Auburn is the Finger Lakes town that most people drive past on the way to somewhere else, and that is a mistake worth correcting. As the largest city in the central Finger Lakes and the Cayuga County seat, Auburn has a weight and substance that the smaller villages in the region cannot offer. The architecture downtown tells the story — grand civic buildings, churches with real steeples, and residential streets lined with homes that reflect over two centuries of prosperity. This is a place with roots, and they show.

The headline attraction is the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, which preserves the home and property where Tubman lived for the last 50 years of her life. Tubman chose Auburn deliberately — it was a community that had supported abolition, and the house served as a base for her continued activism after the Civil War. The Seward House Museum, the home of William Henry Seward — Lincoln secretary of state and the architect of the Alaska Purchase — is another nationally significant site, preserved with its original furnishings and collections. The Equal Rights Heritage Center ties these stories together and positions Auburn as a place where the fight for American civil rights has deep, tangible history.

The dining scene in Auburn is evolving. The city has a growing number of restaurants that take local sourcing seriously, alongside longtime establishments that serve the kind of food a working city needs — diners, pizza shops, and family restaurants with loyal followings. The Finger Lakes Sweet Treat Trail passes through Auburn, and the citys proximity to farmland means seasonal produce and dairy are never far from the plate. It is not the most polished food scene in the Finger Lakes, but it is honest and improving.

Auburn connects to the broader Finger Lakes through Owasco Lake, the smallest of the major Finger Lakes, which sits just south of the city. The lake is less developed and less visited than its larger neighbors, which is part of its appeal — quieter waters, fewer crowds, and a shoreline that still feels genuinely rural. From Auburn you can reach Skaneateles Lake to the east, Cayuga Lake to the west, and the wine country around Seneca Lake within an hours drive. Auburn is the Finger Lakes for people who want history with their scenery — and who appreciate a city that is still becoming what it is going to be.