Exploring the Legendary Laughter: National Comedy Centre: Hall of Fame Tour Part 3

The final stop on our tour around Lake Erie was Jamestown, NY.  If you think you’ve heard of this charming little town, it might be because it’s the birthplace of comedy legend Lucille Ball and home to many sites dedicated to celebrating Lucy, Desi, and their comedy legacy. It is the perfect location for the 37,000 square foot National Comedy Center (NCC) which opened in 2018 and is dedicated to preserving the heritage of comedy in America for generations to come.  Tickets can be pre-purchased online or in-person for 33.50 USD with a small seniors discount available.

When we arrived at the NCC, we were given an admission bracelet which we scanned at a kiosk in the entrance hall.  That allowed the computers to lead us through a series of electronic surveys where we could identify our comedy preferences:  which comedians, sitcoms, and comedy films we enjoyed most.  Through our visit, we could scan our bracelets at each exhibit and these preferences would ensure that the artefacts, sound and video clips all featured some of the choices we had identified.  This museum is really state-of-the art, with lots of easy-to-access and innovative digital displays to enhance the typical museum exhibits like the Tonight Show set, costumes from your favourite shows, and script samples on display.

The opening gallery is a fabulous retrospective of the Tonight Show hosted by a very lifelike hologram of Jimmy Fallon and featuring so many fantastic interviews and clips with and about Johnny Carson’s legacy in comedy. The video magic didn’t stop there.  Dave and I laughed ourselves silly while being filmed in a remake of the famous Lucy and Ethel chocolate factory scene from the I Love Lucy Show.  Additionally, there are many photo ops through the museum, and those are collected via the bracelet we used to sign in.

The museum takes several hours to cover, and we could have stayed even longer, enjoying the laughs along the way.  We were determined, however, to also take in the Lucy and Desi Arnaz Museum, with a replica set of the I Love Lucy Show, many video interviews and clips, and dozens of Lucille Ball’s costumes and Hollywood outfits.  We also visited a statue of the actress, her birthplace, and her burial site, all located in her hometown of Jamestown.

I really recommend a visit to this town and the National Comedy Center in particular! You can be in Jamestown in just over 3 hours, so another great spot for an overnight getaway.  The town itself is very welcoming to tourists, with local breweries, excellent restaurants, some cute shops, and free parking all over town!

Safe Travels

Lynn

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