Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Summer Vacations ideas -Finger Lakes?
We're trying to find a kid friendly location for a summer vacation this year. We might do tents, or maybe a cabin or a lodge. We were thinking of Niagra Falls or the Finger Lakes area, but don't know much about the area.
Anyone have any suggestions in that area? Like any good Lodges? We're coming from DC and driving. I know the Finger Lakes are supposed to be really pretty. We have a 5 year old and a 10 year old. They don't like to do much walking, but some.
- Anya
I grew up in Skaneateles...one of the finger lakes. Yes, the area is beautiful. I have not lived there for 20 some years so I have no recommendations but check out this sitewww.fingerlakes.org
Also this can be fun
www. midlakesnav.com
You are welcome to message me if you have specific questions that you think I can answer for you.
Trails Rock!
Thanks Spacity.
Love going some place new !
No Talent Drips
I grew up on Keuka...and am very partial to that lake. Some nice restaurants/winerys...Bully Hill comes to mind. Short drive from Keuka over to Senaca, which also has some nice winery/vineyards. The kids will love it
Dei Gratia
Menace to Sobriety
Check out the 1000 Islands area of NY. I don't think it's all that far from the Finger Lakes area.
http://www.visit1000islands.com/visitorinfo/
Janie, today I quit my job. And then I told my boss to go f*** himself, and then I blackmailed him for almost sixty thousand dollars. Pass the asparagus.
Check out the 1000 Islands area of NY. I don't think it's all that far from the Finger Lakes area. http://www.visit1000islands.com/visitorinfo/
Thanks! We were looking at Canada too. Interesting.
You can do both there.
Went to Watkins Glen a few years back. And Ithaca isn't too far away. It's a lovely place. I want to go back.
Lots of hills if you want to do some real training.
Oh, and the water in the lakes is C-O-L-D.
Niagara is only a few hours away. Unless you want to go to Niagara On the Lake (which is a beautiful town) and the butterfly thing, I wouldn't spend more than a day in Niagara.
Jeff
Don't know when your planning on traveling but if your in the area on July 14th and want to do some bike riding...check this out
www.rideforalive.org
it is being done around several of the fingerlakes
+1 on the thousand islands...beautiful up there...
Oh, and the water in the lakes is C-O-L-D. Niagara is only a few hours away. Unless you want to go to Niagara On the Lake (which is a beautiful town) and the butterfly thing, I wouldn't spend more than a day in Niagara.
Yes! That's what we're looking for. COLD ! And yes, a day in Niagara would do it.
Thanks everyone for all the help here.... This btw, is the first family vacation we've had ( I'm a new step mommy!) I'm really looking forward to it. In fact, I can't wait. Always wanted kids :-)
Awesome
We're trying to find a kid friendly location for a summer vacation this year. We might do tents, or maybe a cabin or a lodge. We were thinking of Niagra Falls or the Finger Lakes area, but don't know much about the area. Anyone have any suggestions in that area? Like any good Lodges? We're coming from DC and driving. I know the Finger Lakes are supposed to be really pretty. We have a 5 year old and a 10 year old. They don't like to do much walking, but some.
The Finger Lakes area is, in my opinion, the most beautiful place on the planet.
My grandfather built a camp in his front yard in Schenectady and assembled it on Skaneateles Lake, so I have gone every summer since I was born. I wouldn't say that there is a lot to do, but I find that my need to do anything is inversely proportional with time spent there. But if you have a boat on the lake, I would head over to Staghorn Point, which is a well-preserved an ancient fossilized coral reef, great for fossil hunting and snorkeling (or, as is a tradition in my family, anchoring down at sunset for wine cheese.) New Hope Mills is a worth a stop if you are nearby, though they recently have stopped producing their flour from the mill, and they make unbeatable pancake mix. The food at the Glen Haven isn't great, but it is fun to park a boat at the end of the lake for a meal. The interesting places in the Village have unfortunately either burned down or been replaced by standardized yuppie store units.
I can't think of any great places to stay in Skaneateles - just some mediocre ones that are all owned bye the same guy, but Ithaca is busier and should have some nice places - thanks to the CIA, there are also some great restaurants. I also recommend a trip out to Watkin's Glen (bottom of Seneca) and the wineries (kids may be less interested, but a few of these offer restaurants with great vistas).
What seeEricarun said...
You can do some research and rent private camps around the different lakes...I did that one summer while I was still living there...it was so much fun. Something you may want to consider...a home base and then travel from there on different days..most sightseeing trips are but a few hours drive from most of the fingerlakes.
Oh and the water stays very cold...like cold...yep...brrrrrrr...as a kid you couldn't get me out of the lake...as an adult you cant get me in it
Oh you guys have made me homesick...
Niagara Falls is just a lot of water going downhill- the butterfly place is really cool and the wineries in that area better than those in New York (obviously, my opinion, not a scientific fact!)
If you have ANY interest in car racing you cannot miss the Watkins Glen circuit and museum, the town itself is charming and the glen very nice.
Pretty countryside all around and good driving roads, watch for deer in Pennsylvania.
Thousand Islands area is gorgeous, interesting historical points.
PBs since age 60: 5k- 24:36, 10k - 47:17. Half Marathon- 1:42:41.
10 miles (unofficial) 1:16:44.
The Thousand Island Area is gorgeous- my grandfather was from Brockville, and we still have some family up there. I've been up there all seasons, amazing year-round. Maybe a bit far north for you, but the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island area is great for camping and wildlife.
Sulphur Springs 50km-- Ancaster, ON-- May 28, 2022
Tally in the Valley 12 hours-- Dundas, ON -- July 30, 2022 (Support SickKids Toronto)
Stokely Creek-- 56km-- Sault Ste. Marie, ON-- Sept. 24, 2022
I fly.
We drove up there two summers ago when my kids were 5 and 2. We stayed in Watkins Glen for a night (and drove my car on the racetrack in the morning, that was fun), then we drove up to Niagara Falls for a night (US side) and then we drove down to Ithaca. It was a fun trip, lots of driving (of course we did the whole thing in a long weekend).
We tried to stay in nicer hotels - http://www.watkinsglenharborhotel.com/ (very nice, but the rates have just about tripled since we stayed there) and http://thegiacomo.com/ (awesome customer service, very cool hotel, we really liked it, but the rest of the city is a dump). I don't remember the name of the place we stayed in in Ithaca, but we checked out right after checking in and drove home... it was really terrible (I couldn't stop sneezing, it was VERY dusty and unclean).
Bring it on.