7 Old-World Towns to Visit in the Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes wear their old-world character in plain sight, in 1830s inns, Erie Canal locks, and Victorian main streets that never got torn down. Aurora's Federal-style inn on Cayuga Lake has taken guests since 1833. Skaneateles built its lakeside village around an 1807 hotel. Down at Keuka Lake, Hammondsport put up the country's first bonded winery before the Civil War. These are towns where the history is still in daily use, not behind glass.
Aurora
On the east shore of Cayuga Lake, Aurora packs its history into a compact center listed on the National Register. The Inns of Aurora occupy a cluster of restored 19th-century buildings, including the 1833 Aurora Inn, built by a co-founder of The New York Times. A short walk away, the MacKenzie-Childs Farmhouse offers daily tours of a restored Victorian home furnished throughout with the company's handmade ceramics and decor.
The village itself, once the home of Wells College, remains a walkable National Historic District of Federal and Victorian buildings. Long Point State Park lies a short drive down the shore, with hiking trails and picnic grounds on Cayuga Lake.
Skaneateles
Skaneateles centers its village on the north end of its namesake lake, around the Sherwood Inn, an 1807 stagecoach stop that still operates as a hotel and restaurant. The Skaneateles Historical Society Museum, in a former creamery, traces the town's history. The John D. Barrow Art Gallery shows the work of its namesake, a 19th-century painter who lived in town.
Mid-Lakes Navigation offers boat tours across Skaneateles Lake, known for its exceptionally clear water. Each August, the Skaneateles Antique and Classic Boat Show brings restored wooden boats to the waterfront.
Hammondsport
At the southern tip of Keuka Lake, Hammondsport centers on Pulteney Square and a lakeside downtown. The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum documents the life of hometown aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss, known as the father of naval aviation, with aircraft, motorcycles, and early engines. Pleasant Valley Wine Company, founded here in 1860, was the country's first bonded winery.
Depot Park gives the village a quiet spot on Keuka Lake. The Finger Lakes Boating Museum displays more than 200 antique boats from the area's boat-building past. Bully Hill Vineyards overlooks the lake from the hills above town.
Geneva
Geneva occupies the north shore of Seneca Lake, with a historic downtown and a long main street of 19th-century commercial buildings. Belhurst Castle, a stone mansion from the 1880s, operates today as an inn and winery on the lakeshore.
Seneca Lake State Park gives the city direct access to the water for swimming and boating. Three Brothers Wineries and Estates, just outside town, houses three separate wineries and a brewery on one property.
Penn Yan
At the north end of Keuka Lake, Penn Yan began as a mill and farm town. The Oliver House Museum displays artifacts from those 19th-century industries. The 1910 Sampson Theatre, a vaudeville-era venue, and the Arts Center of Yates County round out the town's cultural life.
The Keuka Outlet Trail follows an old canal towpath past historic mills and waterfalls. Fox Run Vineyards, on the west side of nearby Seneca Lake, offers tastings and vineyard tours with views over the water.
Owego
Overlooking Owego, New York.
The village of Owego lines the north bank of the Susquehanna River in New York's Southern Tier. Its downtown, on the National Register of Historic Places, is a long row of Victorian commercial buildings. The Tioga County Historical Society Museum documents Native American heritage and the town's industrial origins.
The Owego Riverwalk follows the Susquehanna along the edge of downtown. Just offshore, Hiawatha Island once served as Native American ground and later a steamboat landing. The Belva Lockwood Inn, a historic bed and breakfast, offers lodging in the same district.
Palmyra
An Erie Canal town in Wayne County, Palmyra is often called the birthplace of the Latter-day Saint movement. The Book of Mormon Publication Site marks where Joseph Smith's text was first printed, in 1830. The Historic Palmyra museums document the town's canal-era commerce and religious history.
Erie Canal Lock 29 preserves a lock from the original canal. The Alling Coverlet Museum is the only US museum devoted to handwoven coverlets, a 19th-century textile. The Palmyra Farmers Market brings local produce, crafts, and live music to the town in season.
History Still in Working Order
What sets these towns apart is not age alone. It is that the old buildings still earn their keep. Geneva's 1880s castle pours wine to this day. Palmyra's canal locks still frame a working waterway. In Owego and Penn Yan, 19th-century storefronts house the everyday shops and restaurants. The past here is not roped off behind glass. It is where people eat, shop, and spend an ordinary afternoon.
