The Best Small Towns in the Finger Lakes for a Weekend Retreat

Weekend trips to the Finger Lakes run on lake towns and the wineries above them. Ithaca anchors Cayuga Lake's south shore under Cornell's gorge campus. Watkins Glen anchors Seneca Lake under 19 waterfalls in a slot canyon. The other seven towns each carry their own lakefront combination of downtown and wine country. These nine small towns line the Finger Lakes shorelines and earn a weekend stay this year.

Ithaca

Ithaca sits at the south end of Cayuga Lake with Cornell University's campus rising on the hillside above. Cornell's grounds run through Cascadilla Gorge and Fall Creek Gorge, with the campus bridges crossing waterfalls that drop more than 100 feet. The architectural mix runs Collegiate Gothic, Neoclassical, and Victorian across the central quad. The Cornell Botanic Gardens are free and open to the public, and the F.R. Newman Arboretum next door covers 100 acres with maples, oaks, and dogwoods.

The Statler Hotel on campus is run by Cornell's top-ranked School of Hotel Administration and books well in advance. Ithaca's Museum of the Earth holds one of the country's largest fossil collections. The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the largest natural sound archive in the world, with more than two million recordings.

Skaneateles

Skaneateles sits on the north end of Skaneateles Lake, one of the cleanest lakes in the country and clear enough to see the bottom most days. The downtown runs along the shoreline with restaurants, galleries, and the public pier within walking distance of the village core.

The Skaneateles Boutique Hotel and Packwood House handle most overnight stays, and both face the water. Patisserie covers morning bread and pastries, and the Skaneateles Bakery handles fresh donuts. Cliff Park runs free live music every Friday in July. The Charlie Major Nature Trail follows a stream just south of the village for an easy walking loop. Anyela's Vineyards sits up on the hill above town and pours regularly through the warm months.

Geneva

Geneva sits at the north end of Seneca Lake and calls itself the Lake Trout Capital of the World, with the National Lake Trout Derby held every Memorial Day weekend. Seneca Lake State Park covers about 140 acres on the water with picnic spots, swimming, and paddle-craft access.

Belhurst Castle and Winery is the headline lodging, a stone-built turn-of-the-century estate that runs both rooms and a working winery on site. Big Oak Golf Course sits just outside town for a quick round. Three Brothers Wineries and Estates pours across a multi-winery property south of town. Rose Hill Mansion, a Greek Revival home from 1839, opens for guided tours covering 19th-century rural life on the lake.

Seneca Falls

Seneca Falls hosted the first Women's Rights Convention in 1848, where about 300 women and men gathered to debate the Declaration of Sentiments. Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote the document at her home here, which is open for tours through the Women's Rights National Historical Park. The visitor center covers the convention through exhibits, the Wesleyan Chapel where it was held, and the home of Stanton and several other organizers.

Sauders Store, run by the local Mennonite community, holds a deli counter with house-cut meats and bulk dry goods. The "It's a Wonderful Life" Museum claims Seneca Falls as the model for Bedford Falls in the 1946 Frank Capra film, complete with the bridge that mirrors the one in the movie. Barrister's Bed & Breakfast sits about a mile from the historical park for a comfortable base.

Canandaigua

Canandaigua takes its name from a Seneca word meaning "the chosen spot" and sits at the north end of Canandaigua Lake. The downtown runs one of the most pedestrian-friendly main streets in the Finger Lakes, with 19th-century commercial architecture standing intact along the wide central avenue.

The Canandaigua Lake Wine Trail covers 22 miles around the lake with stops at boutique and family wineries. Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park preserves the 50-acre estate around an 1887 Victorian mansion with nine themed gardens. The Ontario County Courthouse on Main Street is where Susan B. Anthony was tried in 1873 for voting in the 1872 presidential election. The Canandaigua City Pier extends into the lake at the foot of Main Street. Sutherland House Victorian Bed & Breakfast handles overnight stays in a restored 19th-century home.

Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen sits at the south end of Seneca Lake, and Watkins Glen State Park is the headline attraction. The Gorge Trail runs 1.5 miles through a slot canyon with 19 waterfalls and stone-cut staircases that pass behind several of them. It is the most-visited state park in the Finger Lakes region.

Graft Wine + Cider Bar on the main strip handles food and drink in a casual setting close to the marina. The Watkins Glen International race track sits just outside town and hosts the NASCAR Cup Series each August. The Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival in September turns the downtown into a road-racing tribute that traces back to 1948 when the original race ran on village streets. The Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel sits right on the marina for an easy lakefront stay.

Hammondsport

Hammondsport sits at the south end of Keuka Lake, the only Y-shaped lake in the Finger Lakes. The town runs around a tight central square with restaurants, shops, and the Pulteney Square gazebo at the center of it all.

Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery sits on a ridge above the lake and is one of the most influential wineries in the Eastern US. Founder Konstantin Frank introduced the first commercial European grape varieties to the region in 1962 and turned the Finger Lakes into a viable wine area. The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum covers the pioneer motorcyclist and aviator who built the first public American flight in 1908 from a field outside town. Union Block Italian Bistro covers dinner, and the Keuka Lakeside Inn handles overnight stays with windows that open onto the water.

Corning

Corning is south of Watkins Glen and Hammondsport with easy access to both Keuka Lake and Seneca Lake. Nicknamed Crystal City, the town has been built around the glass industry since Corning Inc. moved here in 1868.

The Corning Museum of Glass is the largest museum in the world dedicated to glass art and history, with over 50,000 objects covering 3,500 years of glassmaking. Live demonstrations of glassblowing run throughout the day. The Rockwell Museum is the only Smithsonian Affiliate in upstate New York and holds American Western and Native American art. The Chemung River runs through town with kayak access points, and the Gaffer District downtown is built around Market Street's restored 19th-century commercial blocks. The Cellar in the Gaffer District covers dinner, and the Gaffer Inn handles lodging on Market Street.

Ellicottville

Ellicottville sits in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains southwest of the Finger Lakes proper and runs as a four-season resort town. HoliMont Ski Resort, just outside the village, is the largest private ski club in North America with about 700 acres of skiable terrain. Holiday Valley next door operates as a public resort with 60 trails and a summer adventure park.

Griffis Sculpture Park covers about 400 acres of forest, fields, and ponds with more than 250 outdoor sculptures across the property. It opened in 1966 as one of the first sculpture parks in the country. The Gin Mill on Washington Street is the local gathering spot for food and a long beer list. Wingate by Wyndham handles most overnight stays in the middle of the village within walking distance of the main strip.

Weekend Retreats In The Finger Lakes

The Finger Lakes pack a lot into a small geographic area. The nine towns above pair lakes with wine regions, gorges with college campuses, glass museums with private ski resorts. Cornell's gorges at Ithaca, Watkins Glen State Park's 19 waterfalls, and the Corning Museum of Glass each carry a full weekend on their own. Pick a town to base in and the rest of the region is a short drive away.