A Day In The Finger Lakes: In And Around Ithaca, New York

Lakefront luxury

While there are many options for wonderful lodgings ranging from the standard to the sublime, we chose to stay near Ithaca, New York at the Lakefront Inn at Cayuga Lake, sporting a fabulous view from every room of the inn and an outdoor hot tub that just cannot be beat. Ithaca is the home of Cornell University and Ithaca College, lending the area a young, upbeat vibe and chance encounters with interesting folks.

Waterfalls and gorges

“Ithaca is gorges” is one of the t-shirts and bumper stickers displayed around town, and it sure is gorgeous. We visited two waterfalls in Ithaca, and one in nearby Watkins Glen. Walking trails at Taughannock Falls State Park, bring you up and around the 215 feet (65.5 m) falls, allowing breathtaking views from all angles. Choosing the gorge walk (0.93 mi/1.5 km) the rim walk (0.93mi/1.5 km) or both, you can enjoying the soaring eagles (or were they buzzards?), a bird’s eye view of the falls from up above the falls, and another one from right down under the falls.

A unique urban waterfall can be found at Fall River, right in the middle of Ithaca. The Fall River Falls are remarkable for their intensity and size, and a beautiful view of the falls is easily accessed with a two-minute walk from the road and convenient parking area. This waterfall, one of the largest in sheer volume of water in this area, is a delight at any time of the year. Additional highly recommended trails and waterfalls can be found at Buttermilk Falls State Park, just a short drive from downtown Ithaca.

Watkins Glen

Driving thirty minutes from Ithaca you will arrive at Seneca Lake, one of the deepest of the Finger Lakes, with nearby Watkins Glen a “must see” sporting 19 waterfalls on a 7.7mi/2.5 km gorge walk that consists of 850 steps going up the falls. Choosing a way back, you can descend those same 850 steps or opt for the Indian Rim trail, which is a dirt path gradually descending towards the entrance plaza. The gorge walk is shady, green and refreshing on a hot summer day, and the sound of rushing water soothes both the mind and the soul. All of the parks in this area of NY State have parking fees, if you park your car in the designated lots (8 USD), but no admission fees aside from that.

Meatless Moosewood

There are many restaurants in this region featuring many different styles of cookery. We enjoyed fresh and tasty salads and vegetarian fare (salads at 9 USD, main courses range from 13–16 USD) at the iconic Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, NY. Moosewood has been around since the seventies (of the previous century) and was a trailblazer in vegetarian cooking. The restaurant sells many of the cookbooks that they have published over the years, and this is a wonderful take-home souvenir or gift.

Micro-breweries abound

Everywhere we looked we found micro-breweries, small establishments that brew batches of what is commonly called craft beers. We enjoyed visiting several breweries in the few days we spent in this area, most notably the Hopshire Farm and Brewery, where you can see how the actual hops used in this tasty beer are grown. Hops are one of the important ingredients used in brewing along with barley or wheat, yeast and water. At Hopshire, we enjoyed tasting a flight of eight beers (5 oz/148 mL glasses) for 14 USD. An additional pint (17 oz/~500 mL) of our favorite beer was 6 USD. Tasting the flight allowed us a chance to see what the folks at Hopshire can do with their beers, and we were duly impressed.