Finger Lakes

I%26#39;m not sure what forum to put this is....but I was wondering if there was a good site to read about the different areas of the finger lakes.

Which areas do you like? Which is the cleanest lake? Which has the most amenities, things to do?

Finger Lakes

To answer these questions...we need to know a little more...when are you coming, what do you like to do (wineries, boating, swimming, etc....)

Finger Lakes

this is a good site to start with:

http://www.fingerlakes.org/

each of the 3 major lakes has a wine trail (with website). Kueka, Seneca and Cayuga. Google for their wine trail websites.

I%26#39;m partial to Cayuga (and city of Ithaca) due to the fact that I lived there for a couple of years. Nice state parks (many gorges and waterfalls etc.) Ithaca has nice restaurants, which always surprised me since it is a small city (of course, it has quite a prestigious university ... Cornell). For shopping, I always enjoyed The Commons (unique stores). Also use to go to the Johnson Museum of Art (Cornell campus) which had a wonderful view of the lake. Use to walk about Sapsucker Woods and the varied state parks etc. etc. Check out the website.

http://www.visitithaca.com/

Seneca has more wineries than Cayuga. There were wineries in the region when I lived in Ithaca but the number has exploded over the last decade or so. Now the wineries have beautiful buildings, tasting rooms, gift shops and cafes. It%26#39;s fun just to browse the trail websites and the links to the many wineries. I went on a wine tour last year and really fell in love with Ventosa on the northern end of Seneca.

It has been a number of years since I%26#39;ve been to Kueka but, in my opinion, that is the prettiest of the lakes. Dr. Frank%26#39;s winery is considered to have some of better quality wine in the region.

http://www.drfrankwines.com/

In general the Finger Lakes are considered to be some of the cleanest lakes in the world.

I believe that Skaneateles is the cleanest of the Finger Lakes.

I am also a fan of Ithaca for the wonderful state parks, great farmers market and good restaurants. There are several wineries along Cayuga Lake. Aurora is a cute village on the east side (about halfway up). The Aurora Inn is very highly regarded.

Skaneateles is a pretty town; no real sights (other than the lake of course) but good for window shopping and a good meal. The dinner or mail cruises are fun options. There is usually music downtown at least one night a week.

Watkins Glen has a wonderful state park and is a good base for exploring the Seneca Lake wineries. Geneva (north end) have some great accommodation options (Belhurst Castle, Geneva on the Lake).

Canandaigua is a pretty towe and Canandaigua Lake is beautiful. Sonneburg Gardens is a worthwhile stop. There are also many antique stores if you head west.

Naples is at the other end; good hiking on the state land there and Grimes Glan is pretty.

Hammondsport and Pann Yan are attractive small towns on either side of Keuka Lake. Good bases for more wineries.

Have fun!

Thank you thank you...for all the great info!

What about for families...the wineries are great for me, but what kids activities are there? Spring/summer/fall.

IN regards to kids...consider the following:

I copied the following from the Ithaca website (previous post).

http://www.birds.cornell.edu

Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary:

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is located in Sapsucker Woods, a 220-acre wildlife sanctuary with more than four miles of walking trails. The observatory features a thirty-foot wall of windows for viewing Sapsucker Pond and the Treman bird-feeding garden. Displays include a surround-sound theater with high-definition movies about birds and nature, an object-theater presentation, a sound studio, and informational kiosks featuring bird sounds and information. The Wild Birds Unlimited store in the observatory carries bird supplies and a wide array of beautiful gifts. Lab hours: Mon.-Thurs. 8am-5pm, Fri 8am-4pm, Sat 9:30am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm. Admission is free.

Museum of the Earth at the Paleontological Research Institution

http://www.museumoftheearth.org

Fantastic state parks:

Taughannock Falls State Park - flat walk into falls

Buttermilk Falls State Park

Robert H. Treman State Park - swimming right under the waterfalls (I believe)

www.nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp…

The Ithaca Science Center and Cayuga Nature Center are fun for kids as well ... lots of interactive activities. The ';tree house'; at the nature center is especially neat as is the butterfly house.

If you go to Watkins Glen, the Corning Glass Museum (20 miles away) and the Farm Sanctuary are things that I enjoyed as a kid (and still enjoy as an adult).

I also believe there is a small amusement/water park in Canandaigua ... I don%26#39;t know anything about it though as it has changed quite a bit since I went there oh so long ago.

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