Travel Tips for the Finger Lakes — kaitlyn's travel recs

IMO, the Finger Lakes (FLX) in upstate NY is the best wine region in the country. If you like crisp, refreshing white wines, this is THE place for you. If you like reds….maybe try California. This is a perfect weekend destination if you’re looking for something quiet and relaxing, and like wine tastings.

My grandparents live about an hour south of Watkins Glen, so I’ve been to the area many times. But I’ll preface this post by saying that most of the time I’ve spent in the area has been at and around Seneca Lake. I’ve done a girls weekend where we stayed on Cayuga, and my all-time favorite winery is on Keuka, but the majority of things I’ve done are localized around Seneca.

If you’re unfamiliar with the area, a quick overview— the finger lakes are in central NY, with Rochester and Syracuse to the north and Ithaca and Elmira to the south. They were created at the end of the last ice age by receding glaciers that carved out these deep lakes. There are eleven lakes total, but the largest are Seneca and Cayuga which is where most of the winemaking is located. The area around the lakes is very rural. If you are within reasonable driving distance, I would highly recommend that as you will definitely need a car to get around and none of the airports are particularly large or close to the central wine area. Most wineries and restaurants close relatively early, and some have seasonal closures during winter. If you are looking for nightlife, this is not a good choice.

This interactive map is an overview of some of the wineries and other places I’ve been to, recommend, or have been recommended by trusted sources (my grandma). More details are below. Buckle up, this will probably be a long one.

*The dock at our Cayuga Lake house. Water was FREEZING.*

where i’ve stayed

The majority of my visits to the finger lakes have been day trips, but I’ve done two longer trips. One was a weeklong stay with my family at a lakehouse in Dundee, on Seneca. This was a great spot, super close to tons of wineries and quick drive down to Watkins Glen. For the other trip, my friends and I booked an Airbnb on Cayuga Lake, near Interlaken. There were several wineries in this area to explore, but we ended up driving over to Seneca for a day since there is a bit more to do around that lake.

If you are going with a larger group, I’d highly recommend getting a lake house. There are options on Airbnb + VRBO or probably other sites (idk, you have google). If you’re going for just a weekend or as a couple, I’d recommend trying to find somewhere to stay in Watkins Glen. This is a relatively central spot with the state park (a MUST DO! More on that below) as well as several restaurant options all in a walkable radius.

The other towns to stay in are Ithaca (which I know nothing about besides it being where Cornell is located, you’re on your own with that one) at the bottom of Cayuga, and Hammondsport, which is at the bottom of Keuka. Hammondsport has signs saying it was ranked as one of the coolest small towns in America, so there’s that. I’ve driven through and it is very cute and quaint.

what to do (besides drink wine)

my #1 recommendation in this area is Watkins Glen State Park.

Photos absolutely don’t do this place justice. The main way to experience this park is to walk the gorge trail, out and back. You wind through the gorge next to steep rock walls, behind waterfalls, and over pools of water. It is SO SO COOL. This main trail is about 1.5 miles out and back and takes about an hour. It can get very, very crowded, and is usually pretty slippery, so I’d recommend showing up with a good amount of patience and a solid pair of walking/hiking shoes or durable sandals that can stand getting wet (NOT $1 old navy flip flops). There are some steps but it is not a strenuous hike, and you stay mostly in the shade. Dogs are not allowed on this main trail, but there is another trail that goes up over the top of the gorge that I did once where you can bring your dog. It’s not as beautiful, and I wouldn’t recommend it over the main trail, but you can still get some cool views looking down into the gorge. There are other hikes in the park too, take some time to research and figure out which one works best for you. In peak summer months, plan to arrive early.

kayaking/lake activities

Kayaks are available to rent near the parks at the base of the lakes (at least Keuka and Seneca that I know of). During one day trip, I kayaked on Keuka with my family and it was awesome. There was almost no one else on the water and it was fun to get around and see the houses and views from the lake. If you stay at a lake house, they might offer stand-up paddle boards, floats, or other water toys. There are also cruises on Seneca lake (sounds boring to me personally) or boats you can rent. The water is almost always very cold, so I wouldn’t plan to swim much.

where to drink / winery recommendations

The first thing to know is that the finger lakes region is most known for their rieslings, particularly dry riesling. Riesling is too sweet for you? Think again. Please please please give it another shot. This is not the wine of your college years, though it is likely similarly priced.

Every winery here offers some type of riesling and most will have multiple kinds, ranging from sweet to dry. Almost every dry riesling I’ve had is good. They are usually super light and crisp, sometimes tart or have more minerality. Another popular wine up here is gewürztraminer, a white german varietal that tends to be more floral and a little sweeter (not my fave).

Other varietals unique to this area are Cayuga and Niagara. These will taste like Welch’s grape juice 100% of the time, I can guarantee it. If you like sweet juice that doesn’t taste like wine, this is your wine!

Good starting points for exploring the many many winery options are the Seneca Wine Trail website and the Cayuga Wine Trail site. Below I’ll list some of my recs (they are also starred in the map at the top of this page). Expect to pay $8–15 for a tasting, often discounted with a bottle purchase, and $20–30 for bottles of wine.

My #1 favorite winery is Dr. Frank’s. Its located on Keuka, so not on the main wine trail, but imo it’s worth the drive out. Their wines are all high quality, delicious, and reasonably priced. They are one of the oldest wineries in the region and have more varietals than most. One of my favorite things to do here is the signature 1886 Tasting Experience which includes a selection of wines, food pairings, and a tour around parts of the winery. I’ve done this twice and both were totally different — one experience we walked through the barrel rooms and vineyards, another was sparkling wine-focused and we got to see the entire aging and bottling process. It’s a little expensive and requires reservations, but it’s a ton of fun.

Seneca highlights:

Glenora: My second favorite winery! Lots of options and the wines are cheap! They sell bags of riesling and chardonnay that I really like, and they have a ton of fruit wines if that’s your thing. They also have a bunch of cheese and will usually give you some to try during a tasting too. Nice balcony outside that overlooks the lake.
Hermann J. Weimer: This is prob one of the fanciest wineries here and definitely on the expensive side, but it’s a really cute tasting barn and the wines are good. I like their unoaked chardonnay & rose.
Hazlitt: Home of Red Cat, one of the famous (infamous?) wines in the area. Red Cat is juice. Its extremely chuggable, perfect for sitting outside on a hot day, and made for 15 year olds. I feel like you have to go here just to get the experience of trying Red Cat. They also do have a cool outside area and sell wine slushies. If you’re feeling bold you can also try White Cat and Pink Cat!
Wagner: Huge space with a ton of outside seating, lots of wine and beers too
Fox Run: Really cool spot with a big indoor area for tastings and good wine. When I went they had a garlic festival going on in the parking lot which was cool
J.R. Dill: Great vibes at this place, and great wines. They have a nice deck where you can do a seated tasting, and sell local pickles along with their wines.
Finger Lakes Distilling: When you’re tired of wine and ready to kick it up a notch, this is a cool spot to try some local spirits. It’s been years since I’ve been but they sell a cherry liquor that is soooo good.
Barnstormer: I drove past this winery tons of times and finally stopped on my last visit and ended up loving it. We didn’t have reservations and had to wait a bit to get a tasting, but in the meantime we tried their hot mulled wine which was absolutely delicious. Loved the decor and vibe here.

Cayuga highlights:

Thirsty Owl: This is my fav winery on the Cayuga side. Lots of great wines and a good view!
Sheldrake Point: I can’t pretend like I showed up at this winery sober, I have zero ability to vouch for the quality of the wines. It was a really fun, large space with a ton of outdoor seating though, and we had a great time here
Lucas Vineyards: This was a very fun winery. Were the wines amazing? No. But we had fun!
Finger Lakes Cider House: I’m not a huge cider fan to begin with but this place was really cool. They had a tonnnnn of options to choose from, plus pizza and other food options. Apparently they also have live music on weekend evenings during the summer, and they were open later than a lot of other spots in the area.

where to eat

I will not claim to be an expert in the culinary offerings of this area, since most of my experiences have been day trips with a stop at taco bell on the drive back to my grandparents’ house or a longer stay at a lake house where we made lots of meals. But here are some spots I have been and would recommend:

Dano’s: This Austrian restaurant is my Grandma’s favorite spot and was one of my fav meals of 2022. We had six people so they offered us a family-style chef’s choice option where we basically got to try everything on the menu and it was AWESOME. I’m a sucker for dips and pickles, so this was right up my alley. It’s a fun, kind of unique choice, and the area around and inside the restaurant was so beautiful.
FLX Weinery: Yes, that’s spelled right. Choose your weiner, choose your toppings, or choose a burger instead! This is a great lunch spot with dogs, burgers, milkshakes, and lots of local drink options — or you can bring your own.
Kindred Fare: This is a farm-to-table restaurant in Geneva, on the north end of Seneca Lake. Loved all the food here, and they offered a weekly 3-course set meal with wine pairing that I would love to try next time.
Cayuga Creamery: It’s ice cream, what’s not to like?
Scuteri’s Cannoli Connection: It’s cannolis, what’s not to like? (I don’t like cannolis but my friends did)

BONUS: side trip option: Niagara Falls

If you’re staying longer than a weekend, and don’t mind a drive, I’d definitely recommend a day or overnight trip to Niagara Falls! Its a little under 3 hours drive each way, so it’s ambitious for a day trip but thats what my family did. If you have a valid passport, definitely plan to cross into Canada for your visit. There is significantly more to do on that side, plus better views.

I don’t have many specific recommendations on things to do or where to stay, but my top two suggestions are to do the Maiden of the Mist boat ride, it’s basically required as part of a trip to the falls, and to grab some Buffalo wings as you drive through the city.