The fall is a perfect time to visit the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, to see its many waterfalls, beautiful foliage, and visit the quaint towns, museums and numerous wineries and breweries.
For a long time, I’ve wanted to see the colorful and majestic fall foliage of New England, and it’s still on my bucket list. But with its sky high lodging prices during the peak fall tourist season, I decided to look at other options. One such place is the Finger Lakes region of upstate, western New York. This beautiful part of the country is filled with dozens of majestic waterfalls, beautiful lakes, quaint towns, scenic farmland and hundreds of wineries and breweries. During the fall, the landscape is even more breathtaking, when the Finger Lakes National Forest is covered in every shade of yellow, orange and red. We scheduled our stay during the peak foliage period, which generally appears around the second week of October.
The Finger Lakes region is named for the eleven long, narrow, parallel lakes that on a map look like the fingers of two hands. The lakes are located within a triangular region of western New York, south of Rochester and Syracuse and north of Elmira. These lakes, formed by glaciers over two million years ago during the Pleistocene Ice Age, range in length from four miles long to 40 miles long. Cayuga Lake is the longest, while Seneca Lake is the deepest, at 618 feet. The Finger Lakes was ranked in 2018 as the 8th best wine region of the U.S. according to USA Today, and New York state has the 4th largest number of wineries in the country.
We rented a cottage (aptly named Cozy Cottage) through AirBnB, on the east side of Seneca Lake near the village of Lodi, perfect for watching sunsets. The cottage was located at the end of a long gravel road that winded past a winery and through farmland, down a steep embankment. From our deck, a stairwell led down a steep hill to the beach, where we had our own private dock, seating area and fire pit. The cottage was the perfect place for us to hang out, and take trips to the wineries, nearby towns, and waterfalls. We even ventured as far west as Niagara Falls, a world wonder that I had never been to.
Described below are some of my top picks of places to visit in the Finger Lakes region.
Wineries Galore
Grape growing in the Finger Lakes goes back as early as 1829, and today there are more than 120 wineries, breweries and distilleries to choose from. The Finger Lake wines specialize in white varieties such as Riesling, Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer. The water temperature of the lakes helps to prevent extreme air temperature swings, allowing the grapes to have a longer growing season. Many of the wineries and breweries have on-site restaurants, and most of the wineries are open year round, generally between the hours of 10am and 5pm.
We went to three wineries during our stay. Ryan William Vineyard sits along the east side of Seneca Lake and includes tastings and food in a contemporary barn setting with a view of the lake, serving comfort dishes and desserts. Ventosa vineyards sits on 23 acres at the northern end of Seneca Lake near Geneva. This winery offers great views, and has a large tasting facility and café that serves Mediterranean style foods. We had a delicious dinner at Knapp Winery located near the west side of Cayuga Lake. The restaurant website notes that it is known for its eclectic, casual, gourmet meals. My meal of grilled pork medallions covered in a fig, apple and pear sauce, and served with potatoes and haricots vert attested to that.
We also went to the Scale House Brewery located east of Seneca Lake. This popular and fun brewery includes live music and serves various beers on tap, ciders, and wine. The restaurant specializes in very good pizzas, including build your own, and 16 gourmet specialty pizzas, as well as salads, meatballs, calzones and quesadillas.
Town of Skaneateles
There are many quaint and historic towns in the Finger Lakes that look like they could be the setting of a Norman Rockwell painting. We visited many, including Seneca Falls, Ithaca, Canandaigua, Geneva, Auburn and Trumansburg. The prettiest one in my opinion is Skaneateles, located at the northern tip of Skaneateles Lake, one of the cleanest lakes in the entire U.S. Postcard perfect Skaneateles is known as the jewel of the Finger Lakes. It has a compact but lively business district, surrounded by leafy parks hugging the lakefront, and a small harbor and fishing pier. Beautiful homes of varying architectural styles, including Victorian, Gothic and Greek Revival, line the streets surrounding the downtown. Sightseeing and dinner cruises along the lake can be made at Midlakes Navigation between spring and fall. Downtown Skaneateles is filled with restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops, galleries, and antique stores. There are many restaurants to choose from, and we chose a local favorite, Doug’s Fish Fry. Patrons line up and order and take a seat. The menu offers fish, chicken, oysters, scallops, lobster rolls, clam and shrimp. I finished my meal with a tasty apple fritter.
Every year during August, the month long Skaneateles music festival is held, where performers from throughout the world come to play at various venues throughout the area. The music consistes of a number of genres include classical, jazz, and bluegrass.
Ithaca and Cornell University
I had heard so many good things about Ithaca over the years, and a visit was a must. Located on the south end of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the largest town in the Finger Lakes region, and is home to two colleges, including Ivy League Cornell University, and Ithaca College. The downtown is within a valley surrounded by Cayuga Inlet, Six Mile Creek and Cascadilla Creek. The lively downtown is centered on the Ithaca Commons pedestrian mall which provides a European atmosphere, with numerous outdoor cafes and restaurants, shops and other services.
The surrounding creeks in Ithaca include numerous gorges that form the many waterfalls. The local saying is “Ithaca is GORGES!” These gorges bring an abundance of nature and beautiful scenery within an urban area. Just a few blocks north of Ithaca Commons is the Cascadilla Gorge trail which connects downtown to the south end of Cornell University. As you hike along the trail, you soon forget that you are right in the middle of a city. The wooded trail is nearly a mile long, features arched stone bridges, and passes eight waterfalls ranging from eight to 80 feet in height.
A mile north of the downtown area is stunning Ithaca Falls, the most impressive waterfall in Ithaca. Located along Falls Creek, the waterfall is 150 feet tall, and 175 feet wide. The power of the falls lead to the construction of a half dozen mills in the 19th century.
We continued up East Hill to the Cornell University campus, walking along a trail adjacent to Fall Creek, where we passed other waterfalls including Triphammer Falls. The sprawling campus spans both sides of Fall Creek, overlooking the city of Ithaca, and pedestrian bridges cross the creek offering beautiful vistas. The campus was founded in 1865 and includes ornate buildings designed in Gothic, Victorian and Neoclassical styles surrounding green quadrangles, as well as modern architectural styles. On the east side of campus is the Cornell Botanic Gardens. The 25 acre gardens include herb, ornamental grass, flowers, vegetable, and wildflower gardens. The adjacent 150 acre Newman Arboretum includes Chestnut, Conifer, Maple, Oak, Walnut and Crabapple trees.
The I.M. Pei designed Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art is also located on campus. The modern, tall concrete multi-level building has a top level that is cantilevered over an open aired sculpture garden. The free museum has a collection of over 35,000 works of art including Asian, European, African, Pre-Columbian and American pieces, including holdings by Georgia O’Keefe and Andy Warhol.
Watkins Glen State Park
One of my primary reasons for visiting the Finger Lakes was to see gorgeous Watkins Glen State Park, which I had previously seen in numerous photographs. Watkins Glen is known for its 400 foot deep narrow gorge that cuts through the rock by Glen Creek. Three trails traverse through the park. The most scenic is the gorge trail, where visitors walk along, cross and climb the creek along stone steps and bridges. This trail provides the best view of the 19 waterfalls within the park, and includes a section that meanders behind a waterfall. The other two trails follow the wooded rim above the gorge. Seeing the park during the fall was especially beautiful, with the multi-colored foliage providing a backdrop to the gorge.
The state park is located on the west side of the town of Watkins Glen. Fees are required if bringing a vehicle into the park. There is no charge for visitors that walk to the park from town, but there is a parking fee at the adjacent parking lot. The park includes a gift shop, swimming pool, picnic sites, cabins and campground.
Taughannock Falls State Park
Taughannock Falls State Park is located between the quaint town of Trumansburg, and the west side of Cayuga Lake. A .75 long and scenic trail (from the trailhead and parking lot off Route 89) leads to the base of the 215 foot plunge waterfall, the highest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains. Besides the Taughannock Falls are two additional falls including the 20 foot tall lower falls, and 100 foot tall upper falls. The park also offers camping, picnic areas, and a park along Cayuga Lake. A visitor center is located above the falls on Taughannock Park Road, and offers a scenic overlook. The park is free to the public.
Women’s Rights National Historical Park (Seneca Falls)
Located in downtown Seneca Falls is the Women’s Rights National Historical Park. Seneca Falls, located near the north end of Cayuga Lake, played a prominent role in the Women’s Rights Movement. It was here that local resident Elizabeth Cady Stanton along with others helped organize the 1848 Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention. Stanton and others drafted the “Declaration of Sentiments”, based on the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming that women and men are created equal, and resolved that women should take action to claim rights of citizenship. The National Historical Park tells the story of the convention, its leaders and abolitionists. The park includes the Wesleyan Chapel, where the convention was held, as well as the Stanton house, a visitor center and education and cultural center. An outdoor garden / green space includes a wall with the Declaration of Sentiments inscribed. The museum is free to the public.
Corning and the Corning Museum of Glass
The attractive city of Corning is located about 20 miles southwest of Watkins Glen and the southern tip of Seneca Lake. Settled in 1796 as a lumber town, Corning grew to be a center of the glass industry and became known as “Crystal City.”
The Corning Museum of Glass, founded by the Corning Glass Works, houses a collection of over 50,000 glass objects, ranging from antiquity to the present. One can spend an entire day at this excellent museum. Some of the collections are 3,500 years old. The museum includes a contemporary gallery, a gallery exhibiting 35 centuries of glass from throughout the world, a Tiffany studio, live glass making demonstrations, and a section where visitors can make their own glass. The cost of admittance is $20 for adults.
Downtown Corning, also known as the Gaffer District, is situated on the south bank of the Chemung River, and its many restaurants, cafes, shops, galleries and boutiques line both sides of Market Street for a half mile. The Southside Historic District is located along a hill overlooking downtown, and includes residential structures of various architectural styles, including Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian.
