Cruisin' Family Style

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CRUISIN’ FAMILY STYLE

We, at the dealership, are very much into classic cars and family. I thought about all the local cruising spots around Central New York that you can take the family, on the cheap, for a little entertainment. These are open venues, that will cost you nothing more than a few bucks worth of gas. The way things currently are, we are all looking for interesting things to do that don’t cost an arm and a leg.

Around our area are several places to go for a classic car night out. No classic car required! You can load up the kids in the family truckster and go enjoy a social evening of cool cars and cool people. These venues will range from a few dozen to a few hundred cars, trucks and who knows what. Some will have periodic entertainment, such as a band, DJ or oldies radio station. Where ever you might visit, I can personally guaranty that you will find some interesting, friendly people hanging around.

One of the closest, most renowned, as well as one of my favorite places, is Fulton’s own Sweet Inspirations. Any dry Saturday night there is a party at Sweet’s. Sweet Inspirations is one of the best car cruisin’ spots anywhere! Once a month they have an old fashioned Sock Hop with live entertainment. On a nice summer Saturday evening they will have enoug h cars around to tire out the kids just looking at them all. On top of that, if you have a couple extra bucks in your pocket, you can grab the kids an ice cream cone while listening to some good old rock and roll. Once a month, Sweet’s has an old fashioned Sock Hop that gathers hot rodders from all over CNY and the surrounding area. If you stop in tell Sandy and Stephanie, the owners, I sent ya. They are great people. Sweet’s is located on State Route 3 West in Fulton, just down from our dealership. For a look at this years Sock Hop schedule click here.

If you are looking for weeknight entertainment, it all starts up on Tuesday night at The Regional Market on Park Street, across from the Carousel Mall in Syracuse.

On Wednesday at Wegman’s in North Syracuse, on Route 11, just north of the Route 81 exit, is one of Syracuse’s premier cruises. One of the biggest Motorheads I ever met, Ron VanAllen, has taken it upon himself to get a bunch of folks together. He has grown this hang out to, on most weeks, monumental proportions. Another Wednesday night alternative is a stop at Hoffman’s Hot Haus in Mattydale at 401 Northern Lights Plaza.

If your Thursday night is open, check out the WSEN 92.1 Radio Cruise In, at Long Branch Park. Long Branch Park is at the end of Onondaga Lake Parkway in Liverpool , across from the famous Heid‘s Hotdogs. Great music, lots of cool rides and plenty of parking. 92.1 even has a few prizes to hand out with a spin of their prize wheel.

For another Thursday night alternative you can take a ride to Sylvan Beach at the southeast end of Oneida Lake. For anyone unfamiliar with Sylvan Beach, there is a lot of other things to do there too. They have white sandy beach, a small amusement park, a nice picnic area, and lots of shops. If you are hungry they have everything from fast food to upscale dining. The drive down Route 49 along the lake is nice too.

Friday night you can take a ride down to Hoffman’s Hot Haus on Manlius Center Road in East Syracuse. I have never been to this one and will have to make a point of stopping in to see what’s happening down there.

Keep in mind that these places have no admission, some are not very far away, they offer live or oldies music in some cases, and make for an interesting evening the whole family can enjoy. Again, on the cheap! Couple that with the kids favorite value meal or an ice cream and you’ll have a winner.

Here’s to a great night out with the family!

A few words of caution. Some of these vehicles are irreplaceable, un-repairable and highly collectable. A few of the people I hang out with have cars so valuable and unique that I frankly would n’t have the guts to drive them if they were mine. I give them a lot of credit for enjoying them as they are intended. That having been said, please respect other peoples property. Look and enjoy, but please don’t touch. Also be sure to keep an eye on your children. Sometimes they do not understand that you aren’t supposed to climb up on a freshly painted running board to look inside, and that they are in a parking lot with lots of moving vehicles. Also, please leave the featured parking area for the classic cars. Have fun and may be I‘ll see you around!

Thanks for the read and for visiting raynorford.com,

Rodd Raynor