drinking age in New York State is 21.
>Local Currency: U.S. Dollar
> TIPPING: 15% on food / travel / hospitality services
> TAXES: New York state tax was (probably still is) 15% over and above list, added to all items (except unprepared food) and one of the highest tax rates in the U.S. This went up 3 fold after 091101. An interesting example is I paid .99c "Grocery Tax" on a .89 cent cup of coffee at a gas station!
> ATM Locator: Visa
> Time Zone: EST Eastern Standard Time GMT -5
Electricity plugs are 2 prong paralel, but some older plugs accept a third round earth grounding.
Take time to see
> >
Tips - Do/Don't
TIP #1:
Don't expect to drive up at the last minute Sunday morning from the North. If you do make sure your tank's gassed up well before you hit the traffic jam on the small (but scenic) country roads beside Lake Seneca. All traffic on Serius race day is one way inwards in the AM and outwards after the event.
A FEW NOTES ABOUT WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
Hallowed Ground. The Glen, Watkins Glen, Thunder Road, Racing with a twist, no matter what you call it, along with Laguna Seca and Elkhart Lake Road America, it one of the most interesting and challenging road courses in the United States. Watkins Glen is a 3.4 mile winding circuit, on which U.S. Formula One Grands Prix were run from 1961-1981 (from 1977 onwards it was one of two grands prix held in the U.S. each year, the other location being Long Beach. Famous racers know to U.S. race series fans who won these events are Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, and Emerson "Emo" Fittapaldi. (see right column for a full list of USGP at Watkin's winners.).
The Circuit's NASCAR® configuration is 2.5 miles approx, excluding "the boot" section of the former Formula One Grand Prix Course, as it was considered too tight for a modern stock car to negotiate. For a short but illuminating history of racing at the circuit visit silhouet.com.
Download vintage racing movie clips from Robert Gillespie's glenspeed.com
Coming from the North down along Lake Seneca towards the small town of Watkins Glen, you already know that you're headed for an old-fashioned American resort town, part mythical main street, but part, and this is the good part, home of American road racing, and in it's modern guise, with the track now perched up above the town instead of through the streets as it was between 1948-52, a unique experience for America's favourite racing series, NASCAR, and a full schedule of other race events during the year.
The big event at The Glen, or America's Thunder Road, is of course the NASCAR Serius at the Glen weekend in August. The Town puts on a street parade to welcome the 100,000+ visitors there to vacation and enjoy the region, it's wines, it's beautiful scenery, and of course, the unique brand of thunder.
Very many small accommodation businesses have sprouted in the area to cater for the race fan visitor but the real experience is to camp at the track and enjoy the camaraderie of the world wide racing family, with watersports, hunting, and resort facilities near by.
And the town's not a racing anomoly in New York state, a place too often identified with the big city that shares it's name. It's real rural America, and as that should suggest it's a place enthralled with racing of all kinds. A little known fact is that the biggest race crowds (per year) in this part of the world, are not for NASCAR but for dirt track, which is offiically the biggest spectator sport in Central New York. And a short drive (60 miles) will get you to the Dirt Track hall of fame and Dirt Track, and a little further east you'll find Rochester, which holds the biggest dirt track event of the year.
What's on offer at Watkins Glen. Racing with a twist in a pretty lake-side resort town? pack up the grill and Hook up the camper, we're going racing!
Other events at Watkins Glen
> NASCAR Nextel Cup
> Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen
> Zippo U.S. Vintage Grand Prix
> Historic Racing
> Porsche Clash
> Sahlen's Sports Car Grand Prix
> SCCA Glen Nationals
> Grand American Rolex Sportscar Series
> Details and Schedules:
Watkins Glen International Circuit Official Website
> For other race tracks in New York State, check out my growing guide to New York State Racetracks
Other events of interest
> Finger Lakes Wine Festival
> Racing Thunder in the Glen Steet Parade, Franklin Street, (Main Street) Watkins Glen
> Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival - Streets of Watkins Glen Town
> See Watkinsglen.com for other festivals dates in the town and region.
Also of Interest
> Read about Beemaster's relaxing vacation in WG.
Don't expect to drive up at the last minute Sunday morning from the North. If you do make sure your tank's gassed up well before you hit the traffic jam on the small (but scenic) country roads beside Lake Seneca. All traffic on Serius race day is one way inwards in the AM and outwards after the event.
The Circuit's NASCAR® configuration is 2.5 miles approx, excluding "the boot" section of the former Formula One Grand Prix Course, as it was considered too tight for a modern stock car to negotiate. For a short but illuminating history of racing at the circuit visit silhouet.com.
Download vintage racing movie clips from Robert Gillespie's glenspeed.com
Coming from the North down along Lake Seneca towards the small town of Watkins Glen, you already know that you're headed for an old-fashioned American resort town, part mythical main street, but part, and this is the good part, home of American road racing, and in it's modern guise, with the track now perched up above the town instead of through the streets as it was between 1948-52, a unique experience for America's favourite racing series, NASCAR, and a full schedule of other race events during the year.
The big event at The Glen, or America's Thunder Road, is of course the NASCAR Serius at the Glen weekend in August. The Town puts on a street parade to welcome the 100,000+ visitors there to vacation and enjoy the region, it's wines, it's beautiful scenery, and of course, the unique brand of thunder.
Very many small accommodation businesses have sprouted in the area to cater for the race fan visitor but the real experience is to camp at the track and enjoy the camaraderie of the world wide racing family, with watersports, hunting, and resort facilities near by.
And the town's not a racing anomoly in New York state, a place too often identified with the big city that shares it's name. It's real rural America, and as that should suggest it's a place enthralled with racing of all kinds. A little known fact is that the biggest race crowds (per year) in this part of the world, are not for NASCAR but for dirt track, which is offiically the biggest spectator sport in Central New York. And a short drive (60 miles) will get you to the Dirt Track hall of fame and Dirt Track, and a little further east you'll find Rochester, which holds the biggest dirt track event of the year.
What's on offer at Watkins Glen. Racing with a twist in a pretty lake-side resort town? pack up the grill and Hook up the camper, we're going racing!
Other events at Watkins Glen
> NASCAR Nextel Cup
> Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen
> Zippo U.S. Vintage Grand Prix
> Historic Racing
> Porsche Clash
> Sahlen's Sports Car Grand Prix
> SCCA Glen Nationals
> Grand American Rolex Sportscar Series
> Details and Schedules:
Watkins Glen International Circuit Official Website
> For other race tracks in New York State, check out my growing guide to New York State Racetracks
Other events of interest
> Finger Lakes Wine Festival
> Racing Thunder in the Glen Steet Parade, Franklin Street, (Main Street) Watkins Glen
> Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival - Streets of Watkins Glen Town
> See Watkinsglen.com for other festivals dates in the town and region.
Also of Interest
> Read about Beemaster's relaxing vacation in WG.
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