8 Towns in the Finger Lakes that Were Ranked Among US Favorites

A Finger Lakes weekend is one of the easiest trips to love in Upstate New York. Eleven long, narrow lakes fan out across the region, edged by waterfall gorges, hillside vineyards, and small towns built for a slow, happy wander. Watkins Glen hides a 19-waterfall gorge right behind its main street. Hammondsport pours the wines that launched an industry. Seneca Falls tells the story of the women's rights movement. Best of all, every one has ranked among the country's favorites.

Watkins Glen

The Gorge Trail at Watkins Glen State Park climbs past 19 waterfalls and beneath 200-foot cliffs, sometimes passing right behind the water. It is the headline attraction in Watkins Glen, the town at the south end of Seneca Lake, where a walkable downtown of shops and local restaurants rounds out the day. The trail usually opens in late spring and closes in mid-October.

Seneca Lake is the largest of the Finger Lakes by volume and a center for fishing, boating, and sailing. The Seneca Harbor Wine Center pours regional Rieslings in an old red-brick building near the water. The town also hosts Watkins Glen International, the road course that holds a NASCAR Cup Series weekend each summer and the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen sports car race in June.

Corning

Corning lies just south of the lakes on the Chemung River and anchors the region's glass history. The Corning Museum of Glass holds a vast collection of glass art and artifacts, with live glassblowing demonstrations through the day. A few blocks away, the Rockwell Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate in the former city hall, shows American and Native American art.

The downtown Gaffer District runs along Market Street, a preserved stretch of brick storefronts with galleries, shops, and cafes. The Centerway clock tower marks the center of the district. Corning is not on a Finger Lake itself, but Seneca Lake is a short drive north to Watkins Glen.

Seneca Falls

Seneca Falls is often tied to the film It's a Wonderful Life, since many believe the fictional Bedford Falls was modeled on the town. The downtown carries that connection through a small museum and an annual December festival. Shops and cafes line the streets near the Seneca-Cayuga Canal, which runs through the center of town.

Seneca Falls holds a central place in the women's rights movement. The National Women's Hall of Fame honors leaders of that movement, and the Women's Rights National Historical Park preserves the Wesleyan Chapel where the 1848 convention was held. Nature lovers can walk the Seneca Meadows Wetlands Preserve, which covers more than 1,000 acres of restored wetland with boardwalks and observation towers. Cayuga Lake State Park is a few miles east, with trails, swimming, and picnic areas.

Naples

Waterfall glens and hiking trails ring the hills around Naples, at the south end of Canandaigua Lake. Grimes Glen Park follows a creek past waterfalls and the site of a fossilized Devonian tree. High Tor Wildlife Management Area rises above town with overlooks across the valley. The lake is a short drive north.

The town is known for its Concord and Niagara grapes and for grape pie, a local specialty sold at bakeries around town. The Naples Grape Festival has celebrated the harvest each September since 1961. Area wineries include Arbor Hill Grapery and Winery, just outside the village.

Hammondsport

Hammondsport wraps around the south end of Keuka Lake, the only Y-shaped lake in the Finger Lakes. The village centers on Pulteney Square, a small green ringed by shops and restaurants. Keuka Lake offers fishing, boating, swimming, and kayaking, and the surrounding hills turn deep color in the fall. Depot Park, on the waterfront, hosts community events through the year, including the Seaplane Homecoming.

Hammondsport is often called the birthplace of the American wine industry, with some of the oldest wineries in the region nearby. Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery overlooks the lake from a ridge above it, where founder Konstantin Frank introduced European grape varieties to the Finger Lakes in the early 1960s. Heron Hill Winery, also above the lake, is known for its Rieslings and Chardonnays. The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum covers the aviation pioneer who built and flew early aircraft from a field outside town.

Geneva

A downtown of 19th-century brick blocks and newer storefronts slopes down to the water in Geneva, at the north end of Seneca Lake. Geneva Lakefront Park stretches along the shore at the foot of downtown, with space to walk and launch a boat. The Smith Center for the Arts, a restored historic theater downtown, stages concerts and live performances.

Just outside downtown, Seneca Lake State Park has a swimming beach, fishing, and open lake views. Nearby, the Geneva Historical Society operates Rose Hill Mansion, a Greek Revival estate from 1839 on the east shore of the lake, open for guided tours of 19th-century rural life.

Canandaigua

Canandaigua spreads along the north end of its namesake lake. The Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum preserves an 1816 Federal-style mansion and a collection of horse-drawn carriages. The Ontario County Historical Society Museum on Main Street traces the region's past, and the Ontario County Courthouse is where Susan B. Anthony was tried in 1873 for voting.

Canandaigua City Pier and Park stretches into the lake at the foot of Main Street, lined with historic boathouses. The pier anchors community events such as the Canandaigua Lake Music Festival. The Canandaigua Lake Wine Trail circles the lake with family wineries.

Skaneateles Village

Skaneateles Lake is one of the cleanest in the Finger Lakes, clean enough to supply drinking water, and Skaneateles Village stands at its north end. The downtown, with buildings dating to the late 1700s, lines Genesee Street with local shops and cafes. The village hosts the Skaneateles Farmers Market, a summer music series, and a Dickens Christmas event in December.

Clift Park occupies the center of the waterfront, with lake views and a gazebo. A walking path follows the shoreline from the park, with boat rentals nearby for fishing and swimming on the lake.

A Region Worth a Weekend

The Finger Lakes reward unhurried trips. The lakes set the pace, and the towns along their shores fill it in with wineries, gorge trails, historic main streets, and waterfront parks. Geneva pairs a downtown with a lakefront a few blocks apart, while Naples turns its grape harvest into a September festival. A single weekend usually covers only one or two stops, often with a state park or a wine trail attached. That mix of water, history, and walkable downtowns is what keeps drawing people back to these towns in New York.