AUBURN - Bass Pro Shops started in the basement of a liquor store in Springfield, Miss., and German prisoners of war were used to work the fields around Fair Haven Beach State Park.

These were two of many facts that tourism employees from all over New York state learned when they attended the Cayuga County Tourism Board's familiarization tour Wednesday.

Traveling from Fingerlakes Mall to the northern half of Cayuga County by bus, a group of about 30 tourism professionals traveled to seven stops to learn more about their state.

"It's so everyone can cross-promote," said Meg Vanek, executive director of the Cayuga County Office of Tourism. "Tourists don't know that they're in certain counties."

The tour, which had been planned since the beginning of the year, was set up to teach other tourism board members from other counties about Cayuga County. The best way for people in the tourism industry to promote New York is to actually experience New York State.

The group was first led through Bass Pro Shops and learned that most of it was built using local help and that each store around the country is decorated with local interests in mind. From there, the tour traveled to the Erie Canal House in Port Byron to learn about the new plans for the Old Erie Canal Heritage Park, an upcoming Thruway stop focused on the historical Lock 52.

"It's a learning process, an exchange of ideas," Vanek said. "Seeing teaches you something about the area."

The next event was a driving tour of the town of Fair Haven as well as the state park. Not only were German POWs used during World War II, but also the Civilian Conservation Corps built most of the park during the Great Depression.

The road leading into the park had originally been a runway for planes.

Lunch was complementary at the Pleasant Beach Restaurant on Fancher Avenue, and the group enjoyed a few cookies from Fair Haven's Fly By Night Cookie Co. right down the road. After that, at the Sterling Nature Center, the tourists listened to a historical retelling of how the Cayuga County Legislature rescued a few miles of untouched lakeside on Lake Ontario.

The story was told first-hand by Sam DeRosa, legislator from District 13, who was along for the tour.

"It's amazing how many people travel and don't have a destination," said Vanek, who hosted a familiarization tour of southern Cayuga County three years ago. "So it's great if you can pique their interest about something."

Later stops included the A.L. Paca's Farms in Cato and Giancarelli Brothers Winery in Weedsport.

Both are family-owned businesses, one an animal-raising venture started by a husband and wife from Ohio; the other a vineyard started by two brothers hoping to turn their berry patches into something more.

"We have such a long county, we not only touch three Finger Lakes but also touch Lake Ontario," said Laura Coburn of Coburn Design, who assists the Office of Tourism in creating guides. "That is sometimes hard for people to grasp."