Top Things to do in Finger Lakes
Top Hotels in Finger Lakes
- 1. Holiday Inn & Suites Syracuse Airport - Liverpool, an IHG Hotel
- 2. Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel
- 3. Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Rochester-Pittsford/Brighton, NY
- 4. Hampton Inn & Suites Syracuse North Airport Area
- 5. The Statler Hotel at Cornell University
- 6. La Tourelle Hotel, Bistro, Spa
- 7. Best Western Brockport Inn & Suites
- 8. Hampton Inn & Suites Syracuse Dewitt
- 9. The Craftsman Inn & Suites
- 10. Comfort Inn & Suites
10 Things to do for Honeymoon in Finger Lakes That You Shouldn't Miss
New York’s Finger Lakes region takes its name from 11 freshwater lakes placed like a handprint between Lake Ontario and the Pennsylvania border. Skiing, hiking and biking trails traverse the landscape; visitors can also indulge in various wine, cheese and beer trails. The area offers a culinary bounty, with an emphasis on farm-to-table cuisine. Rich history and culture are found throughout the region, with one attraction more inviting than the next.
Restaurants in Finger Lakes
1. Watkins Glen State Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4,539 reviews
The cascades of 18 waterfalls are the calling card of this state park.
Reviewed By marvi62 - Lafayette Hill, United States
We went to Watkins Glen (4th visit) on Tuesday, arriving around 11 am. The NY state Covid regulations in effect right now clearly state that masks are required, even outdoors, when passing within 6' of another person. These rules are posted at the entrance of the park, as is the one way direction for walking the Gorge trail right now. However, I would estimate 60% or more of park attendees did not put on masks when passing- and the Gorge trail is 2' - 3' wide in many locations. A number of hikers also ignored the one-way rule, coming back on the narrow Gorge trail instead of taking the designated trail back. It took us about 2-1/2 hours to hike the mile up the Glen, since my husband took a lot of photographs. The hike back down only took about 20 minutes. Bring water and wear sturdy shoes or good sneakers (the soles of your shoes will get muddy, even on a sunny day). There are bathrooms by the entrance, but none on the trail. Admission to the park is $8, payable by cash or credit card in a self-ticketing machine in the two parking lots (main lot plus 2nd lot across the street). Watkins Glen is an absolutely stunning gorge. I just recommend going really early to minimize close encounters with other hikers. The only park ranger I saw in our entire visit was the man in the Information Center near the park entrance.
2. Finger Lakes Wine Country
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 532 reviews
Reviewed By missys1960 - Norfolk, United States
Saturday was a beautiful, crisp fall day in the Finger Lakes ???? ☀️ and a Seneca Lake Wine Tour with American Limousine Company driver JP was the event of the day. H*A*P*P*Y B*I*R*T*H*D*A*Y to me! Wineries visited: Wagner Vineyards, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Leidenfrost Vineyards, Chateau LaFayette Reneau Note to self: Come back with more time & friends!
3. Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 325 reviews
Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard Estate grown wines are established from traditions of excellence and have a nationwide reputation for creating exceptionally lush, crisp and well-balanced wines.
Reviewed By Docsherri - Buffalo, United States
Of all the wineries we visited in 2 days of tastings around Seneca Lake, the best rieslings we had we here at Herman J Wiemer. We tasted all of the rieslings offered on their tasting menu and each one was excellent! If you have an opportunity to meet Oscar, the owner, he is such a lovely person to chat with! The rest of the staff we interacted with were also kind, helpful, and knowledgeable. Do not miss this winery!!
4. Silver Springs Winery L.L.C.
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 536 reviews
Family owned small winery ... Hippie Attitude with international gold medal winning wines ... Dry red wines to Sweet wines ... we grow all our own grapes utilizing our three properties...Spring 2018 our Solar energy will give us a zero carbon footprint... friendly, inviting, loving, customer service...two of our wines benefit the local shelter... Brickoven pizza and seating for pizza, cheese and wine...in business since 2000 ... father daughter winemaker team ... multi generational family winery with roots in Italy ... #OneLove ... Peace ...
Reviewed By abtshudy
Silver Springs is always a must stop on our annual girls trip to the finger lakes. This year was no exception, even with restrictions for Covid (seated tastings, contact tracing, etc.), we were able to enjoy our tasting and all walked out with multiple bottles to take home. My friends in my group love the sweet fruit wines, while im more of a dry wine gal, which is perfect since Silver Springs has both the "Silver Springs" brand (sweeter and fruitier) and the "Don Giovanni" brand (dryer reds and whites) Our server Sarah was awesome, preparing a line up of wines for each of us to taste depending on what we liked. Would definitely recommend this place! Plus the hippie vibes are awesome and unique! My only negative would be their website is a little hard to navigate, since we werent sure what their Covid accommodations would be, but we were able to call and get someone right away!
5. Ports of New York Winery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 92 reviews
TASTING $6 or WINERY TOURS AND TASTING $9 • Closed: Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (W,Th, F), Christmas Day and New Year's Day
Reviewed By debrabV8926PH
Off the beaten path, but well worth the visit. Friendly hosts to tell about their family history and great wine!
6. Weis Vineyards
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 67 reviews
Offering delicious, handcrafted, German-style wines for everyone to enjoy! Join us for a wine tasting in the barn or grab a glass and enjoy our outdoor area! Tastings are offered daily from 10 am - 5 pm and include a selection of 5 wines for $10. Group Tastings are offered via reservation. Our retail shop is open daily for wine purchases, logo gear, and local meats, cheeses, and crackers! We look forward to seeing you!
Reviewed By cjkines1 - Hickory, United States
The reds are awesome at this winery. Highly recommend the Blaufrankish. (Sometimes called Lemberger). Also loved the Chardonnay (bought 8 bottles). They offer a nice case discount, which we took advantage of. Nice outdoor seating area, and also tastings in the barn. We were there on October 11th in the barn and had a super knowledgeable man for our tasting. He was helpful and knew a lot about wines and the history of the winery. We didn’t expect to buy anything but ended up with a case!!
7. Skaneateles Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 554 reviews
This clean, serene lake is the easternmost of New York's Finger Lakes.
Reviewed By Besos43
We rented a house from Vrbo and were very happy with our experience. They had a dock and deck area for sitting and enjoying the beautiful lake. The water was very clear and clean. I was surprised that the temperature of water seemed warm for early July. We swam every day. Since travels were during Covid we did curbside takeout and were happy with food and service from Gilda's, Doug's Fish Fry, and The elephant and Dove.
8. Wagner Vineyards
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 388 reviews
Visitors to this popular winery in the Finger Lakes area can experience great wine-tasting, fine dining and tasting this establishment's newest addition- micro-brewed beers.
Reviewed By J5564DJjoeb - Kingsley, United States
Stopped for a tasting in mid September. So glad to see that Wagner's is adhering to all of the new protocols in this new era. We were fortunate enough to have a tasting with John. Certainly not your average tasting. We were treated to one of the most enjoyable hours we have spent in the Finger Lakes. We were educated not only on the origins of the winery, but the origins of the grapes themselves. This man really has a passion for the area and the entire industry. On top of that, the wines were really excellent. We are more into the dry reds, which were all great, but the whites were equally impressive. My personal favorite was the Caywood East dry Reisling, The beers are also very good, If time allows, we recommend a lunch stop at the Ginny Lee Cafe. Great food, wonderful views of the winery and vineyards, and a great drink menu featuring Wagner beers and wines by the glass or bottle .This place really has something for everyone. Keep up the great work John and Wagner's Joe and Lori Brennan
9. Bully Hill Vineyards Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 409 reviews
Located in the heart of the Finger Lakes wine country, this family-owned winery is popular for its humorous tours, spectacular scenery and artsy wine labels.
Reviewed By ImaBlueman - Owego, United States
due to Covid, Bully Hill has adjusted their wine tasting to start at the top or each hour. (reservations required). They then take whoever has signed up into a decent size room, where you have your own table distanced from others. What is great about the wine tasting, is you are entertained while doing your tasting! They cover a fascinating story of the founder Mr Taylor, his lawsuit fights, various stories of events that happened throughout all of this, local support and of course the story of the goat! Much more than just a tasting, good history , humorous stories and the tales behind the "david vs goliath" battle mr taylor went through.
10. Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 672 reviews
Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery is one of the most prestigious and beloved wineries in the Finger Lakes. The winery's founder, Dr. Konstantin Frank introduced vinifera (classic European grape varieties) to the Eastern United States which ignited a winemaking renaissance in the region. Without the contributions of Dr. Frank, the Finger Lakes wine region would not be where it is today. The winery was established in 1962 and is now in its fourth generation of Frank family ownership. The winery's tasting room overlooks beautiful Keuka Lake and some of the oldest vinifera vineyards in America.
Reviewed By ekwestrein - Troy, United States
Summary: Best wines, breathtaking view, and the best history of any winery we visited. Can’t miss this one if you are taking a tour of this area! Wine: Absolutely fantastic wines! A bunch of cool varietals you don’t usually see from this area, plus some amazing blends (but with so many different kinds of fruit to work with, there’s really no surprise there!). Sweet, dry, whites, reds, roses, sparkling, and everything in between; really something for everyone. Ambiance/View: BEAUTIFUL lake views and a very nice tasting room. We were lucky that there weren’t many people visiting when we went, but it seemed like it’d have enough room to still get good service if it got busy. Another really nice thing about this place is that we were greeted by Steven as soon as we walked up! It was so nice to have someone to get direction from right off the bat. Plus he was so nice and welcoming! A definite plus. Education: The tasting room staff (our bartender Vinnie, and the other bartender Paul) were very friendly and knowledgeable about the wines and the history of the vineyards - and what a history it is! It was so cool to learn about Dr. Frank and his contributions; plus we heard his name pop up so many more times from other wineries in the area recognizing his contributions. We didn’t do a tour, but next time we come back, we will definitely try to get in on the tours - they seemed amazing and included food for the price.
