The Finger Lakes in NY are a beautiful, quiet respite from the rat race. If you are into excitement and night life, this is not the place for you! There is little traffic and the scenery around the lake is breathtaking and peaceful. If you are a wine afficionado, there are several wine trails to choose from (Seneca is the largest and, some would argue, the best; Keuka and Cayuga are also great). There are over 100 wineries along Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, and Canandaigua lakes. The region's micro-climate created by these lakes provides the ideal growing conditions for award winning wines and champagnes.
Don't miss the Finger Lakes Wine Festival held the 3rd weekend every July at Watkins Glen Raceway. It all starts on Friday night and goes through Sunday. Taste over 500 wines from more than 80 wineries. Demos, classes, food, music and more!
There are many local restaurants to choose from. The Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty, an organization of local producers, stores and restaurants committed to locally produced food, is a good place to search. Make sure to bring your walking shoes and your iron calves because everything is an uphill climb. But once you are up in those hills the view is magnificent. Make sure to bring your camera!
There are a number of beautiful parks in the area for hiking. Plenty of parking and family fun. Watkins Gen has a beautiful state park with a gorge trail. Watkins Glen State Park is the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks, with a reputation for leaving visitors spellbound. Within two miles, the glen's stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. The gorge path winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade. Rim trails overlook the gorge. Your reward for the mile long hike up is a welcoming ice cream at the rest stop station.
Another great park is the nearby Taughannock Falls State Park in Trumansburg, NY. Its namesake waterfall is one of the outstanding natural attractions of the Northeast. Taughannock Falls plunges 215 feet past rocky cliffs that tower nearly 400 feet above the gorge. Gorge and rim trails offer spectacular views from above the falls and from below at the end of the gorge trail. This is not for very young or very old hikers.
The Finger Lakes is also home to some world-class museums and historic sites. The region is rich in aviation, Mark Twain, western art, wine, salt, and Civil War history.
