Tips for Planning Your Trip to the Finger Lakes

I get a lot of emails from people that are planning trips to the Finger Lakes for the first time asking advice about what to see, where to stay, and what wineries to visit, and I enjoy getting emails and giving advice, so keep them coming. However, common themes arise as I exchange email replies. My first reply usually asks questions like how long are you staying, at which lake do you want to make your base, what are your wine preferences, and what is your budget

Most folks are trying to do too much with too little time and do not realize how big The Finger Lakes area is (over 7500 square miles) and how many wineries (over 90) are here. So once I get them to zero in on a specific lake to explore and make their base at, and I get an idea of their wine palate, their interests, and their budget, then I can offer them my recommendations.

When visiting the Finger Lakes for the first time, especially if it's just for a long weekend, you really must do some planning if you want to get the most out of your visit. What are you most interested in doing? Wine Tasting, Hiking, Boating, Fishing, Visiting historical and/or touristy sites, Dinner cruises on a lake, Nightlife, or Relaxing (I always recommend SCHEDULING time for relaxing on a vacation because we get so caught up in trying to do everything that we end up exhausted when we get back home). Once you prioritize your interests, then research. http://www.google.com/ and the other major search engines are a huge help. Just do searches for such keywords as "Finger Lakes", "Finger Lakes Lodging", "Finger Lakes Wine", "Finger Lakes Attractions", "Finger Lakes Tourism", "Finger Lakes Travel", "Finger Lakes Event Calendar", "Finger Lakes Dining", "Finger Lakes Fishing", etc. You get the idea.

Also, you can order (and also download some) free Finger Lakes Tourist Guides from http://www.visitfingerlakes.com/publications.php,

http://www.fingerlakes.org/request_info.htm,

(or you can download this tourist guide at http://fingerlakes.org/travelguide2007.htm), http://fingerlakeswinecountry.com/index.asp?pageId=412

(or download this travel guide at

http://www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com/usr/FLWC_TravelGuide07.pdf), http://www.fingerlakeswest.com/requestguide.html

(or download this guide in color at http://www.fingerlakeswest.com/pdfs/2007VisitorsGuide_color.pdf or in black and white for speedier download and using less ink if you want to print it out at http://www.fingerlakeswest.com/pdfs/2007VisitorsGuide_bw.pdf), http://www.chemungchamber.org/TravelGuideRequestForm06.asp, http://www.tourcayuga.com/order_publications/publications.php,

http://www.corningfingerlakes.com/

http://www.visitithaca.com/.

For researching Finger Lakes wineries, visit http://www.newyorkwines.org/winecountry/fingerlakes/index.asp or
http://www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com/index.asp?pageId=278 or
http://www.fingerlakeswine.com/ or search through my archives.
or visit the Finger Lakes Wine Trail websites at
http://www.canandaiguawinetrailonline.com/ or
http://www.senecalakewine.com/jc/ or
http://www.keukawinetrail.com/

And above all, Have Fun!!! The Finger Lakes is a very special place with amazingly beautiful scenic treasures and world-class wines. A little bit of research will make your trip more enjoyable and relaxing. And if you have any questions about planning your trip, feel free to email me by filling out the form at the bottom of this page.