The Complete Weekend Guide to The Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes is a popular weekend getaway for east coasters. This serene area in upstate New York delivers stunning lake views, hundreds of wineries, and quaint small town vibes.
Ylli and I had been wanting to make the FLX trip since we started learning about wine, one of our “big kid” skills we were looking to acquire. After reading many chapters of “Great Wine Made Simple” by sommelier Andrea Immer Robinson, we decided to venture north and see what the famous east coast region has to offer.
In addition to many wineries, the Finger Lakes is surrounded by multiple state parks and outdoor recreation areas. The Upstate New York landscape makes it easy to get a small hike in and finish the day with a few glasses of wine, which is a recipe for a perfect day if you ask us.
We put together our complete weekend guide of what to know and where to go to have the best experience at the Finger Lakes!
Cheers!
Planning Your Trip
We left Philadelphia on a Friday after work. Total drive time ended up being 5 and a half hours to Geneva, with a quick snack and gas stop included. We got caught in a pretty bad rainstorm for about an hour of the drive, however, we were traveling during a rainy season. If you’re planning to fly in, there are a few regional airports near the lakes, but Rochester seems to be the closest bigger airport.
Most wineries close either at 5 pm or 6 pm (summer months) so plan accordingly. Similarly, state parks are not open past sunset, so make the most of your daylight hours.
Be sure to make reservations ahead of time. Lots of wineries are small and have limited capacity. This also goes for restaurants, which book up fast.
Getting Around:
You’ll need to either drive your own car or rent one while visiting in order to get to all the different state parks and wineries.
If you’re planning to do our tour of multiple wineries, you’ll want to hire a driver for your party. Ubers at The Finger Lakes tend to be few and far between, and the wineries are spread out which means walking is generally out of the question.
Luckily, there are plenty of wine tours, drivers, and limousine services that would be happy to safely escort you around. Below are a few highly rated services.
Finger Lakes Transportation Services
Finger Lakes Limousine & Coach
A gorgeous sunny day
When To Visit:
Busy season starts Memorial Day weekend and generally continues through Labor Day. If you’re planning to go during this time you’ll want to book your accommodations well in advance, as places fill up quickly.
We visited during early May and there were virtually no crowds, however, the weather was more unpredictable. We got caught in a thunderstorm on the drive up and our Saturday ended up being really chilly, so we had to keep our jackets on all day. Make sure to bring an extra layer if you’re traveling during the off season.
Where to Stay:
There’s many beautiful towns around each of the five lakes with plenty of adorable AirBnB’s. The most popular lake to stay around seems to be Seneca Lake, which has the largest population and is central to many wineries.
We stayed at a hotel in Geneva, the town at the north end of Seneca Lake using our Marriott points, but if we were to stay at a more unique location, here are a few places on our wish list:
Seneca Lake Stays:
Magnolia Place Bed and Breakfast
Other notable locations around the Finger Lakes
Watkins Glen: Located at the south of Seneca Lake and home to Watkins Glen State Park.
Ithaca: Nestled at the bottom of Cayuga Lake and home to Cornell and Ithaca College. This town is generally larger than what you’ll find lakeside and full of charm.
Corning: 30 minutes south of Watkins Glen, this small town has a beautiful historic district.
Hiking
Upstate New York has beautiful rolling hills and serene waterfalls. Lots of trails aren’t very challenging, which is great if you don’t want to spend all day hiking and still want to get outside. Here are some of our recommendations
Entrance at Watkins Glen State Park
Watkins Glen State Park
Watkins Glen State Park’s Gorge trail takes you inside the ancient glacier formed gorge, winding you along the edge and under 19 cascading waterfalls. There are various bridges along the trail for some beautiful photo opportunities, rainbow bridge being the most popular. Overall, the trail has a slight incline, with the exception being the steep section of stairs in the very beginning. We hiked the entire Rim trail which is about 4 miles and it took us two and a half hours, factoring in plenty of breaks to take in the view.
The Gorge Trail is closed during certain times of the year. We went May 6-8th and unfortunately the Gorge trail was closed due to weather and conditions being unsafe, but we were still able to hike the entire Rim Trail, which runs along the top of the Gorge and still offers spectacular views and bridges and waterfalls!
Our friends visited Watkins Glen on Memorial Day weekend and the Gorge Trail was open for them. We started our hike around 8 am and were one of few people on the trail. By the time we left the park was much more crowded, and that was during the off-season! Make sure you get here early if you’re looking to beat the crowds and get a parking spot.
Lower path through the gorge
Taughannock Falls
This impressive waterfall is over 215 feet high, making it the tallest free standing waterfall east of the Mississippi. This state park is located on the west side of Cayuga Lake, 15 minutes north of Ithaca. We parked at the visitors center where there’s a scenic overlook of the falls before heading out on the North Rim trail which connects to the lower Gorge trail.
The Gorge trail is about 3/4 mile and leads you to the very base of the falls. The lower trail is wide and flat, perfect for family outings with younger children. This trail was a perfect “walk in the park” for us with a super rewarding view when we got to the base of the falls.
Ylli at the base of the falls
Taughannock State Park offers more than just waterfalls. If you’re looking to stay longer, the park offers camping sites, cabin rentals, picnic areas, beach swimming, fishing, playground areas, and kayak rentals!
Upper viewing platform - just steps away from the parking lot!
Other places we would go if we had more time:
Buttermilk Falls - a short hike with lots of gorges and cascading falls
Keuka Outlet Trail - an easy out and back with lots of river and waterfall views
Rim Trail and Gorge Trail Loop - a beautiful waterfall hike in Robert H. Treman State Park, just south of Ithaca
Cascilla Falls - located right in the town of Ithaca!
Other activities that might interest you:
Sailing - What better way to get acquainted with a lake town than by on the water?
Kayaking
Reagan’s Canoe & Kayak rental services - Kayak on Seneca Lake!
Bike Rentals
Finger Lakes Electric Bikes - Start in Geneva and explore the trails
Paddleboarding
Paddle-N-More - at Taughannock State Park on Cayuga lake
Wineries
Specializing in Sparkling Wines, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Ice Wine, the Finger Lakes is home to over 100 wineries, which leaves you with a lot of options to choose from. We wanted to find the coziest wineries that offered great wine, ambiance and food options, as we were planning to stay for a while at each place.
Barnstormer Winery
Located just 10 minutes up the road from Watkins Glen State Park, this winery is in a beautiful old barn. We were greeted and got to sit in a cozy living room area nestled next to a fireplace which created an intimate and relaxed setting for us.
Barnstormer will create a flight from any combination of wine you’d like to try, but we were drawn to their “focus on Riesling” flight, which highlights the exquisite range Riesling can have, even when grown and produced in the same region! We ordered a delicious charcuterie board to pair with our wine and even purchased some home some décor they had for sale.
If you’re planning to visit, make a reservation as their space is limited. If you’re traveling with a bigger group, max guest allowance is 8 people, unless you’re renting a cabana during their weather permitting months. Cabanas can hold up to 12 people.
* Barnstormer added bonus – the friendly orange barn cat you can pet if he comes up to you!
Highlight of the winery!
Leidenfrost Winery
Leidenfrost Winery has everything you want. Friendly, knowledgeable and fun staff, relaxed, down-to-earth atmosphere, beautiful grounds with lake views, and fabulous wines. They’re one of the first wineries to start producing red wines and their expertise shows in their small batch productions. We ended up taking quite a few bottles home with us!
The beautiful entrance
Once we were through with our tasting, we created our own charcuterie board with their local produce selection from neighboring farms and sat on the lawn chairs for a while soaking up the lake views. Be sure to make a reservation as their tasting room is small and you won’t want to miss this place!
Sipping on their front lawn!
Other wineries that are highly rated but we didn’t have time to try:
3 Brothers Winery - Seneca Lake
Wagner Vineyards Estate Winery - Seneca Lake
JR Dill Winery - Seneca Lake
Buttonwood Grove Winery - Cayuga Lake
More into beer? Here are some breweries to check out:
Climbing Bones Hop Farm & Brewery (Seneca Lake)
Grist Iron Brewing Company (Seneca Lake)
Keuka Brewing Co (Keuka Lake)
Fleur De Lis Brew Works (Cayuga Lake)
Where to Eat:
Monaco’s Coffee
This quaint coffee shop is located in Geneva and serves up beautiful latte art, breakfast sandwiches and burritos using locally sourced produce, and mouth watering pastries. The ambiance is light and airy with cool leather couches that invite you to sit and stay for a while. This was the perfect start to our day.
A delicious breakfast sandwhich
Ports Cafe
You’ll need to make a reservation as early as you can because this place books fast - and for a good reason! Ports Cafe delivers fine dining in a more casual atmosphere, serving local produce and dishing up daily specials. We ordered the octopus and burrata over polenta as appetizers and got the ahi tuna special and gnocchi for our entrees. Everything was amazing, we highly recommend!
From left to right: Seared ahi tuna over spicy sesame noodles, burrata over polenta, gnocchi, octopus
The Spotted Duck Creamery
This cute little creamery serves frozen custard made with duck eggs. You can order from their variety of unique flavors (like Emu tracks, candied coconut, and super stout, which actually contains alcohol). Can’t decide what flavor? Order a frozen custard flight! Afterwards, sit in their back yard where you can see and interact with the ducks they raise.
Creekside Cafe
If you’re traveling along Cayuga lake on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, make sure you stop in the small town of Trumansburg for an incredible breakfast sandwich at Creekside Cafe. This small mom and pop shop serves breakfast and lunch and is pickup/takeout only. They do have a few tables/chairs outside if you just can’t wait to eat. Their THC (Pork roll, egg and cheese) sandwich was to die for and was the perfect start to our morning.
Pork roll, egg, cheese, pepper relish
Gimme Coffee!
While you’re in Trumansburg, cross the street to the adorable coffee shop serving up chai teas, espressos, lattes, bakery items, and more. The baristas are super friendly and the food and drinks are top notch.
What did we miss? Drop your Finger Lake favorites in the comments section below!