The Plan: Seneca and Keuka in Two Days

This itinerary covers the core of the Finger Lakes — the stretch between Geneva, Watkins Glen, and Hammondsport — in a realistic two days. It assumes you’re arriving Friday evening or Saturday morning and leaving Sunday evening. It includes wine, a waterfall gorge, two lakes, and actual meals at actual restaurants. It does not include 14 wineries, a 6 AM hike, and a list of activities that would require cloning yourself. The Finger Lakes reward a slower pace. This itinerary respects that.

Day 1: Arrive, Settle In, Wine, Dinner

Morning / Early Afternoon: Arrive and Choose Your Base

If you’re coming from New York City, Rochester, or Syracuse, aim to arrive by early afternoon. Two base towns work well for this itinerary:

• Geneva — The best dining scene in the Finger Lakes, walkable downtown, and the northern gateway to the Seneca Lake Wine Trail. Hotels run $150 to $300 in peak season. This is the stronger choice if dining is a priority.
• Hammondsport — Quieter, smaller (population 700), at the southern tip of Keuka Lake. B&Bs and lakefront rentals from $130 to $250. Better if you want to wake up on a lake. See our town-by-town lodging guide for the full breakdown.

Drive time between the two: about 50 minutes via Route 14 and Route 54.

Afternoon: Wine Tasting (3 Stops)

Three wineries is the right number for an afternoon. More than that and you stop tasting and start drinking. Less than that and you don’t get a real sense of the region.

If based in Geneva, head south on the east side of Seneca Lake (Route 414):

1. Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard (Dundee, 25 minutes south of Geneva) — One of the founding estates of serious Finger Lakes winemaking. The dry Rieslings set the regional standard. Tasting fee around $12. The vineyard views from the patio are a strong opening act.
2. Ravines Wine Cellars (5 minutes further south on Route 414) — Run by a former Corton-Charlemagne winemaker from France. The dry Riesling and Cabernet Franc are consistently among the best in the region. The tasting room is modern and efficient.
3. Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars (a few miles further south) — A Greek Revival tasting room on the east side of Seneca Lake. The architecture and the view across the lake are as compelling as the wine. The semi-dry Riesling is a reliable crowd-pleaser if your group has varied preferences.

If based in Hammondsport, stay on the Keuka Lake Wine Trail:

1. Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery (4 miles north of Hammondsport on the west side) — The estate that proved European grapes could grow in the Finger Lakes. The dry Riesling is a benchmark. The terrace above Keuka Lake justifies lingering.
2. Heron Hill Winery (northwest branch of Keuka Lake, about 15 minutes from Dr. Frank) — Perched high on the western bluff with panoramic views. The Ingle Vineyard Riesling is consistently strong. The tasting room was designed to frame the landscape.
3. Keuka Spring Vineyards (between the two, on the west side) — A family operation with a broad range. The Vignoles and Lemberger are worth trying — varieties you won’t find on every other trail.

Total afternoon: approximately 3 to 4 hours including driving and tasting at each stop.

Evening: Dinner

In Geneva:

• FLX Table — 24 seats, multi-course tasting menu, no printed menu. Chef Christopher Bates builds dinner around what arrives from local farms that day. About $85 per person before wine. Book weeks in advance during summer.
• Kindred Fare — Sources from 30+ regional farms. The menu is approachable, the wine list leans Finger Lakes, and you can get a table on shorter notice than FLX Table.
• FLX Wienery — Same team as FLX Table, completely different format. Creative hot dogs and draft beer from a walk-up counter on Linden Street. Under $15 per person.

In or near Hammondsport:

• Village Tavern — On the village square. Pub fare in a historic building. Reliable and unpretentious.
• Bully Hill Vineyards Restaurant — Lunch-focused but open for light dinner on some evenings. The views from the terrace compensate for a simpler menu.

Day 2: Gorge, Lunch, Lake, Sunset

Morning: Watkins Glen Gorge (8:00 AM – 10:30 AM)

Get there early. This is not optional advice. The Watkins Glen Gorge Trail draws over a million visitors annually, and by 11 AM on a summer Saturday, the trail feels like a crowded subway platform. Arrive by 8 AM, park in the main lot ($10, but the fee booth may not be staffed yet), and walk the 2-mile trail with 832 stone steps and 19 waterfalls in relative peace.

The highlight is Cavern Cascade, where you walk directly behind a curtain of falling water about a third of the way in. The full trail takes 1.5 to 2 hours at a moderate pace with photo stops. Wear shoes with grip — the stone steps are wet.

Drive time to Watkins Glen from Geneva: 40 minutes. From Hammondsport: 35 minutes.

Late Morning / Lunch: Watkins Glen Village (10:30 AM – 12:30 PM)

After the gorge, walk Franklin Street — the two-block village center — and eat lunch.

• Wildflower Cafe — Farm-to-table in a narrow storefront. Good salads, sandwiches, and local specials.
• Nickel’s Pit BBQ — Smoked meats, long lines on summer weekends. Worth the wait if you’re hungry from the gorge.
• Seneca Harbor Station — On the marina at the foot of Seneca Lake. Broader menu, lakeside seating.

Afternoon: Keuka Lake (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM)

From Watkins Glen, drive west to Keuka Lake. The route via Route 54 takes about 35 minutes and delivers you to Hammondsport at the southern tip of the Y-shaped lake.

Options for the afternoon:

• Swim or kayak at Depot Park in Hammondsport. The village waterfront has a public beach and boat launch. Kayak rentals are available seasonally from outfitters in the area.
• Drive the Bluff Point loop — Route 54A along the western shore of Keuka Lake is one of the most scenic lake drives in the Finger Lakes. The road hugs the water with steep vineyards rising above. If you feel ambitious, the 3.5-mile trail at Bluff Point State Park takes you to the top of the peninsula between Keuka’s two branches, with water visible on three sides.
• One more winery — If you didn’t visit the Keuka trail on Day 1, a single afternoon stop at Dr. Konstantin Frank (the historic estate above Keuka Lake) or Domaine LeSeurre (French-run, northeast branch near Penn Yan) rounds out the trip without oversaturating your palate.

Evening: Sunset and Departure

The best sunset viewing in this corridor depends on your location:

• From Geneva: The lakefront path at Seneca Lake State Park faces south-southwest, catching the sunset over 35 miles of water.
• From Hammondsport: Depot Park on the Keuka Lake waterfront. The sun drops behind the western ridge and lights up the hillside vineyards.
• From the road: Starkey’s Lookout on Route 14 north of Dundee overlooks the full length of Seneca Lake. Sunset here, with a bottle of Finger Lakes Riesling, is one of the best free experiences in the region.

If you’re heading home Sunday evening, departures from Geneva put you in Rochester in an hour, Syracuse in an hour, and NYC in about 4.5 hours via I-86 and Route 17.

If It Rains

Rain changes the plan but doesn’t ruin the weekend. Alternatives:

• Corning Museum of Glass (30 minutes south of Watkins Glen) — The largest glass museum in the world, with live glassblowing demonstrations and Make Your Own Glass experiences. Plan 3 to 4 hours. Admission around $20.
• Wine tasting is an indoor activity. Rainy days on the wine trails mean smaller crowds and more attention from tasting room staff. A rainy afternoon on the Seneca Lake trail is actually a good day.
• Glenn H. Curtiss Museum (Hammondsport) — Aviation history, vintage motorcycles, and early aircraft in a 50,000-square-foot facility. Plan 90 minutes. Admission around $12.
• Smith Opera House (Geneva) — Check the calendar for films, concerts, or live performances in a restored 1894 theater.

What This Itinerary Skips

Two days is enough to taste the Finger Lakes. It is not enough to see all of it. This itinerary does not cover Ithaca (gorges, Cornell, and the best college-town energy in the region), Skaneateles (upscale village, clearest water), or the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. Each of those deserves its own trip — or you extend this weekend by a day or two. The Finger Lakes have a way of pulling people back.

Extending to Three Days

If you can stretch the weekend into a long three-day trip, the third day opens up options that the core itinerary can’t fit.

Option A: Ithaca Day

Drive to Ithaca (55 minutes from Geneva, 60 minutes from Hammondsport) and spend the day on gorges and culture. Walk Taughannock Falls in the morning — the flat, three-quarter-mile trail to the base of a 215-foot waterfall takes about 45 minutes round-trip. Hit the Ithaca Farmers Market at Steamboat Landing (Saturdays, April through December) for brunch. Spend the afternoon at the Cornell Botanic Gardens (free, 3,600 acres) or walking the Ithaca Commons downtown. Return via Route 89 along western Cayuga Lake for a scenic drive through vineyard country.

Option B: Corning Museum Day

Drive to Corning (30 minutes from Watkins Glen) and give the Corning Museum of Glass the half-day it deserves. The galleries span 3,500 years of glassmaking history. The Hot Glass Show — live glassblowing in a purpose-built theater — runs throughout the day. The Make Your Own Glass experience lets you create an ornament or pint glass with a master gaffer. After the museum, walk the Gaffer District for lunch (Poppleton Bakery for pastries, Market Street Brewing for pub fare) and browse the glass studios and galleries along Market Street.

Option C: Deep Wine Day

Spend the full day on a wine trail you didn’t cover on Day 1. If you tasted on Seneca, drive to Keuka Lake and work the smaller, more intimate trail. If you started on Keuka, head to the east side of Seneca Lake and visit Hermann J. Wiemer, Ravines, and Boundary Breaks — the trio that many sommeliers consider the strongest consecutive stretch of wineries in the Finger Lakes.