8 Small Towns In The Finger Lakes With Unmatched Friendliness
The 1946 film It's A Wonderful Life reminded millions of the profound impact of a single person's kindness on an entire community. This message carries over into an annual event celebrating the film in the "real-life" Bedford Falls, found in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Throughout the area, numerous towns find ways of bringing people together. It could be by watching wannabe sailors in cardboard boats trying not to sink into the waters of Seneca Lake. Or it could be trying near-endless slices of grape pie as bakers compete for a title in an event that dates back to 1961. From giant ice carvings to antique boat shows, these eight Finger Lakes towns welcome visitors from all over the state with unmatched friendliness year-round.
Skaneateles
Beautifully restored Chris-Crafts, Gar Woods, sailboats, and racing boats line both the Skaneateles waterfront and its lake of the same name during the Antique and Classic Boat Show. The annual summer weekend festival is just one of many during the warmer months, inviting out-of-towners to take full advantage of the clear blue lake water and the greenery around Clift Park. Around the same time, the businesses along Genesee, Jordan, and Fennell streets roll their merchandise onto the sidewalks for the Curbstone Festival. Live music drifts between boutiques like the Bev & Co. clothing store, and the historic downtown turns into something of a big block party.
The most substantial summer event in this Finger Lakes town, however, is the four-week-long Skaneateles Festival. It has welcomed internationally acclaimed musicians into the town for more than four decades. Many of these performances are hosted at the historic First Presbyterian Church of Skaneateles and open-air settings like Clift Park. The weekend after Thanksgiving, the whole downtown transforms into an interactive production of A Christmas Carol during Dickens Christmas. 50 costumed characters roam the streets, greeting both locals and tourists alike.
Naples
Naples proudly calls itself the Grape Pie Capital of the World and follows it up with a major annual festival completely dedicated to fruit. The Finger Lakes town has celebrated the Naples Grape Festival every September since 1961. Each year, the town fills up with live musicians, and visitors sample everything from grape fudge and grape ice cream to Concord grapes, homemade soda, and, of course, fresh pies before watching local bakers compete in the annual Greatest Grape Pie Contest.
Many stop by Monica's Pies, where the town's signature dessert is still baked year-round alongside dozens of other varieties. The shop sits north of the village center, toward the south end of Canandaigua Lake. Winter brings a different celebration with Vintage Vines & Valentines, when couples stroll between Main Street businesses sampling Finger Lakes wines, ciders, beers, and spirits, renew their vows on the porch of the historic Naples Hotel, and cheer on contestants in the Naples Chocolate Cake Contest.
Canandaigua
Each February, downtown Canandaigua becomes one of the Finger Lakes' liveliest winter destinations during the Fire & Ice Festival. Professional ice sculptors spend the day transforming massive blocks of ice into intricate works of art as crowds gather along Main Street to watch every cut take shape. The competition doesn't end there. Local chefs face off in the Best of Canandaigua Chef's Challenge, visitors follow the Comfort in a Cup Beverage Trail between downtown businesses, and horse-drawn wagon rides carry families through the historic district.
A couple of months prior, Canandaigua borrows from the traditional German Christmas markets for the Christkindl Market at the Granger Homestead, the 1816 Federal-style mansion just outside the Historic District. The same estate fills with elaborately decorated Christmas trees created by local schools a few weeks later. In July, the Canandaigua Art & Music Festival has drawn in over 30,000 visitors each year for nearly four decades. Ten major musical acts, over 100 craft and food vendors, and three days of street-party energy make this event one of the most memorable in the region.
Seneca Falls
Few Finger Lakes towns celebrate their identity as enthusiastically as Seneca Falls. Every December, thousands of visitors arrive for the It's a Wonderful Life Festival, inspired by the long-held connection between Seneca Falls and the fictional Bedford Falls from the 1946 Frank Capra film. For a few days, downtown fills with movie screenings, horse-drawn wagon rides, bell ringings, themed tours, and businesses decorated for the holidays. Residents embrace the occasion just as much as visitors, turning the festival into a town-wide celebration rather than simply a movie tribute.
Summer brings another long-running tradition with Canal Fest, which focuses the community on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. Live music, food vendors, craft exhibitors, a popular and slightly peculiar duck race, and fireworks line the waterfront while boats drift through one of the busiest weekends of the year. The town's history takes center stage in July during Convention Days, commemorating the first Women's Rights Convention of 1848. Historical reenactments, guest speakers, walking tours, family activities, and community events transform the village into a living reminder of one of the most influential moments in American history.
Watkins Glen
At the southern tip of Seneca Lake, Watkins Glen is one of the Finger Lakes' busiest small towns. Much of that comes from the popularity and sheer beauty of Watkins Glen State Park. Here, the Gorge Trail climbs roughly a mile and a half near the heart of the village, passing 19 waterfalls, crossing stone bridges, and winding behind the mist of Cavern Cascade before climbing more than 800 steps.
Aside from the magic of the outdoors, visitors come for major annual events, such as the Watkins Glen Waterfront Festival. It happens every Father's Day weekend, filling Seneca Harbor Park with all the trappings of a major street party but also including the Nearly Famous Cardboard Boat Regatta. Teams launch handmade cardboard boats into Seneca Lake, hoping their creations reach the finish line before slowly sinking to the delight of spectators lining the waterfront. During September's Grand Prix Festival, historic race cars once again navigate the original 6.6-mile street course used between 1948 and 1952. The celebration spills throughout downtown with car shows, special events, and opportunities to meet the owners behind many of the meticulously restored vehicles, reflecting a racing tradition that still defines Watkins Glen decades later.
Hammondsport
Hundreds of cyclists from all over the country come to Hammondsport in June for the Keuka Lake Gravel Classic. Starting from town, the riders will traverse the scenic but challenging dirt roads of the Finger Lakes beer and wine country. Afterparties and locally brewed beverages from Steuben Brewing Company await at the end of the ride. The event brings out spectators, regardless of whether they're taking part in a ride or not.
Every August, the Festival of Crafts transforms Pulteney Park Square Historic District with more than 100 artisans selling pottery, paintings, jewelry, woodworking, textiles, and handmade goods as live music fills downtown. The event, celebrating its 45th year in 2026, has become one of the Finger Lakes' longest-running craft festivals attracting thousands of visitors. A few weeks later, seaplanes descend onto Keuka Lake while classic and exotic cars line Village Square during Wings & Wheels. Visitors can watch pilots compete in precision spot-landing contests and the crowd-favorite grapefruit bomb-dropping competition before a fireboat demonstration unfolds on the lake.
Geneva
During the warmer months, Geneva's central Linden Street closes to traffic, turning the brick-lined block into a gathering place where restaurants move tables outside and local events spill into the street. That same community feel carries into the Glorious Garlic Festival each August, when Lakefront Park fills with farmers and visitors celebrating the region's garlic harvest. More than 50 farms and vendors take part, with cooking demonstrations, garlic-inspired dishes, craft beverages from Finger Lakes producers, and live music overlooking Seneca Lake.
Summer brings another major tradition with Summerfest Geneva, a two-day celebration that includes a Friday night fireworks show. Every spring, the Geneva Music Festival brings acclaimed chamber, jazz, and bluegrass musicians into intimate venues across the city during its four-week season. Among the performance venues is the Smith Opera House, where films and live productions have entertained audiences from all over since 1894.
Penn Yan
On the eastern branch of Keuka Lake, Penn Yan sits in one of the Finger Lakes' most celebrated wine regions. The village is surrounded by members of the Keuka Lake Wine Trail, where family-owned wineries line the hills above the water and bring people together year-round for tastings, vineyard views, and locally produced bottles. Penn Yan may be a small village, but it goes big every Friday of the month from May through October. First Fridays turn Main Street into a monthly gathering place, with shops staying open late while some of those well-loved wineries, as well as restaurants and live music acts, welcome visitors into the downtown district.
Some evenings have their own personality, such as June's Cruisin' Night, when classic cars fill the streets for a vintage block party, or October's Foliage Friday, which celebrates the fall harvest season with autumn-themed activities and local specials. The village's creative side comes alive each June during the Keuka Arts Festival, held along the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail. More than 100 artists and vendors gather for the two-day event, where visitors browse handmade work while musicians perform everything from jazz and blues to rock and reggae.
Traditions That Bring the Region Together
A visit to these friendly Finger Lakes towns often means arriving during a tradition that locals have been perfecting for years. Dickens Christmas has brought Victorian characters to Skaneateles for decades. The Naples Grape Festival has celebrated the town's signature dessert since 1961. Seneca Falls continues to welcome visitors for It's a Wonderful Life Festival each December. These events succeed because they are tied directly to the places, stories, and traditions that residents continue to share with visitors.
