The Finger Lakes Region of New York is a Gorgeous area full of Wineries, Breweries and Outdoor activities!

FLX Tips:

Summer or fall is the ideal time to visit! Book your lodging as far in advance as you can as it is a popular area to explore.
This region is surprisingly very affordable—the food, wine and beer were all really quite cheap.
Watkins Glen and Geneva are both great home bases for exploring this area.
In terms of wine, this region is mostly Riesling and Cabernet Francs.
On a Western New York road trip? Check out my Buffalo beer and travel guide here and my Rochester beer and travel guide here!

Adventures & Ales Top FLX Recommendations:

Aurora Brewing: A fabulous brewery in King Ferry on Cayuga Lake. The vibes are great, the pizza is delicious, and the beer is quite tasty. Highly recommend! They also have a taproom in Rochester.
Tin Barn Brewing: A fantastic brewery on Seneca Lake with great views and killer beers. They also have a kitchen offering tacos and appetizers. Their main taproom is in the Hudson Valley area of New York.
Other Half Brewing: The Bloomfield outpost of this popular NYC-based brewery has a fantastic outdoor space and delicious beers. Their Finger Lakes taproom is also home to their Wild Ale program so be sure to give some of these brews a try in addition to their fantastic IPAs and Stouts. The vibes are great here and it is a must visit.
Standing Stone Vineyards: A phenomenal winery on Seneca Lake with beautiful views. Their building is also gorgeous. They offer various sizes of pours, if you are splitting with a friend(s) the 5oz pours a la carte are a very affordable way to try a variety of different wines. They also have a small food menu. Reservations are recommended.
Stay at 41 Lakefront: This is a Wyndham hotel right on Seneca Lake in Geneva. It’s not the fanciest but it’s a good price and great views. They have Adirondack chairs on the water, super soft towels, and an onsite restaurant.
Keuka Spring Vineyards: A lovely winery on Keuka Lake with great views. They offer tastings, glasses or bottles with indoor and outdoor seating.
Weis Vineyards: An award-winning winery on Keuka Lake with solid views and some snacks. They offer tastings, flights, glasses or bottles.
Climbing Bines Brewery & Hop Farm: A lovely outdoor space with a hop farm onsite. The beers here are average but it is a nice spot to visit overall. They also have a pizza food truck in the summer.
Grist Iron Brewing Company: A popular brewery on Seneca Lake with solid beers, a full food menu and nice views. They have a large outdoor space with picnic tables. This spot gets very busy and the food wait can be quite lengthy.

touristy finger lakes things worth doing:

Indian, Finger Lakes and Gorge Trail Loop at Watkins Glen State Park: This trail is 5.8 miles long with 875ft of elevation gain and takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete. The gorge is quite nice, the lake is just mediocre so you could skip this section to make the trail shorter. It is $10 to park.
Taughannock Falls via Gorge Trail at Taughannock Falls State Park: This 1.9 mile trail on Cayuga Lake is mostly flat and easy. It leads to a nice 215ft high waterfall. This trail is quite popular because it is easy and has great views. It is $9 to park, but that pass is good at all New York State Parks for the day.
Lucifer Falls via Gorge Trail at Robert H Treman State Park: This trails is 1.6 miles long with 282ft of elevation gain and takes about 45 minutes to complete. Start to the right, it is easier than the stairs on the left. There is a nice view from the top with a large waterfall. You need to pay to enter at certain times.
Geneva Lakefront Trail: A pretty spot for a walk along Seneca Lake to the State Park.

other things to do in The Finger Lakes:

Two Goats Brewing: An average brewery on Seneca Lake with spectacular views. They have set flights of beer and a small food menu.
Lamoreaux Landing Vineyard: A nice winery with solid views on Seneca Lake, but the wine and the service here was not as impressive as the other wineries in the area. They are 100% solar powered. Reservations are required.
Lucky Hare Brewing Company: An average brewery on Seneca lake with a nice back porch. Babes Burgers is onsite for food.
Grounded: A nice spot for coffee and breakfast, they have a small patio as well. Located in Geneva.
Finger Lakes Juice Bar: A solid spot for juice, Açaí bowls, and other healthy eats in Geneva.
Seneca Mill Falls: A nice waterfall that is just a 5 minute walk from the parking area. The Keuka Outlet Trail runs along here as well.
Big aLICe Brewing: This Brooklyn-based brewery has a taproom on Seneca Lake, but you can’t actually see the lake which is a bummer. The beer is average.
Scuteri’s Cannoli Connection: A small family run business with cannoli, desserts and pizzas in Watkins Glen.
Irish Mafia Brewing Company: A brewery in Bloomfield across the street from Other Half with a full food menu and average beers.