5 Best Sights in The Finger Lakes, New York

Six huge Ionic columns front this restored 1839 Greek Revival mansion overlooking Seneca Lake. The 21 rooms open to the public include servants' quarters, the children's playroom, the kitchen, dining room, and parlors. Some rooms are outfitted with the Empire-style furnishings that were used from 1850 to 1890 by the prosperous farm family that lived here. Guided tours of the house begin with an introductory film and are given on the hour weekdays and on the half hour weekends. The grounds include boxwood gardens.

Some of the region's best wines are produced at this winery, opened in 1990 in a converted Civil War–era dairy barn on the shores of Seneca Lake. All the wines are winners, but the Rieslings, gewürtztraminer, and dry reds are particularly notable. In 2008, Fox Run was the first New York State winery in 22 years to be chosen as one of the top 100 wineries in the world by Wine and Spirits magazine. Tours are given every hour on the hour (weather permitting) until 4 pm. A café serves homemade soups, salads, and sandwiches, prepared fresh daily by the CIA-trained chef; all of Fox Run's wines are available by the glass in the café. Note: it has an address in Penn Yan, but is actually closer to Geneva.

The 1829 mansion, run by the Geneva Historical Society, contains period rooms and local history exhibits. It's a good place to orient yourself to Geneva's rich social and cultural history.

Swim, fish, boat, and walk for miles at this 1,852-acre park on the shore of Seneca Lake. The museum honors the nation's second-largest naval training station during World War II. The Air Force took over the station during the Korean War, and an Air Force Museum, in the same building, tells that story. A boat launch and 120 berths surround the marina, next to a gravel swimming beach. More than 240 campsites are nestled among wooded areas. Tennis courts, playgrounds, and a concession stand, open in summer, are also part of the complex.

Other wineries near Geneva that are worth checking out are White Springs Winery, Billsboro Winery, and Ventosa Vineyards. For information, contact the Seneca Lake Wine Trail.