Belhurst Castle is the kind of place that sounds like it might be a tourist trap — a castle on Seneca Lake! — until you walk in and realize the history is real and the kitchen actually takes itself seriously. The property dates to 1885, when a socialite named Carrie Harron hired fifty men to build a four-story Romanesque stone mansion with imported European materials. The backstory gets wilder from there: the previous tenant was an embezzler from London's Covent Garden Theatre who died of blood poisoning after refusing to treat a broken leg. The castle is on the National Register of Historic Properties, and Wine Enthusiast named it a World's Best Wine Hotel.

The main dining experience is Edgar's Restaurant in the Castle, an upscale room where the stone walls and period details do the atmospheric heavy lifting. The prix fixe dinner ($48.95 for three courses plus dessert, available 5-6pm) is the smart play — the Haddock Oscar topped with a crab cake and lobster cream sauce is the kind of dish that justifies the price, and Red's Prime Rib has been on the menu in some form since 1933, when Cornelius "Red" Dwyer ran the place. The Brown Butter Seared Sea Scallops with sweet corn risotto and crispy prosciutto are a standout at $48.95. The famous dessert tray is wheeled to your table, and you should just say yes. Wine pairings pull from Belhurst's own winery at $7 per course.

Beyond Edgar's, Stonecutter's Tavern offers a more casual option on the property, and there is a full winery, craft beer, and hard cider operation. For lodging, you can book a room in the castle itself, the adjacent Vinifera Inn, or the historic White Springs Manor. This is unambiguously a special-occasion destination — anniversary dinners, proposals, milestone birthdays. Come hungry, come dressed up a notch, and come prepared for the check.