Upstate Uncovered

An exciting travel guide for Upstate New York road warriors, history lovers, and tourists.

An exciting travel guide for Upstate New York road warriors, history lovers, and tourists.

In Ultimate Upstate! Chuck D'Imperio mines deep into his travel journal and shares an astonishing array of fun and amazing places in Upstate New York that the casual traveler might otherwise miss. As one of Upstate's most ardent advocates, D'Imperio has traveled the backroads and byways of the region seeking out the stories, tales, and folklore writ upon the landscape. He takes readers to one hundred small towns and cities from the Hudson Valley to the High Peaks of the Adirondacks and out through the rolling hills of the Finger Lakes region. Not only a reflection of "the road less traveled," Ultimate Upstate! includes pertinent information such as websites, photographs, personal interviews, and explicit directions to each of the included entries. While flipping through the pages, readers will be amazed at what turns up around every backroads corner in the region.

Chuck D'Imperio is an award-winning radio broadcaster, author, and newspaper columnist in upstate New York. His many books include Graves of Upstate New York: A Guide to 100 Notable Resting Places; Open House: 35 Historic Upstate New York Homes; and Upstate Uncovered: 100 Unique, Unusual, and Overlooked Destinations in Upstate New York, also published by SUNY Press.

Chuck D'Imperio is a well-known radio personality in Upstate New York and the author of several books that celebrate the region, including Monumental New York! A Guide to 30 Iconic Memorials in Upstate New York, Unknown Museums of Upstate New York: A Guide to 50 Treasures, and A Taste of Upstate New York: The People and the Stories Behind 40 Food Favorites. He lives in Oneonta.

"This is the kind of insider-tourism knowledge that can only come from someone who loves a particular area and has spent a good portion of their life enjoying and exploring it. This is homegrown tourism done right, with enthusiasm, humor, and heart … immensely charming." — Manhattan Book Review

"…invites readers to explore a delightful array of sights in Upstate New York." — Syracuse Post-Standard

"This book is a delight. It's raw meat for people (like me) who love to find and enjoy obscure historical treasures, but it is much more. Anyone who lives or travels in Upstate New York will be surprised and delighted at how much there is to discover and enjoy there. The nation's smallest church? The grave of 'The Moses of her people?' New York's biggest pair of pants? The town where 'Oz' began? A two-story outhouse? (You read it right.) The birthplace of The Twilight Zone? They're all here, and more, in witty, warm, and lucid prose. Enjoy. You will." — Mac Nelson, author of Twenty West: The Great Road Across America

"Upstate New York—the area north of New York City—is full of interesting and historically significant places to visit, explore, and enjoy. Much of its history has been slighted or overlooked. Chuck D'Imperio seems to have visited just about every community in New York in the course of his research for Ultimate Upstate! and previous excellent books on the region. D'Imperio has a flair for descriptive and evocative writing, bringing history to life through his on-site interviews and shrewd historical observations. This is exciting history, well told, and engaging. Even readers who know New York history will find lots of surprises and new insights. Ultimate Upstate! conveys a deep sense of the variety, vitality, and drama of Upstate New York's history." — Bruce W. Dearstyne, author of The Spirit of New York: Defining Events in the Empire State's History