SOURCE: Various
In this issue our “Short Getaway:…” will give you autumn colors, wineries, history, outdoor activities and almost unending beauty. If you have never been to the Finger Lakes region of New York State, that’s the destination we’re talking about and it is well worth the trip.
A getaway to the Finger Lakes should probably be a 2-3 night trip to really get a feel for the area. Using Walnutport as our starting point, the Finger Lakes region is just under four hours heading north and slightly west into New York.
Finger Lakes Region
The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north-south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario. In addition to the exceptional beauty, the Finger Lakes region is also New York’s largest wine-producing region. There are more than 400 wineries and vineyards surrounding Seneca, Cayuga, Canandaigua, Keuka, Conesus, and Hemlock Lakes, which are just six of the eleven Finger Lakes.
Each town and city in the Finger Lakes is connected to water by lakes, rivers, canals, ponds, tributaries, or the Erie Canal. This makes the area perfect for lots of outdoor recreation year round, in addition to visiting the wineries and enjoying delicious meals. You can do everything from coming into the area on the Erie Canal on a “canal boat houseboat,” to biking, kayaking, fishing and more.
With deep clear lakes, spectacular gorges, abundant waterfalls and fishing and boating opportunities galore, this region will leave you breathless any time of the year.
Hiking and Swimming
If you want to swim at the base of a waterfall, you can do that at Buttermilk Falls, as well as Robert H. Treman, Stony Brook or Fillmore Glen State Parks. Or hike along the rim of a gorge and camp in a wooded glen. At Taughannock Falls State Park, you can take your time and walk a gentle trail through a rugged canyon to glimpse one of the highest waterfalls in the east, plummeting 215 feet on its way to Cayuga Lake.
The experience at Watkins Glen State Park is truly unforgettable. Winding paths and steps will lead you over stone bridges, and behind waterfalls. Later relax at the Olympic sized pool or one of several hundred campsites.
Boating and Fishing
Known for its white sandy beaches and panoramic lake views from the campsite bluffs, Fair Haven Beach State Park is also great for boating and fishing. If you’re an angler, you will love Keuka Lake State Park for its trout, bass and salmon. Meanwhile, in Cayuga Lake State Park you will find large- and small-mouthed bass, lake trout, salmon, perch and northern pike.
Seneca Lake and Sampson State Parks offer a ton of water-based resources. On Seneca Lake you will find a beach, marina and fishing, as well as a spray park. In addition, the Military Museum at the town of Sampson draws visitors from all over.
Victorian Gardens
For a change of pace visit Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park. This Park has one of the nation’s most extensively preserved country estates from the Victorian era. A short drive northeast will bring you to Ganondagan State Historic Site, the location of a major 17th-century Iroquois town and its massive granary. While there, see a full size replica of a long house, walk the trails, and visit the site’s new Seneca Art and Cultural Center.
