Plan Your Days · Finger Lakes · New York
A full week,
both lakes.
Seven days across Cayuga and Seneca — gorges, wineries, museums, and room to do nothing at all. Take it whole, or raid it for parts.
Day 1
Trumansburg & Ithaca Commons
- Morning
- Breakfast at Main Street Market in the village, with a cup from Gimme! Coffee to carry.
- Late morning
- Stroll Trumansburg's Main Street — local shops, galleries, and a first feel for the village.
- Afternoon
- Down to Ithaca Commons for lunch at Moosewood Restaurant — the famous one, and still earning it — then the shops, galleries and street performers. Before you leave town, swing past Ithaca Falls: a 150-foot waterfall a flat two-minute walk from a city street, free, no hike required.
- Evening
- Back to the village for dinner and a pint at Garrett's Brewing Company on Main Street.
Day 2
Nature & Waterfalls
- Morning
- Breakfast at Creekside Cafe (open Friday–Sunday), then the drive to Robert H. Treman State Park.
- Late morning
- Hike the gorge trails through Enfield Glen — cascade after cascade, ending at the natural pools.
- Afternoon
- Lunch at Mama Said Hand Pies on Trumansburg Road — savory or sweet, ideally one of each. Then leisure time back in the village, or more of the park.
- Evening
- Dinner in Ithaca on the way home — or a night in at the house; the kitchen's there for a reason.
Day 3
Seneca Lake Day
- Morning
- A hearty breakfast in the village, then over the hill to Smith Memorial Park in Hector for a swim in Seneca Lake.
- Late morning
- Lakeside leisure — the water does most of the entertaining.
- Afternoon
- Lunch in Hector — Stonecat Cafe for seasonal and organic, or here. (yes, that's its name) for biscuit sandwiches and breakfast-all-day done right; its hours shift with the seasons, so check before you count on it. Then the wineries, in driving order: Hector Wine Company right there, a short hop north to Boundary Breaks in Lodi, then back south along the lake — with Lucky Hare Brewing, our house brewery, on the corridor if the afternoon needs a beer.
- Evening
- Dinner at Graft in Watkins Glen — they don't take reservations, so land early and let the evening unfold.
Day 4
Wineries, Breweries & Scenic Drives
- Morning
- Breakfast at a village café, then start north along the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail — it's all one shoreline road: Sheldrake Point, Thirsty Owl, Lucas Vineyards. (Our own pours and favourites are in the Finger Lakes guide.)
- Afternoon
- Lunch at a winery or lakeside spot, then work back south through Interlaken — a cheese stop at Lively Run Goat Dairy and a cider flight at Finger Lakes Cider House, both on the road home.
- Evening
- A casual dinner at Atlas Bowl in Trumansburg — with a few frames of bowling if the evening wants it. (Unless it's a Friday in season — then the Cider House's live-music night is the dinner, and you're already there.)
Day 5
Watkins Glen & Seneca Lake
- Morning
- An early village breakfast, then the drive to Watkins Glen State Park to hike the Gorge Trail — nineteen waterfalls threaded by stone stairways and bridges.
- Afternoon
- Lunch in Watkins Glen, then wineries on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail — start with Lakewood Vineyards. (For our full east-of-Seneca route, the winery guide is mapped.)
- Evening
- Dinner at Nickel's Pit BBQ in Watkins Glen — the day will have earned barbecue. (Or Graft again; no shame in a repeat.)
Day 6
History, Art & Local Culture
- Morning
- Breakfast in the village, then the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell — and the campus itself, which is genuinely worth wandering.
- Afternoon
- Lunch on Ithaca Commons or at the Boatyard Grill on the water. Traveling with kids (or curious adults): the Museum of the Earth and Cayuga Nature Center fill the afternoon.
- Evening
- Dinner at Maxie's Supper Club in Ithaca — Southern comfort food, seafood, and the right kind of loud.
Day 7
Relaxation & Farewell
- Morning
- A leisurely breakfast and coffee in the village, then one last walk at Taughannock Falls State Park — five minutes away, and the goodbye view.
- Afternoon
- Souvenirs on Main Street, or a quick final hike at Buttermilk Falls State Park on the way through Ithaca.
- Evening
- A cozy farewell dinner in the village — ask us for the current favourite, and we'll point you right.
Make It a Week
Stay in the middle of all of it.
Everything on this itinerary starts minutes from our door. Only have a long weekend? The three-day version →