An Enlighted Vacation

Where can you listen to industry experts speak during the day and then see amazing concerts at night? The same place where you can take classes, listen to religious leaders, go golfing, see a ballet and a play, view stunning art, and so much more all in one vacation. Stay a week with us this summer and we promise it will be unlike any experience you’ve ever had.

2023 Summer Season Schedule

Week 1: June 24–July 1, On Friendship
Explore the heightened importance of friendship in our modern world.
Week 2: July 1–8, Games: A Celebration of Our Most Human Pastime
Explore the evolving role of games in our society, to both challenge and teach us.
Week 3: July 8–15, Can the Center Hold? — A Question for Our Moment
Explore if the center is a grounding presence in our society from extremes or holding us back from progress.
Week 4: July 15–22, The State of Believing
Explore the concepts of faith in the scientific, religious, and public realms and what it means.
Week 5: July 22–29, Infrastructure: Building and Maintaining the Physical, Social and Civic Underpinnings of Society
Explore the current state of our country’s infrastructure and how we may need to expand its definition in the future.
Week 6: July 29–August 5, A Life of Literature
Explore the unique permanence that literature is able to achieve in our culture and how it is changing.
Week 7: August 5–12, The National Parks: How America’s ‘Best Idea’ is Meeting 21st-Century Challenges
Explore the conservation challenges National Parks are facing today and how they can be modeled for the future.
Week 8: August 12–19, Freedom of Expression, Imagination, and the Resilience of Democracy
Explore and celebrate the diverse perspectives on this precious right and how it shapes our democracy.
Week 9: August 19–27, The Global South: Expanding the Scope of Geopolitical Understanding
Explore the new geo-political construct of Global South vs. North and how interconnected we truly are.

What is the Chautauqua Institution?

Chautauqua Institution is a summer continuous learning community located on Chautauqua Lake in Chautauqua, NY. Whether you are an avid reader, a concert lover, an adventurer, an artist, or an intellectual there is something for you at Chautauqua Institution.
Each week of the 9-week summer schedule has a theme. All of the programming for that week is based on that theme. After a week here you will be an expert on a new and interesting topic.

Why Stay at The Spencer?

The Spencer Hotel is located right in the heart of Chautauqua Institution. We are steps away from The Amphitheater. Don’t feel like going into the Amphitheater but want to listen to the speaker? You can see and hear everything from our porches.
Summers in Chautauqua, NY get warm. The Spencer is the only hotel in Chautauqua Institution with central air and other modern amenities to keep you comfortable.
We’re only a block away from Chautauqua Lake.
A hot daily breakfast is included in your weekly room rate.
The Spencer Hotel offers a cozy, yet elegant bed and breakfast feel to enhance your vacation experience