Finger Lakes for Foodies (and Wine-ies)
FLgourmand
Moved to FL four years ago and have spent every free moment exploring
May 31, 2006
based on 9 votes
Top wineries, restaurants, and other attractions in the Finger Lakes
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Explore locations featured in this Traveler List:
Geneva, Seneca Falls, Ithaca, Skaneateles
- Category: Best of
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Traveler type: Sightseeing, Shopping, Active/Outdoors
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Appeals to: Couples/romantics, Singles, Seniors, Active/adventure, Tourists
- Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall
- Tags: Finger Lakes, dining, restaurants, wineries, winetasting, wine tasting
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1. First things first
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Before visiting the Finger Lakes, you will need to decide which wine trails you'll visit. You can roll a dice -each has a sufficient quantity of excellent wineries.
Here's the skinny: Although the Cayuga wine trail is mostly do-able in one day, each side of Seneca Lake deserves its own day (or two) of tasting. The wineries on Keuka are fairly spread out but, if you are picky, the best can be done in one day.
After those decisions are made, you must decide where to stay and what to do. This Go-List will help you do that! |
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2. Seneca Lake Wine Trail
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| Tops for most wineries (over 40). Best on the west side include Fox Run, Hermann J. Weimer, Anthony Road. Best on the east side include Atwater Estate, Standing Stone, Silver Thread, Chateau Lafayette Reneau. Great restaurants on trail include Madder Lake and Fox Run on the west, and Stone Cat, Suzanne Fine Regional Cuisine, and Dano's Heuriger on the east. Great gelato and cafe fare at Skyland Farm. |
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| Another great wine trail - tops include Ravines, Dr. Frank, MacGregor's. Good restaurant choices include Village Tavern and Pleasant Valley Inn. Check out Bully Hill Winery/Cafe for view. The WIndmill market on Saturdays during warmer months is fun to check out (yummy Amish baked goods). |
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4. Cayuga Lake Wine Trail
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| Yet another great wine trail - best are Sheldrake Point, Hosmer, Goose Watch (although the latter has plenty that are also not worth trying). Also check out Belwether Cider. For the best ice cream try Cayuga Lake Creamery. Great new restaurant at Sheldrake Point winery! |
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| Small town centrally located to all wineries. Places to stay include Geneva-on-the-Lake, Hampton Inn, Ramada Inn, Belhurst Castle (be warned: read reviews first!), and tons of bed and breakfasts. Great restaurants include Madder Lake Cafe and Ports Grill. Wyatt's has great hamburgers, and Parker's has good pub fare. Must check out the Smith Opera House (a restored opera house with live acts and movies). Also, take stroll or rent kayak at Seneca Lake State Park. Stock up on picnic fare like cheese and fruit at Red Jacket Orchards, and other yummy goods at Wegmans first! |
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| A very small village- birthplace of women's rights and model for town in It's a Wonderful Life. Stay at a B&B. Great nearby restaurant is Elderberry Pond (our last visit to Henry B's was horrendous). For breakfast/brunch, Marinas on the Lower Lake Rd is worth the wait. (This village is a good location for visiting east side Seneca wineries and Cayuga wineries.) Take a gondola ride in canal. |
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| Hippy haven, home to Cornell University. Not the most centrally located but good access to Cayuga and Seneca (east) wineries. Lots of good restaurant choices. Also check out Ithaca Farmer's Market for good ethnic street fare. |
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| This is a lovely town, but, contrary to a recent Wine Spectator article, is not 30 minutes from Geneva (it's more like 45 min.). Visit for the day or stay over at a fine hotel such as Sherwood Inn or Mirbeau but don't expect to fit in too many visits to wineries (the closest are at least 35 minutes away). Village has great little shops and some good restaurants (Doug's Fish Fry and Elderberry Pond are tops). |
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9. Waterloo Premium Outlets
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| But you thought the focus was food and wine? And it is - must check out Chef's Outlet for incredible prices on Calphalon and other top brands. Seriously the prices are sick. After loading up on cookware, you can check out other stores like JCrew, Banana Republic, Coach, BCBG, etc. |
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| "Greetings from the Finger Lakes" guidebook is the tops! Mostly agree with the recommendations. Note that some new places couldn't make it in. A great way to get a lay of the land and to see about visiting top wineries, restaurants, and producers. |
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11. Finger Lakes are a culinary bounty
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| There is so much to do here. Check out farm tours (see the guidebook above) or Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty for information. Stop at farm stands. Nearly every town of a couple thousand has a weekly farmer's market. There are also plenty of farm stands. |
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Compliment FLgourmand
