Ithaca Restaurants & Daytrips
 

My wife and I are planning a 5-day trip to Ithaca at the end of August. We're staying at the William Henry Miller Inn, and plan to dine at the Moosewood Restaurant.

Any recommendations for dining in Ithaca or any nearby towns?

We're considering a few possible daytrips to a winery, Watkins Glen, the Corning glass factory, and a stop by one of the Finger Lakes. Which of these daytrips are really worth the drive? We hope to relax in Ithaca for most of our vacation. Thanks for your help.

Corning glass museam one of top glass museams in world. Watkins Glen State Park a wonderful place to take a walk.

How about Taughannock Falls, which are just north of Ithaca? Is this a nicer trip than Watkins Glen?

Don't forget to head up to Syracuse to eat at the Dinosaur BBQ...

I hope that other Fodorites will critique me but I would recommend Skaneateles. An easy drive, good & reasonable restaurants and as pretty and relaxing as it gets.A pleasant surprise.

Which restaurants would you suggest for a casual lunch or romantic dinner in Skaneateles? The village seems very quaint and an easy daytrip from Ithaca.

Skaneateles is charming. I can not recommend any restaurants since I haven't been there for a few years. I think restaurant recommendations are not worth much if they are over two years old. LMF

I like Watkins Glenn better than Taughannock Falls. It may just be my personal preference.

The Corning museum is an amazing place.

A couple of things in Ithaca that I really like: the small garden at Cornell; and the Cornell Ornithological lab which is actually not at the university. If you like birds, it's a great place. Some short hiking trails there. Don't forget the bug spray.

The Henry Miller Inn is charming, and the owner is a wealth of information. We ate at a good tapas restaurant a block or two away from the hotel (sorry I can't think of the neam, but it's not hard to find - it's between the Inn and the Mall.)

Cornell Gardens are beautiful; Buttermilk Falls is a fun, family spot with a swimming hole and challenging hiking trails.

The tapas restaurant is called Just a Taste and it's a good food choice, as well as very convenient to the place where you are staying. For fun, go to the Farmers Market, if you are staying over a weekend. Also consider a trip to Purity Ice Cream - it will be particularly delicious on a warm August day. The last time we were in Ithaca, we went to a restaurant in Trumansburg called Simply Red, unique and fun. You will have a wonderful time almost anywhere you choose to go. Have fun!

Thanks for all the helpful advice and suggestions! I'm searching for a nice restaurant to make a reservation for our anniversary dinner. Would you recommend Geneva on the Lake, the Mirbeau Inn and Spa, or a place in Ithaca? This will be our one splurge dinner for the trip....

In Skaneateles I would suggest dining at the Sherwood Inn or The Bluewater grill...both excellent places! And Skaneateles is such a pretty town.

In Skaneatelas I would strongly recommend Rosalie's Cucina. They don't take reservations, but they have a nice little walled garden to have a drink in while you wait. They serve the most outrageous bread out of the oven with olive oil that you can futz with yourself adding things.

Simply Red in Trumansburg is a good recommendation. They have/had a chicken liver dish if you are so inclined that my husband will not stop talking about, years later.

For parks I recommend Treman, it's south on 13 about 20 minutes out of Ithaca (roughly). Round trip it's a four mile hike (hilly!) but you can make it more mellow by parking at the top enternace and checking out the steps carved into the gorge.

Just a Taste is decent tapas. If you are there on a weekend go to the farme's market and get food from the Cambodian stall if still there (southern end of the market).

Another good restaurant that is a bit of a drive is at the Aurora Inn. You could make a day of it and go to McKenzie Child's which is quite pretty and has funky dishware among other things.

Have fun... Ithaca is one of my favorite places on earth.

I would recomend Mirbeau for your anniversary dinner, a perfect choice. Corning Museum is wonderful, they have several hands-on workshops and the current exhibit is unbeleivable. It will be still there when you visit. Don't forget there are lots of wineries to visit and many have great restaurants.

Which winery is worth a visit for a tasting and dining experience? I've heard the Glenora Winery has a lakeside restaurant called "Veraisons". Another place mentioned is Dr. Konstantin's vineyard, but it's much further away from Ithaca near Hammondsport.

In Ithaca, I like the Boatyard Grill. Just a Taste is also very good.

Dr. Konstantin Frank's winery is one of the very best, and possibly worth the trip from Ithaca. Hammondsport is a cute little town: I wouldn't spend loads of time there, but Keuka Lake is also one of the prettiest of the finger Lakes. We discovered Sheldrake Point winery on Cayuga this past fall and found the wines to be very good. We also enjoyed the hard cider place on the way to Sheldrake, although I can't remember the name right now.

In terms of restaurants, my husband also mentioned The Heights in Ithaca, which was wonderful five or six years ago. I'm not sure about now. Maybe someone else can weigh in on that one.

I would second the recommendation of the Aurora Inn. Aurora's cute, it's on the lake, and the Inn has been renovated thanks to American Girls (Pleasant Rowland is a Wells College alum).

I grew up in the Finger Lakes -- my dad worked in Geneva, my grandmother lived there. I can see no reason on earth for anyone on vacation to go to Geneva. It's been several years since I've had a meal at Geneva on the Lake, but it was very overpriced and mediocre.

Due to a change in plans, my wife and I will be travelling with our 11 month old son. We had to cancel our B&B reservation at the Henry Miller Inn, and are now staying at the Hampton Inn.

Any recommendations for dining options in Ithaca that are child-friendly? We've shortened our itinerary to include one day in Ithaca, one day in Watkins Glen, and one day at the Corning Glass Factory. Is the trip around Cayuga Lake to Aurora and Seneca Falls worth it?

If you are driving past Ithaca, it is worth a stop to drive up the hill, to Cornell University. The campus is just beautiful, and the Cornell Dairy store sells ice cream that they make on the premises that is so fresh, it rivals gelato in Italy. And believe me, I have had my share of gelato throughout Italy, most recently this past June. I never thought that I would get that same flavor back in the states, but lo and behold, the espresso with dark chocolate bits was pure nirvana!