Things to Do
We both love the Finger Lakes. Here are a few of our favorite places to eat, drink, hike, and explore while you’re in town.
Finger Lakes Cider House
InterlakenCider tastings and a menu made with food from their orchard and nearby farms. We love a slow afternoon here.
Tabora Farm
DundeeWhere we stop for lunch on the way to the Seneca Lake wineries. Soups, sandwiches, baked goods, and South African dishes.
Main Street Market
TrumansburgSandwiches, salads, local groceries, and Wide Awake Bakery bread, right on Main Street.
New York Pizzeria
TrumansburgRiley’s favorite New York-style pizza, right on Main Street.
Bickering Twins
IthacaTacos, birria quesadillas, and a tequila and mezcal bar.
Gorgers
IthacaSubs, wraps, and rice bowls, with lots of vegetarian and vegan options.
The Heights
IthacaA dressier dinner spot in Cayuga Heights, with a great wine list.
Saigon Kitchen
IthacaOur favorite Vietnamese food. It’s great for takeout, too.
Ithaca Farmers Market
IthacaWeekend mornings by the water at Steamboat Landing. Lots of prepared food, plus produce, bread, and cider to take home.
Sweet Melissa’s
IthacaHomemade hard ice cream, soft serve, and lots of vegan flavors.
Trimmers Ice Cream
TrumansburgA family-run shop on Route 96, close to the welcome party.
Spotted Duck Creamery
Penn YanFrozen custard made with eggs from their own ducks. It’s rich, and worth the drive.
Cayuga Lake Creamery
Interlaken & IthacaHomemade ice cream on Route 89 along Cayuga Lake, with a second shop in downtown Ithaca.
Gimme! Coffee
Ithaca & TrumansburgIthaca’s own roaster, and the coffee we drink most.
Press Bay Alley
IthacaCoffee and a handful of small shops in a converted alley off West State Street.
Forty Weight Coffee
IthacaA small-batch roaster with a café in Collegetown, a counter inside GreenStar, and a stall at the farmers market.
Hosmer Winery
OvidRiley worked here, so we’re biased. We love their Riesling and Cabernet Franc.
Small-batch wines aged in clay and concrete, with a long view down Cayuga Lake.
Bet the Farm
TrumansburgA small, women-owned winery just outside Trumansburg.
Six Mile Creek Vineyard
IthacaThe closest winery to downtown Ithaca, with a distillery too.
Hermann J. Wiemer
DundeeSome of the best Riesling in the Finger Lakes. Their dry Riesling will be on the wine list at our reception.
Dr. Konstantin Frank
HammondsportThe longest drive on this list, on Keuka Lake, and one of the oldest wineries in the region.
Taughannock Falls
TrumansburgA 215-foot waterfall, taller than Niagara, in the same park as the welcome party. The trail to the base is flat and shaded.
Watkins Glen State Park
Watkins GlenNineteen waterfalls along a stone gorge trail. It gets busy, so go early.
Robert H. Treman
IthacaOur pick for a hot day. You can swim at the base of a waterfall in the lower park.
Buttermilk Falls
IthacaClose to town and quick if you only have an hour. The trail is wet stone, so wear good shoes.
Beebe Lake Loop
IthacaAn easy, shaded one-mile loop around the lake on Cornell’s campus, past a waterfall.
A flat, paved path along the south end of Cayuga Lake that passes the farmers market.
Sciencenter
IthacaA hands-on science museum for kids, with an outdoor play area.
Ithaca Children’s Garden
IthacaThree acres of gardens made for climbing and digging.
Museum of the Earth
IthacaFossils, a full whale skeleton, and a good rainy-day plan.
Stewart Park Playground
IthacaA big lakefront playground built for kids of all abilities. The carousel runs all summer.
Cayuga Nature Center
IthacaA six-story treehouse, animals to visit, and miles of trails above the lake.
Cornell Botanic Gardens
IthacaFree gardens and an arboretum on campus. Easy to wander with little kids, and beautiful in June.