thank you for your wonderful specific info. I am definitely going to ask you a few things. You are kind. When do you usually go there,in summer? We like B%26amp;B%26#39;s and inns as well. I have heard of the Aurora Inn,north of Cayuga Lake%26#39;s east bank and Silver Strand at Sheldrake 20 miles north of Ithica. Also the Cayuga Lakeside Inn and the Esperanza Mansion near Keuka Lake. These have been highly recommended. Do you know of any of them? What inns do you like in addition to the one you mentioned? I have also heard of the Village Tavern Inn in Hammondsport.
We were thinking maybe of staying two nights in one place and two in another.
Have you been to Ithica and Cornell? I hear it is wonderful there . We love beautiful scenery most of all and lovely scenic places to stay. We like to drink wine but would not stop at a winery. Good food is important but it does not have to be cutting edge,just taste good.
We live in Florida so we are hoping for some really great colored leaves.
Have you ever driven from Buffalo or Niagara Falls to the Finger Late area? We are wondering how long it will take.
Thanks ,Coleridge
Great Specifics for Finger Lakes
We usually go to the Finger Lakes over Memorial Day weekend. But we%26#39;ve also been there as early as late-April (a little chilly, damp and not as ';spring-like'; as it is in southeastern PA at that time of year) and as late as mid-October (the leaves may have been off the trees at that time....it was our first visit and I honestly don%26#39;t remember). We did stay once over 4th of July timeframe, when it was brutally hot, but I think that year, the entire east coast was having a heat wave.
Of the inns you mention above, I%26#39;ve only eaten at Esperanza mansion. They have a fine dining restaurant there (good food) and a more casual pub/grill restaurant. They also have an outside dining patio (reserve in advance!). An acquaintance stayed in the ';mansion'; part of Esperanza recently and said it was really nice. They also have a ';motel'; part next door. From peeking in during our visits, the rooms in the motel part are a little small, the balconies/patios are TINY, and if you have a first floor room, your ';patio with lake view'; is actually the inn%26#39;s parking lot!
Other B%26amp;Bs we%26#39;ve tried and enjoyed are Fox Inn, Finton%26#39;s Landing (right on the lake, with a private beach....great for summer!), and Merrit Hill Manor -- all located in Pen Yan. We stayed at, but did not like, the Cherry Orchard B%26amp;B on Seneca.
If I were you, I would pick one place to stay.
On our very first trip to the area, we visited Ithaca, but just for lunch. I don%26#39;t remember much of the town, other than there was a quaint little town center to walk around in.
The Village Tavern in Hammondsport is a regular stop for us for lunch...another quaint ';town square'; area.
Re the wineries....this is one of the Finger Lake%26#39;s great attractions, IMO. I really would recommend stopping at a few wineries, at least.
Great Specifics for Finger Lakes
Coleridge,
The fingerlakes is great anytime of the year, if you have a chance come at least one time in every season. Niagara Falls is about 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive from Watkins Glen if this is any help. If you get a chance plan on going to The Glen in watkins Glen they are having a celebration this year for being open to the public for a 100 years. It is a great walk even if you take the bus to the top and walk down, but one advice park on the street not in the parks parking lot, way over priced. But the veiw walking down is wonderful. We are starting to walk it every other weekend and we live right next door to it and never get tired of the view, it changes everytime we walk it. There are a lot of good Wineries on Seneca lake, we have the most of all three lakes and a lot of good one. Award winning wines as well. Take it from a local My family and I are very Blessed to live in the watkins Glen Area. The Hills and trees and valley and local wines and fruit and the whole deal is wonderful. We would like to see more coming into the area(which we do have a new hotel coming opening next summer) but I wish we had more to offer tourists and locals. It will come hopefully
What is the Glen that you write about? We will be in the Finger Lakes for 4 days,from October 11. I am reallylooking forward to it. We reserved two nights at the Esperanza Mansion and will reserve 2 nights at a place near Ithica,maybe Silver Strand at Sheldrake.Do you know of it?
We are happy for any and all info. Thanks,Coleridge
If you visit one winery while you%26#39;re in the Finger Lakes, try Dr. Frank, which is not too far from Esperanza Mansion where you%26#39;ll be staying. Dr. Konstantin Frank emigrated from Germany and was the main person responsible for bringing new types of grapes to the Finger Lakes region. IMO, they offer the best wines in the Finger Lakes. Also, many of the different wineries%26#39; grounds/locations offer some of the best lake views.
The poster was reffering To Watkins Glen State Park one of the most popular parks in NY and well worth the stop. The main trail is a walk up a river gorge past and behind several waterfalls. A lot of steps but do able by most anyone. The park also has a nice swiming pool and very nice campground.
Coleridge,
I Have heard of Silver Strand nice place. I will go down to the tourist office and get a phone number and an address for you to call them or even you could email them or something and they could send you out a lot of information. Watkins Glen State Park is Great, and it is open I do beleive until the last weekend in October. They have buses that take you to the top so you can walk down and enjoy the veiw and take pictures. You want to make sure you bring a pair of walking sneakers cause it can be a little wet at some points. Since you do walk under the falls. Sounds like you will be on the east side of the lake for a fews days. That is the the best side of the lake you can watch the sunset over the hill and across the lake. There are a lot of good wineries on the side of the lake. There are around 30 winries(i do beleive) around seneca lake. There seems to be new ones popping up every year. There is a couple of places right in watkins Geln that have wines from most if not all of the wineries. Esperanz Manison Not sure where that is of course I don%26#39;t need to find a place to stay around here cause we live here. So I am not much help on the places where to stay. But if you need any more information you could always email me at minbeh@hotmail.com and I could find out answers for you by asking around . http://www.schuylerny.com Schuyler County Chamber of Commerce
100 N. Franklin Street, St. Rt. 14
Watkins Glen, NY 14891
607-535-4300
607-535-6243 Fax
800-607-4552
chamber@schuylerny.com
And at the end of the lake Captain Bills has a boat that they take out on the weekend for an hour ride and you can get some nice pic and see some really nice things. There are a lot of things to see around here. To me the Little wineries are the best they kinda cater to the people unlike the bigger one, Hazlitt%26#39;s is a nice one and over on the other lake Hosmer%26#39;s winery and then just outside of watkins is Lakewood winery that is really nice and then of course there is Fulkerson%26#39;s winery. I don%26#39;t come to thise site very often but if you want to write please do and I will help you with what ever I can.
I just want to thank everyone for all of the very good and useful info. We are sooo grateful.Coleridge
in answer to your inquiry, the Silver Strand is terrific. My wife and i stayed there last year and we%26#39;re going again this summer. The rooms are pretty enough and the breakfasts are great but the real bonus is that the vibe is good-humored and not at all stuffy. View of west coast of Cayuga is beauitful. Sheldrake is a small town with a vineyard within walking distance. - Mike and Ellen
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