Last week, my mom, a family friend, and I drove up to the Finger Lakes region of NY state for a little nature getaway to cap off the summer.

I obviously took it upon myself to plan the details and did my research to figure out all the best hikes, vineries, restaurants, and (obviously) coffee spots to put on our itinerary.

It ended up being an absolutely lovely trip, though it was so cold there on these particular days that it felt like we had suddenly jumped from August to November.

I thought I would put all of my recommendations in this post, as it will hopefully inspire you to visit this beautiful region yourself (and minimize the work you gotta do). And also because this post can serve as a travel diary, or a memory capsule of sorts, for me. :p

Let’s go to the Finger Lakes, shall we?

The Finger Lakes are a region in the northern part of NY State that are named as such for the shape of the eleven glacial lakes that slice through the area. It is a nature wonderland, with gorgeous waterfalls, rolling hills, lake views, and picturesque landscapes that you can’t help but want to paint.

What is unique and awesome about the Finger Lakes is that there is truly something for everyone. There are fourteen counties, from small rural towns to mid-size cities and college towns. There are farms on every corner where you can buy incredible local produce and homemade goodies, hikes to placate anyone from the light walkers to the thrill-seekers, endless wineries with wines of all sorts from the locally-growing grapes, craft breweries and cideries, and above all, breathtaking nature views that are some of the best I have yet encountered in the U.S. Honestly, it reminded me a bit of Scotland in parts, particularly with the lakes and rolling hills, thought there are considerably more trees here.

I will also say that visiting in late summer/early fall is definitely a great time because though it can be chilly, it is not at all uncomfortable, particularly in the daytime when the sun is shining. But the real draw of this time are the changing leaves; we got to witness the very beginnings on our trip, but I suspect late September/early October is when the oranges and reds really pop and take the landscape to a whole other level.

Finally, this is definitely a trip that requires a LOT of driving. Not only are the Finger Lakes 4-5 hours away from NYC, but each lake and specific hiking location is quite far from the next, for the most part. We were definitely surprised by how much driving we had to do just to get from place to place, but the views from the car window more than made up for it. 🙂

Ithaca and Cayuga Lake

We started with the Ithaca and Cayuga Lake region, as that was the closest part of the Finger Lakes for us driving in from NYC. This is also where we ended the trip when driving back home. Here are some favorites.

Robert E. Treman State Park

This was the very first official place we came to on our trip. We did a lovely long hike here using the Rim Trail and then the Gorge Trail. All the trails are one-way right now (to promote social distancing), but taking these two trails brings you back to the parking lot. All in all, it took around 3 hours, including stopping for photos a lot.

It’s classified as a moderate hike, mostly because there are MANY stairs. But there’s no scrambling over rocks or too many roots to trip over, and there’s definitely a lot of easy parts that allow you to catch your breath after the stairs. If you are a forest lover (like me), I cannot overstate how serene, lovely, and healing this park is. There’s also a WICKED secret waterfall that I very much recommend you check out (just follow the Gorge trail and on the fork where it says to turn right to get to the lower parking, turn left instead and climb a whole bunch of stairs to get to the falls, and then afterwards, just come back to the same point to get to the parking). I was perfectly content to spend the whole day there, but of course, we had lots of sights to see!

Taughannock Falls

This is a relatively short hike, only about an hour to get to the falls and back, and classified as easy. The falls are the big attraction here, but the whole hike is really nice. At this time of year, most of the water is dried out, so you can actually walk along the stones that usually line the bottom of the waterway that flows from the waterfall.

These falls are quite famous, so I was excited to check them out and we ended up fitting them in right before sundown (a really lovely time to visit). Again, at this time of year, they are not as huge and strong as in the early spring, but they are still a sight to behold. I read they are actually taller than the Niagara Falls, which is super cool!

There is also a whole bunch of Native American history associated with these falls, and the place had a certain air of mystery and magic to it that was right up my alley. 🙂

Ithaca Farmer’s Market

A MUST if you find yourself in the region on Saturday or Sunday. This market has over 100 local vendors selling the most incredible produce literally picked THAT MORNING, in addition to baked goods, delicious prepared foods (I had the most INSANE breakfast egg sandwich on a buttermilk biscuit that I’m still dreaming about here), honey from local apiaries, jams, homemade soaps, and so so much more. It’s like a haven of local goods. We were originally going to farm-hop on our last day, but coming here saved us all those trips because we were able to buy everything we could possibly want right in one place.

Gimme! Coffee

I knew I wanted to come here since we first put this trip on the docket. Funny enough, there is a Gimme! Coffee in NYC, that I’ve been to only once and LOVED. I knew it was originally from Ithaca and has several locations here, so I was sure it would not be a disappointing cup of coffee. I was very specifically craving iced coffee with oat milk, which is what I ordered even though it was freezing. Thankfully we enjoyed the coffee in the car, so I bundled up in my jacket and apart from occasional shivers was just fine (I’m a wimp, I know).

La Tourelle Bistro

This place is part of an inn, but you don’t have to stay there to eat at their bistro. We had breakfast here first thing upon driving into the Cayuga Lake region. I had made reservations, though it wasn’t actually necessary as there weren’t a lot of people, and all the tables were super spaced apart. Also tons of safety precautions in place. We all got omelets that came with Ithaca Bakery sourdough (drools) and potatoes (they were a mix of sweet potatoes and regular, and I swear these were some of the best sweet potatoes I’ve ever tasted). Highly recommend.

The Heights

This restaurant was SO GOOD. We had an absolutely lovely dinner here on our last night, complete with local wine and several courses. I’m gonna say right now, you NEED the Sicilian Cauliflower app, the Atlantic King Salmon entree, and if you’ve got at least 3 people willing to share, get the Profiteroles for dessert. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Seneca Lake

Seneca Lake Wine Trail

So there is basically a wine trail associated with every lake in the FLX, but since we were staying near Seneca for much of our trip, I decided to focus mostly on the wineries here.

All in all, we tried Ventosa Vineyard (famous for aged red wines, which we weren’t huge fans of), Wagner Vineyards (we LOVED their riesling wines that the region is famous for), and Belhurst Castle which deserves a section for itself.

Belhurst Castle

This is an actual castle that used to be a private residence and is now a hotel, spa, winery, and a restaurant. We came here to try the winery but ended up staying for lunch, and it was so so lovely. We LOVED the wines here and ended up getting a couple bottles of dry riesling and cabernet sauvignon. The lunch was so so good and was in their gorgeous courtyard right on Seneca Lake. I had the cheese board (of course), and the others both had the Lobster Bisque which was apparently exquisite. The little shop in their spa is also really great for gifts!

HIGHLY recommend making a stop here.

Ports Cafe

We had dinner here on our first night in the FLX. They’re renowned for their seafood and meat, and everything is really fresh and delicious. We got the mussels as an appetizer, which are a MUST. Honestly I would have eaten just that for my meal. They also came with their homemade focaccia, which was phenomenal too. As for entrees, I loved my gnocchi dish, and the flank steak also received rave reviews from my companions.

Watkins Glen State Park

My favorite part of the whole trip. This park is pure MAGIC and if you only do one thing from this list, make it this. It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been in within the U.S., and it was so fun to explore. Again, this is considered a moderate hike, but stairs are the only thing making it so. The whole place looks and feels like a fairytale with natural caves, waterfalls, rock formations, and greenery. Again, I could have spent the entire day here. <3

Seneca Sunrise Coffee Roasters

So I put this place on my list because it kept appearing on Best Coffee in the Finger Lakes lists, so of course I had to check it out. Unfortunately when we came there, they had a sign on the door saying they were closed due to unforeseen circumstances. 🙁

But later that day, we stopped at a random farm nearby and in their store, I saw Seneca Sunrise Coffee Roasters coffee beans, so I decided to get them and make them at home. I am currently drinking that coffee as I type this (made in my French Press), and let me just say, it ROCKS. Like so good that I will for sure order it again when I run out.

This place is right by the entrance to Watkins Glen, so hopefully you can get lucky and actually be able to grab a cup to take on your hike. 🙂

Keuka Lake + Hammondsport

This is a super quick stop, maybe a couple hours to really take in the lake and the tiny town of Hammondsport. This is a really great spot to get souvenirs that are very specific to the FLX. We bought some soaps, teas, and local chocolates here. Oh, also there’s a LOT of homemade fudge, which I was definitely here for. I LOVE fudge and haven’t had it since Edinburgh (which is famous for fudge), and this one totally hit the spot. We bought a few different kinds from various places. My fave flavor was the Chocolate Walnut.

Definitely make sure to walk around Keuka Lake, which is right by the Village Square of Hammondsport. It’s a gorgeous lake and quite unique in its color and shape. Highly recommend taking a drive around it as well. I know there’s a few wineries in the area and some points of interest that we sadly couldn’t fit in.

Elmira

This was another very quick stop, on our drive back home. Elmira is known as the final resting place of Mark Twain, and there is also his study that you can visit. I would say it’s worth stopping by if you’re a big Mark Twain fan, but there’s not a whole bunch to do here. The name sure is pretty though, isn’t it? 😉

 

Other notable spots on my list that we didn’t get to:

Montezuma National Wildlife Reserve

Cascadilla Gorge Trail

Buttermilk Falls State Park

Brews and Brats at Autumn View

Heron Hill Winery

Arbor Hill Winery

Monica’s Pies (for grape pie)

Market St. Coffee and Tea

Hector Handmade

Hazlitt 1852 Cellars

Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars

Sauder’s Store

FLX Wienery

Glenora Wine Cellars

Kindred Fare

Raymour Estate Cellars Winery

 

And there you have it. Your one-stop shop for what to do, eat, and see in the Finger Lakes region, tried and vetted by yours truly. 😀

Of course let me know if you’ve been or are planning to visit any of these spots, and I’d love to know if you’ve been in the FLX and what the experience was like.

I’m so grateful I had the chance to visit and to get away from the city for a bit, particularly in a time when travel is truly a luxury like never before. I’d like to say, too, that right now, nothing is risk-free (other than perhaps sitting in a hazmat suit in your house), but we did our best to keep ourselves and others as safe as possible, and I took a lot of time to research every single place and ensure it was compliant with health guidelines.

Hope you enjoyed reading, and I’ll see you back here soon! xx