We are thinking of taking a road trip from south Jersey to Watkins Glen in the next few weeks and would welcome advice. Besides the park, are there any other things in the area we should check out? We are not wine drinkers, so wineries are not our interest. We are a couple in our 50's who love nature and are looking for a short get-away.
Any help will be appreciated.

Watkins Glen is a fun tiny town - the glen is beautiful in the summer (wear good walking shoes with traction). There are shops to poke around, but it's smallish.

Here's a link to the local recreation site:

http://www.watkinsglen.com/search.cgi

You might also want to consider the Corning Glass Museum, just south of there.

http://cmog.rtrk.com/

Or head north to Geneva and find the Belhurst Castle for lunch or the Geneva on the Lake. Keeping going to the east and you'll find Seneca Falls - home of the women's rights movement.

Go a little more and find Skaneateles - an adorable lakeside town.

The drive from Watkins Glen to Geneva (Rt. 14) on a high, rolling ridge, surrounded by farms and wineries, is one of the prettiest I've seen in my travels.

Here's a link to a thread with other links for the area...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...t=0&dirtyBit=1

Best of luck!

I would start looking for reservations now, weekends will be busy. Accomodations will vary from Chain motels, to interesting B&B's, Inns, Mom & Pop motels, camping or private rental. There are lot of outdoor activities, hiking, boating if you are interested, museums, etc. Watkins Glen is a small town, and "the gorge" is wonderful to walk through. Let us know if you need more specific suggestions.

Unless you're going for the NASCAR weekend in August, you'll want to sidestep that weekend. It's usually mid-month. Definitely visit Corning Glass and you might check out the airplane museum in Hammondsport which is near Watkins Glen. There is a dinner cruise boat that goes on Seneca Lake that is popular, too.

I think NASCAR is August 8 - 10th.

I don't have suggestions on any other activities, but here's a tip if you are planning to hike through the gorge: start at the top and walk down. Most people enter at the bottom and discover that it's a pretty strenuous uphill climb - especially on a hot summer day. As I recall, there is a shuttle bus that will take you to the upper entrance.

Thanks so much for the information. As other questions pop up, I will ask for more advice. I really appreciate your help.

We too are in our 50s and love nature. We just got back from 4 days in the Watkins Glen area. We were very pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the area and the number of things to see and do.

1. Watkins State Park is a must. http://www.nysparks.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=105 The "trail" is flagstone with stone retaining walls. The waterfalls are magnificent as is the scenery. The gorge is nothing like we were expecting. Fantastic! Tip: Rather than park in the lot and pay $7, go to a very nearby side street (8th or 9th) and park for free.

2. We also liked Robert H. Treman Park near Ithica, about 25 minutes from Watkins Glen. http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkId=104 Very nice trails. More waterfalls and great scenery.

3. We stopped by Buttermilk Falls which wasn't all that great, especially after visiting the 2 parks above. It's near Treman Park.

4. In the town of Corning about 30 minutes away, there's the Corning Museum of Glass, as others have mentioned. Wasn't expecting much, probably because we hadn't read up on it. Wow!! A Smithsonian quality museum with enough fascinating things to see and do for at least half a day. They offer live demonstrations and guided tours. We took the one hour Treasures tour which focused on some of the highlights, including many priceless artifacts. And that wasn't near enough time to see all there was to see, which gives you some idea of the scope to the place. The lunch cafes are a cut above, too. If you encounter bad weather one day or if you like neat museums, we highly recommend a visit.

5. Also in Corning, there's a the Rockwell Museum of Western Art (http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkId=104) which we didn't have time to see. They're featuring an Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keefe exhibit until Oct of this year. It, like the Glass Museum, is rated a "gem" by AAA. Tip: Purchase a combo ticket there or at the Glass Museum for a savings on entrance fees to both places.

6. Lots of folks just drive around the various lakes. Keuka, Cayuga and Seneca Lakes are especially pretty. Stop by the Esperanza Mansion on Keuka Lake for lunch on the patio for great views and very good and fairly reasonable prices. http://www.esperanzamansion.com/main.html

7. Letchworth State Park is about a 1.5 hour drive or so from Watkins Glen for more hiking and gorge viewing. http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us/park....asp?parkID=12 It's billed as the Grand Canyon of the East, but that's an absurd comparison for anyone who's been to THE Canyon. Still, it's nice, especially the southern most 7-8 miles of the Park where there are lots of lookouts and waterfalls. But I wouldn't make the drive unless you're going to hike.

8. If you've never been to Niagara
Falls, it's about 2.5-3 hours away.

9. If you're baseball fans, you might plan a stop in Cooperstown either going to or coming from Watkins Glen.

Hope this helps. Have a great time.

glaird-
I noticed you made another posting saying your hubby wasn't keen on the idea of Watkins Glen..any reason why?

After doing a bit of research, he thought the drive through Pennsylvania from south Jersey was not going to be worth the aggravation.
We try to avoid the Philly roads as much as possible because there is almost always a problem. For instance, today route 95 has been closed for hours!
And, after having been in Vermont and New Hampshire many times (we lived in both states), he felt the parks looked a bit disappointing.
Your thoughts?

dcd
after your information, we are again considering Watkins Glen. Thanks for being so thorough.
Anything else you or others can provide is welcome.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to help.

glaird, if you need a great B&B right on Seneca Lake about 10 minutes north of Watkins Glen, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Pearl of Seneca Lake: http://www.thepearlofsenecalake.com/