Sapphire

We are going to be spending a week in the Finger Lakes, staying on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake near Romulus. This is a family trip with four of our grown children and some grandchildren (7 and 9 years old). Any recommendations for restaurants and wineries relatively nearby? A boat trip on one of the lakes? Something the children might especially enjoy? I am also curious as to the current status of waterfalls in the area. Has the area been experiencing the same lack of rain we've had in the Philly area recently - impacting the the waterfalls? (I have looked at the suggestions in older posts about the Finger Lakes.) Thanks in advance!

DaveS

The smaller waterways up this way are pretty low flow due to same lack of rain. Watkins Glen Park will be pretty, but very low flow - kids might like walking under one of the falls. There are boat trips out of Watkins Glen though I have no experience. Only familiar with the wineries on the west side of Seneca Lake, we like Herman J Weimer (for the wine) Fox Run (for the views) and Glenora for both. Taughannock Falls, Buttermilk Falls (nice hike up the side), and Robert H Treman Park falls near Ithaca won’t have high flow, but should still be nice. The best Treman waterfalls like Lucifer falls are a short hike in from the upper entrance, also an old restored mill up by the parking area. There is a swimming area kids might like at the lower entrance of the park. I like the falls on Fall Creek on the Cornell campus, bit higher flow than the others mentioned and easy to access if you can find a spot to park. I would consider taking a drive to Letchworth Park, falls should be running good there even this time of year.

Sapphire

Thank you, Dave! Very helpful! I appreciate the information. Both of the kids are excellent swimmers (swim team, etc.) and might really enjoy the swimming area.

Fra_Diavolo

I would recommend a visit to the Corning Museum of Glass. While the kids might not be fascinated by the collections of ancient through modern glass, there are demonstrations and the opportunity of make their own glass. https://visit.cmog.org/make-your-own-glass
Certainly good for a rainy day.

Sapphire

Thank you, I will keep it in mind!

1IntrepidTraveler

If you happen to be NASCAR or auto racing fans, you might want to visit Watkins Glen International, where they allow your personal cars on the track for a tour, a program called "Drive the Glen."

https://www.theglen.com/drive-the-glen/

Sapphire

Just wanted to give a quick update on our trip. We stayed in a beautiful vrbo home on the east side of Seneca Lake. The owners had a built a new home on the lot, and we were the first to book it. (Not the first to stay there but the first family to book it.) The home accommodated 10 people with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, beautiful views of the lake, 2 kayaks, etc. My family brought up two double kayaks, and used them every day. We also hiked through Watkins Glen, starting at the upper parking lot to help my knee handle the 800+ stone steps. We got there shortly after it opened on a day that threatened rain, and there were very few people there until later on the trail. My daughter and I did take the children to the Corning Glass Museum where the kids each made something (prebooked) and we watched 3 great demonstrations. And each day, we managed to sample some wine or beer and great food. DaveS, we enjoyed visiting Herman J. Weimer, Fox Run, and Glenora. Thanks for the recommendations!

Because we were traveling with two babies as well as the 7 and 9 year old, we favored eating out at places that had outdoor seating and room to play. Lucky Hare was a hit with Babe's Burgers for food and cornhole on the lawn. We also made a reservation at the Brewery Ardennes Taproom & Kitchen where we had wine, mussels and various other food, and that was lovely. We celebrated two summer birthdays with a dinner at Kindred Fare which was a great choice - delicious food and great service. We had a negative experience when we tried to go to Boundary Breaks vineyard and decided to leave without doing a wine tasting. (This is because of how the hostess interacted with the first people in our group to arrive, not wanting to seat our large group even if we sat at two tables for six, etc.) We went to the Wagner Vineyards instead and had a great experience with options to order flights of wine, beer or soda (for the kids) and food from a nearby cafe. Last but certainly not least, we loved going to the Spotted Duck and sampling flights of ice cream. It was so delicious that we decided to go there twice!

Thank you all for your input on our trip to the Finger Lakes. We will definitely return!