Snaking through the New York countryside on my way to Watkins Glen and the town’s speedway, I thought for sure I was lost. Turns out I wasn’t, but I had gotten too distracted by trying to watch the lake reappear around each bend in the road or by gazing into century-old farmhouses.

I came to the first stop sign for miles, looked right and left and couldn’t remember which way to go. With nary a gas station in sight, I thought I was certainly out of luck. Not so. A van pulled into a driveway nearby, and I noticed a sign that read “Farm Fresh Eggs.” Perfect. Better than a gas station. The woman, who presumably raised the chickens from birth and likewise sold their eggs from her barn, was more than happy to give me reassurance I was not, in fact, lost as she sent me on my way.

In many ways, it was the quintessential encounter in Finger Lakes Wine Country. First, the woman who gave me directions was friendly even though I didn’t buy any eggs from her, and she didn’t expect me to. So often customer service is passed off as genuine interest.

And secondly, upstate New York, as far as I can tell, is dotted with shops, restaurants and businesses in general that are owned, supplied and managed by next-door neighbors and friends from the PTA. As much as they are their own practically self-sustaining community, the folks in the Finger Lakes are also making a name for themselves in hospitality.

For your next getaway, stay away from the city. Finger Lakes Wine Country has plenty to offer and is now gaining worldwide recognition as a wine destination. With more than 100 wineries, the region is the largest wine-producing region east of California. There’s also an abundance of water activities, world-class museums and a historic motor speedway. Water and wine are the big draws to the area. No matter how big or diverse your family, there will be something to enjoy.

Wine-O!
Three (major) lakes— Cayuga, Keuka and Seneca—make up this area of Finger Lakes Wine Country in New York that is about an hour-and-a-half southeast of Rochester. Each lake has its own wine trail with signs directing drivers to each winery on the way. Most of the wineries are clustered around the shores of the lakes, where the climate is slightly more temperate—an important factor considering non-native vines often suffer in the winter weather of upstate New York.
 
It all started on Keuka Lake. Pleasant Valley Winery near Hammondsport (also known as Great Western Winery) is U.S. Bonded Winery No. 1. That means it’s been around for a while in a region that has just come into its own in the last 20 or 30 years. The original 1860 building is still there, along with seven other buildings listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Stepping into the stone cellars and through the tunnels really is more akin to visiting an old winery in Europe than those in Napa Valley. This winery is most famous for its award-winning sparkling wines, though they, of course, produce quality wines in the vinifera varietals.

Dr. Frank’s is another must see. This, and other American wine regions, arguably would not exist if it wasn’t for Dr. Konstantin Frank’s pioneering methods in grape growing, which made it possible to successfully produce wines of the European vinifera variety in cooler climates. Dr. Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars has a long list of accolades (and varietals), not least of which is being named Greatest Wine Producer in the Atlantic Northeast five years in a row by Wine Report. High scores from the industry’s leading publications reflect the winery’s excellence in winemaking, something a visit is sure to convince you of.

Transporting the blissful spirit of Tuscany to Keuka Lake, Amy and David Hoffman offer Rooster Hill visitors an inimitable experience tasting some of the region’s finest wines. Rooster Hill combines two of life’s great pleasures: scenery and wine. The winery highlights the timelessness of Keuka Lake’s landscape, with its vineyard-draped hills, mature trees and meadows carpeted with bright flowers, while offering visitors the opportunity to taste the very best Finger Lakes wines.

The Keuka Lake Wine Trail has nine scheduled events throughout this year, emphasizing the marriage of wine with food. Tickets range from $20 to $35 per person with a 25 percent discount for designated drivers. Each event is centered on a unique theme and can include additional favors and/or specially prepared food and wine samplings. The events include Truffles and Tastes, World Tour of Food and Wine, Keuka in Bloom, Barbecue at the Wineries, Harvest Tour of Food and Wine and Keuka Holidays. More information is available on www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com.

Wine Country
The Seneca Lake Wine Trail has the most wineries—35 in all and also hosts a number of events throughout the year. The lake is virtually surrounded by straight rows of vines. Glenora Wine Cellars, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards and Fox Run Vineyards are the largest producers on this lake. But with so many wineries, any random road will lead you to a treasure. Glenora, one of the region’s founding wineries, is unique with its 30-room lakefront inn and restaurant, featuring local food. Glenora’s tasting room practically abuts the lake and features more than 25 varietals and a stunning menu. The rooms at the adjoining inn are appointed with Stickley furniture and come with a mini-fridge, should visitors care to sit on their balcony overlooking the lake with some chilled white wine.
 
Hazlitt was recently voted one of the most fun tasting rooms by Wine Enthusiast magazine. And fun it is. Hazlitt also produces world-class wines, including its Homestead Reserve Riesling, which took gold at the Rieslings Du Monde, or Rieslings of the World competition. But its claim to fame is Red Cat made from the U.S.-native Red Catawba grape. Great for a party, Red Cat goes down in history as the original hot tub wine, complete with a story the winemakers and bartenders would love to share with those who mosey up to the bar in its cozy tasting room.

Situated high on Torrey Ridge overlooking one of the deepest parts of Seneca Lake is Fox Run—a winery with 55 acres of vineyards producing a remarkable range of fine wines. Under the forward-thinking ownership of Scott Osborn, Fox Run is poised to become one of a handful of truly great producers in the Finger Lakes. Osborn is an advocate of the place of wine in a healthy lifestyle; he appreciates the health benefits of garlic as well, pairing good wine with well-prepared garlic at the Fox Run Garlic Festival. Native grape varieties put the Finger Lakes on the map a century-and-a-half ago, and French-American hybrids, bred for winter-resistance, still have an important niche in the region. But Osborn is convinced that nonhybrid European Vinifera grapes can yield wine excellent enough to put Finger Lakes in the ranks of the world’s top fine wine producers.
 
The Cayuga Lake Wine Trail is home to 16 wineries and a variety of events throughout the year. Visitors can take advantage of the Vino Visa Coupon Book, which has coupons from each winery and other local businesses.

The Finger Lakes wineries have garnered nationwide acclaim for fantastic Rieslings. Available sweet or dry, these varietals make a refreshing summer drink. Gewürztraminer is another favorite of the vintners of the area. Affectionately called Gewurtz, the fruity and spicy white wine does well in cooler climates. For reds, Finger Lakes wineries like to brag about their Cabernet Franc. But each winery has its niche and its own personal favorites. By visiting www.FingerLakesWineCountry.com you can plan your ideal wine tour by searching by location, varietal, amenities, and pricing. There are also links to buy wine directly from the wineries, so even when you cannot visit the Finger Lakes, you can still serve it at your table.

So while driving throughout the region, stop at any number of tasting rooms along the way. The beauty of following any of these Finger Lakes wine trails (aside from the spectacular view overlooking the lakes) is at least partially in the economy: You can spend 30 minutes or three hours at a winery and experience a full tasting for less than $10, many of the wineries will reimburse you in part if you purchase a bottle.

Finger Lakes Feasts
Many restaurants in Finger Lakes Wine Country embrace the same objectives as the local wineries: They serve Finger Lakes wine at the bar and local produce, meat and poultry at the table. So in this corner of New York, the people find themselves at the forefront of national efforts toward sustainability.

Dave and Deb Whiting at Red Newt Cellars and Bistro are active members of the Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty in an effort to connect local growers to restaurants. In order to join the group, restaurants are required to serve a certain percentage of locally grown food on their menu. And with more than 50 restaurants as members, it isn’t hard for visitors to support the local economy.

“We want people to come here and experience the Finger Lakes all at one time,” said Deb Whiting of the family’s winery and adjoining restaurant.

Wine is the centerpiece of many of these local restaurants, with many offering Finger Lakes’ products, something you won’t find anywhere else. Many boast impressive views of the lakes and/or rolling hills, Esperanza Mansion, Veraisons Restaurant and the Hill Top Inn among them.

Finding the regional gems takes more planning than just stopping by the local chain restaurant. But with the Internet, it only takes a few clicks to find a spot that is unique to the area. Visit FingerLakesWineCountry.com for listings of restaurants and wineries. Search the database for a full listing of restaurants in the region. You can search by restaurant location, type, amenities and price. And trust that the locals will be more than happy to point you to the perfect meal, sans agenda.

And should you lose your way, there’s always an egg stand on the corner to help direct you. Visitors may not set out with an entire grocery list, but in the Finger Lakes region it’s easy to experience the local fare and bring some home with you. The area boasts plenty of locally made artisan cheeses. Bonny Hill Honey and Hager Maple Products are both known to satisfy the sweet tooth.

For the Kids
Finger Lakes Wine Country boasts plenty to entertain youngsters and to help bring out your inner child.
 
Watkins Glen International hosts NASCAR and IndyCar race events throughout the summer, attracting thousands of fans. The Glen is a road course that is 3.4 or 2.45 miles long, depending on the loop, allowing unique spectator opportunities. Fans can actually camp right next to the course and watch the race progress from a lawn chair surrounded by coolers and friends. For those who don’t get a bid on the ever-popular course-side camping, the neighboring Watkins Glen State Park has a campground.

Visitors can take a spin around the track on non-race weekends by taking a Thunder Road Tour. Follow a pace car in your own vehicle, experiencing the straightaways, esses and hills of the track. The Glen also hosts the Finger Lakes Wine Festival, attracting aficionados from across the Eastern seaboard. The garage is opened and area wineries and growers are invited to one of the biggest events of the year. This year’s festival is July 17–19.
 
The state park in Watkins Glen is the largest in New York and boasts impressive falls at the trailhead that leads through the gorge that was carved by the falls. With 19 falls, no one will leave unimpressed.

Corning, N.Y., is one of the larger towns in the region and serves as a great jumping off point to tour the rest of the area. Home of Corning Inc., formerly Corning Glass Works, of the famed household appliances, the city boasts a number of glass-making shops in the downtown’s Gaffer District, as well as the impressive Corning Museum of Glass. The museum is fantastically hands-on, with glass-blowing demonstrations and glass-making classes. The museum is one part art, one part science.

The museum has the largest collection of glass in the world, with historical pieces from Ancient Rome and Egypt through the Middle Ages and early America. There is a contemporary glass collection, featuring such artists as Dale Chihuly, Lino Tagliapietra and Jun Kaneko. The center of the museum is dedicated to innovations in glass: from high-tech fiber optics, telescopes, LCDs, and computer chips to everyday light bulbs and casserole dishes.

Cowboys and American Indians are the heart of the Rockwell Museum of Western Art in Corning. The collection started with one man’s love for the West. Robert Rockwell donated his personal collection of 19th- and 20th-century art depicting brilliant Western-scapes to found the museum in 1976. The museum has been able to bring traveling exhibits and add to its archive to fill the former city hall. New programs lead children around the museum on scavenger hunts and end in a play area complete with dress-up clothes and a children’s library.

It is easy to get around Corning with a free shuttle between The Corning Museum of Glass, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art and Market Street, where you will find unique shops, restaurants and plenty of other entertainment. The best part is that you can purchase a combination pass to the two museums for a discounted rate and kids 19 and younger are always free anytime at both museums.

The Wings of Eagles Discovery Center, the National Soaring Museum and the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum are the Finger Lakes’ tribute to aviation. The Soaring Museum has historic gliders on display, from originals to World War II-era models, and offers rides in the motorless planes during the summer. The excursions are so popular that in high season the gliders line up one after the other to take off. The Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Museum in Hammondsport presents the life of the town’s aviation pioneer through artifacts and historic airplanes. The Wings of Eagles center at the Elmira/Corning Regional Airport is another delight for aviation enthusiasts. The museum displays early aircraft: planes and helicopters included, many of which served the armed forces. Some of the aircraft have been restored to their former glory and are actually air-worthy.

Elmira is the proud adopted hometown of favorite American author Mark Twain. The writer married Olivia Langdon of Elmira and lived there for a period. He is buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery with the Langdon family. It is believed he wrote some of his major works while residing in Elmira, including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Mark Twain’s study is now on the campus of Elmira College.

The villages of the Finger Lakes region warrant an afternoon visit as well. Corning and Elmira are the two largest towns in the area and have plenty of shops and eateries. But quaint villages such as Hammondsport, Penn Yan and Watkins Glen have their own reserve of unique shops and diners that are worth a trip.

Search the Things to Do database on FingerLakesWineCountry.com to find the perfect activities for the whole family when planning your vacation. The Web site even has a Trip Builder where you can create an itinerary and it will map out your stay.

A Humble Abode
Seneca Lake is the only Finger Lake to have a large resort complex near its edge. The beauty of the lakes is in the foliage, not in its overcrowded resorts. Each town has an arsenal of bed-and-breakfasts that allows visitors to stay in otherwise unavailable historical homes and farmhouses.

The Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel is the most recent addition to the plethora of accommodations available throughout the region. This luxurious hotel sits on the southernmost point of Seneca Lake. The hotel offers fantastic views and also guarantees you a first-class experience. Enjoy dinner at the Blue Pointe Grille or a glass of Finger Lakes Wine at the Coldwater Bar or out on The Patio.
 
Innkeepers are always a great resource when visiting a new area—plus there’s the complimentary breakfast. They are usually more than eager to pass on local lore and legends. The Web site, FingerLakesWineCountry.com has a listing of more than 200 accommodations that can be searched by location, type, amenity and price. You’re sure to find the perfect place to hang your hat while visiting.
 
If you stay in Finger Lakes Wine Country long enough, you’ll have your own story to tell, one that’s best served around a table surrounded by friends, drinking wine, eating cheese and looking out onto one of the crystal-clear lakes of south central New York.

For more information, visit www.FingerLakesWineCountry.com. To book travel, contact your AAA Travel agent or visit AAA.com/travel.

Click here to win a bed and breakfast escape in Finger Lakes Wine Country.