The Pilafs spent a freezing night in and stumbled upon the movie “The Big Year.” What a fun movie! Of course, after watching, JT thought we should start counting the birds we see on our adventures. We have quite a goal…like 50 would be a success! For you real bird watchers out there, feel free to smirk. We know we cannot hit the hundreds of numbers you hit, and we can’t tell the difference between a mallard and a finch, but we will do our best to try to learn something new.
On that note, we headed toward Monroe County to find the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory. Yes, we know it is winter, but apparently there are birds on the move. This was confirmed on the road near Lake Ontario.
Braddock Bay Bird Observatory
The Braddock Bay Bird Observatory is a maze of fun trails in the woods and made it nice for hiking, photography and bird watching. Only open at certain times (check website), it is definitely meant for exploring during the day.
We were really excited to actually see some birds, and were thankful someone put out seeds at the feeder.
After spending some time on the trails, we headed down the road for a late lunch. Btw, if you see swans on the side of the road, don’t just stop. The guy that lives there just might yell at you about your lack of parking decorum.
Braddock Bay Tavern & Grill
On both the boating and snowmobiling trail, Braddock Bay Tavern and Grill is a stop not to be missed. It is a place for all seasons and has a bar, indoor seating, indoor back patio, and outdoor back patio. There are 11 TV screens and the bar has six taps.
While there, we enjoyed great conversation with the bartender and the food was delicious. Braddock Bay has both bar food and fine dining menus and we went with the fish this visit. Both styles of fish were fabulous and filling, and the coleslaw had a unique taste that was excellent. Let us know if you can guess what they add. All our food was a Home Run, and after our time at the bar, we decided to get some shopping in.
Heart of Hilton Gift Shop – Hilton, NY
We found this adorable shop in town that supports local crafters and artists. They have many gift items, unique face masks and treats for your pets. It was a fun stop.
Stony Point Antiques – Hilton, NY
Neal J. Totten owns this great shop filled with antiques and nostalgia. He is a plethora of information and very proud of his fun finds. From horse saddles to overhead lighting to furniture to equipment, his place is a treasure. Great guy. Great stuff. Great stories.
Braddock Bay Bird Observatory, 10 Braddock Avenue, Hilton, NY 14468, http://braddockbaybirdobservatory.wordpress.com
Braddock Bay Tavern & Grill, 372 Manitou Road, Hilton, NY, 14468, 585.392.3370
Heart of Hilton Gift Shop, 9 South Avenue, Hilton, NY 14468, 716.697.4397, heartofhilton.weebly.com
Stony Point Antiques, 1225 Hilton Parma Corners Road, Hilton, NY 14468, 585.392.5551
Circling the Bases 
Who’s going to do this with us next time? Who wants to get crazy?
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