Our trip to the Finger Lakes in times of COVID

This summer we were looking for places near and far (ish) that we could explore as a family without having to get on a plane.  One such place was the Finger Lakes area of New York state.  I’ve heard about Fingers Lakes but it never occurred to me that it would make a good travel destination for us living in Northern New Jersey (I can admit, I  am a bit of a travel snob).  Well COVID changed that and I  am so glad that we went there.  It’s so worth a visit – especially if you are in the NYC or Northern New Jersey area.  Its a bit of a drive (took us about 4.5 hours) but so worth it – it’s got it all – beautiful lakes, rolling hills, vineyards and wineries, state parks and good restaurants – what else can you possibly want?!

There are so many lakes out there and with me not knowing what’s what I  choose Seneca Lake because I found a very cool place to stay there (more on that below) – and it was wonderful.  We kayaked, went on hikes, had delicious food (including duck egg custard!) and good wine, picked blueberries and event visited TWO museums!  So if you are in the New York city area and looking for a great getaway definitely check out the Finger Lakes region and Seneca lake!

And if you are planning your own trip scroll below to see my recommendations on places to stay, to eat and to visit!

To Stay

We stayed at a super cool cabin at Single Shore Island.   I  was looking for something rustic but also for something nice and this fit the bill perfectly.  Our cabin looked brand new (I found out it was built less than 1.5 years ago) and even thought it was a bit of a walk to get to the lake (when i booked it it was the only double room cabin available) we did get to see the lake from the our deck.  It was beautiful inside and out, was all set up with all the pots and pans we would need if we ever wanted to cook there (which we did NOT, except for pancakes and a blueberry pie with freshly picked organic blueberries) and we loved it.  Would definitely stay there again and again.

To Eat

With COVID and restaurants having weird schedules, finding places to eat (especially early in the week) was a bit tricky.  But we persevered and here are a few places I  would recommend:

Dano’s – this was our favorite by far.  Not only the food was delicious (how can you go wrong with German/Austrian cuisine) but the setting was absolutely stunning – set on a sloping hill overlooking Seneca lake.  We sat outside and enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the lake.  I would recommend this place again and again!

Stone Cat – another place within five minutes of our cabin.  Nice contemporary cuisine – definitely need a reservation though.  There is a beautiful outdoor patio (were were lucky enough to get a table there) and it was lovely having a meal surrounding by grape wines and watching the sun setting over the lake.

Jerlando – great italian!  It fact it was so great that we ended up doing takeout from there twice in our six nights in the area!  Huge portions of delicious home made Italian food.

Grist Iron Brewing Company – a nice brewery/restaurant.  They have a nice place on top of the hill overlooking the lake – we ended up doing take out from there and it was pretty good!  My husband was impressed with their beer selection.

Two Goats Brewing – this place only serves two things – beer and roast beef sandwiches and let me tell you – these are pretty good sandwiches!  You can eat there or can take it go to, which is what we did – a nice quick lunch.

Restaurant at Glenora Winery – this was one of few places that offered outdoor dining and was open for lunch when we were there so of course we had to check it out.  The views were pretty great and the food was decent.

Spotted Duck – I  am not a huge fan of ice cream but I  LOVED this place – maybe because they sell custard not ice cream!  And unlike your standard custard/ice cream their custard is made with duck eggs – it’s super creamy and oh-so-good!  I  got a flight of ice cream (who knew that ice creams come in flights?!) and because that clearly was not enough, a chocolate chip cookie as well.  And being a glutton that I  am I  finished it all and it was glorious:)

 

To Do

Hiking in the  Watkins Glen Park – everybody told me that we should do it and there were not wrong – the hike around the gorge was pretty spectacular.  Definitely not to be missed.

Buttermilk Falls State Park – this was my absolute favorite hike we did – it was not hard and the views were stunning

 

Taughannock State Park – we just ‘stumbled’ upon it and I  am glad we did!

Corning Museum of Glass  – I  did not know what to expect and let me tell you – it was great!  We easily spent 2 hours there, did some sand blasting (you can book your ‘class prior to your visit) and saw many impressive pieces.  This was our first time visiting a museum since the pandemic and Mia was so thrilled to ‘be doing something indoors’ 🙂

Rockwell Museum – if you think this is a Norman Rockwell museum (like we did) you would be wrong!   I  was a bit confused when I  read that people loved the selection of Native American art in this museum – I  could not see the connection between Norman Rockwell and Native American art but I  thought maybe I  was missing something.  Well I was – this is NOT a Norman Rockwell museum nor it has any of his works.  It was still lovely though so if you are in Corning and have a free hour definitely check it out.

Hope you found this useful and I  hope you enjoy your own trip to the Finger lakes region.