Plan Your Days · Finger Lakes · New York
Three days,
done right.
A long weekend the way we'd spend it — the village, the falls, and a lakeside last morning. Take it whole, or raid it for parts.
Day 1
Trumansburg & Ithaca Commons
- Morning
- Start with breakfast in the village — Creekside Cafe (open Friday–Sunday) or Falls Restaurant — and a cup from Gimme! Coffee to carry down Main Street.
- Late morning
- Stroll Trumansburg's Main Street: local shops, galleries, and the pace of a village that's small on purpose.
- Afternoon
- Head to Ithaca Commons for lunch at College Town Bagels or Moosewood, then wander the shops, galleries and street performers.
- Evening
- Back to the village for dinner at Atlas Bowl — good food and a few frames of bowling under one roof.
Day 2
Nature & Waterfalls
- Morning
- Breakfast at Main Street Market — and grab a picnic to go while you're there — then the five-minute drive to Taughannock Falls State Park.
- Late morning
- Hike the flat Gorge Trail to the base of Taughannock Falls — at 215 feet, taller than Niagara, and one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States.
- Afternoon
- That picnic, in the park. Then relax, or keep exploring — the trails go further than you'd think.
- Evening
- Dinner in Trumansburg or Ithaca — or, if the evening wants something special, Graft in Watkins Glen is worth the thirty-five-minute drive. They don't take reservations, so land early.
Day 3
Lakeside, Slowly
- Morning
- Breakfast in the village, then out to North Point at Taughannock State Park for a slow morning beside Cayuga Lake.
- Late morning
- Walk the lakeside trails, or don't — the water does most of the entertaining.
- Afternoon
- Lunch at a local spot or a packed picnic by the lake. If you're feeling it, rent a kayak or paddleboard and get out on the water.
- Evening
- A farewell dinner back in Trumansburg — ask us for the current favourite.
If You Have the Energy
Worth working in
- The Cayuga Lake Wine Trail starts minutes away — our pours and favourites are in the Finger Lakes guide.
- History and museums thread through Trumansburg and Ithaca — the Ulysses Historical Society in the village, Cornell's collections twenty minutes away.
- Check what's on while you're here — a festival or market weekend changes the whole feel of a trip. (If it's the third full weekend of July, that's GrassRoots — plan everything early.)
Hours change with the seasons out here — it's worth a quick check before you drive. Or just ask us; we live here.
Make It a Weekend
Stay in the middle of all of it.
Everything on this itinerary is minutes from our door. Staying a full week instead? The seven-day version →