Hi - we're from Maryland and are planning on coming to the the Finger Lakes area (primarily Seneca Lake - Watkins Glen) and we're looking for some ideas to keep us busy for a couple days. Wineries are good, smaller hotels/motels are good (not really into B & B's) nice places to visit. Thanks for your ideas.

Walk the Glen. It is breathtaking. If you can walk up it is really great. But if not you can take a bus to the top and walk down. The walk up is a hard one. There are 19 water falls that you walk around, under and over. At one point you stand on a 300 million year old ocean floor. This is one nature hike not to be missed.

There is a new hotel may 10 to 20 miles north of Watkins Gelen. It is single story and I think all the rooms have a lake views. It is at Glenora Winery. If we didn'g live so close, we might stay there. I can't think of any more hotels, but there probably are some chains. There are a lot of nice B&Bs if you change your mind. Of all the hotels, I think the one at Glenora is the nicest. Our favorite wineries are Fox Run, Standing Stone, Lameroux Landing and Chateau Lafit (?spelling). Hazlett is kind of fun and more like a frat house than a winery.

Glenora Winery and hotel and Fox Run are on the west side of the lake. The others on the east side.

Have fun and if you have any other questions you may e-mail me. I will be out of town from tomorrow morning until Friday night

ttt

There are plenty of nice little motels/inns right in Watkins Glen. Check out www.watkinsglen.com for accomodations. The village is great - several great restaurants - Wildflower Cafe and Seasons both excellent. If you are going in the next few weeks, the foliage will be absolutely awesome! For checking out the wineries, you cannot go wrong. We just returned and purchased 7 cases of wine!! Stick to Seneca Lake for wineries - there are dozens and we didn't hit one that we didn't like. Hammondsport at the south end of Keuka Lake has some interesting things to do -the Glen Curtiss Museum is interesting and there are about a dozen excellent wineries on Keuka Lake too. You'll have a great time.

ps - don't miss Watkins Glen State Park. It is so beautiful and the hike is not difficult at all.

Thank you so much! You've given me so many good ideas - I will check all of it out - now I'm really looking forward to our trip. We'll be headed there in two weeks.

Hazlett Winery on Seneca Lake has a new big sailboat that they do different cocktail cruises on.I hear that it is really nice! There are also dinner cruises- Captain Bill's on Seneca Lake and the Keuka Maid on Keuka Lake. I think that both have Sun. brunch, lunch and dinner cruises. Good luck with your planning!

LN,
I second Glenora! My husband and I stayed there last summer and it was wonderful! Very peaceful, the vineyards just outside the door; the lake below in sight. The staff was great, and the dinner on the patio was lovely. We had our own small terrace outside the room and sipped on their complimentary wine. A lovely, quiet place!

Does anyone have suggestions for lakefront house rentals in the Finger Lakes area that will sleep a large family (10)?
Which part of the lake (Seneca?) would offer more things to do for different family members?

DO NOT MISS the Corning Museum of Glass, about half an hour south of Watkins Glen.

We used http://www.fingerlakes.org/ for lots of links for a recent trip.