upstate new york

Rochester, NY

Rochester is a really nice city full of fantastic food & drinks!

ROC Tips: 

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations: 

  • Fifth Frame Brewing: A killer brewery located in downtown Rochester. Their beers are absolutely fantastic. Their tap list is Sour heavy, but each style of beer I tried was delicious. They also have a small food menu and some outdoor seating.

  • Strangebird Brewery: A fantastic brewery with a wide variety of beers and specializing in Farmhouse Ales. They also have a full food menu with delicious, locally sourced and seasonal options. Their taproom is beautiful and they also have an outdoor patio.

  • Living Roots Urban Winery: An adorable winery with delicious wine and food and the nicest team! They have a great patio and a cute indoor space as well. Living Roots offers flights of wine, 3oz pours, 6oz pours, glasses and bottles. The small food menu has the perfect snacks to accompany wine including a great cheese board. Reservations are recommended but you can also walk in. They also have a location in the Finger Lakes.

  • Mortalis Brewing Company: A great Sour and Stout brewery in south Rochester. Their taproom has very limited hours so be sure to plan ahead to visit.

  • R.O.C. Brewing: A nice brewery downtown with solid beers and a lovely patio. F.L.X. Weinery shares the space with the brewery so you can get hot dogs, burgers, fries and more with your beers.

  • Black Button Distilling: A fun distillery right near the market with a super nice team and tasty spirits. Their Bourbon Cream is their top seller, but they have a wide variety of spirits to choose from. They use all natural and local ingredients and aren’t afraid to go against the norm, such as with their award-winning citrus-forward Gin. They also make their own syrups, create canned cocktails, and host classes.

Strangebird Brewing

Touristy Things in Rochester Worth Doing:

  • Genesee Brew House: This historic brewery is a must visit in Rochester. Downstairs they have a tasting room, gift shop and to-go beer selection. Upstairs they have a restaurant-style setup with a full food menu, a balcony with views of High Falls, and a rooftop terrace. They generally make light, easy-drinking beers and their Cream Ale is what they are famous for.

  • High Falls: A large waterfall in the heart of downtown. Walk out on the bridge for the best views of the falls.

  • Rochester Public Market: A massive market with indoor and outdoor sections full of food and drinks. A lot of booths are cash only so be prepared. Don’t miss Juan and Maria’s Empanada Stop inside and Flour City Bread Company along the perimeter.

  • Irondequoit Bay State Marine Park: Check out this state park with access to Lake Ontario, a pier, fishing, a beach and the Lakeside Trail. Located 15 minutes north of downtown Rochester.

  • Sam Patch Erie Canal Boat Cruise: This 1.5 hour canal cruise takes you down the Erie Canal and through Lock 32 with history along the way. There are snacks and drinks available on the boat and it launches from Pittsford which is 15 minutes from downtown Rochester. There are also walking and biking trails that run along the canal.

Living Roots

Other rochester things to do:​​​

  • Sager Beer Works: A solid brewery right behind Living Roots. They have a full food menu, a small patio, and frequent events. Sager focuses on classic, easy-drinking beers with a neighborhood pub vibe.

  • Swiftwater Brewing Company: An average brewery with an IPA heavy tap list and a small food menu.

  • Copper Leaf Brewing: Located in Pittsford, a 5 minute walk from the Sam Patch canal cruise. This is a small brewery with solid beers.

  • Lock 32 Brewing: Another brewery in Pittsford, right behind the Sam Patch canal cruise.

  • Stay at the Courtyard by Marriott: This hotel is a great base for exploring Rochester. It is right downtown with clean and modern rooms. They also have a full restaurant and bar.

  • Melo Coffee and Kitchen: A cute coffee shop with a food menu and outdoor seating options.

  • Hop on a shared bike or scooter with HOPR

Buffalo, NY

Buffalo is an old, industrial city with a vibrant beer scene

Buffalo Tips:

  • Buffalo is a very proud city and they love their Bills. Everywhere you go, football season or not, Bills insignia dots the city. In all of my travels I have never seen a city so obsessed with their NFL team. If you happen to be in town during football season prepare for a bit of madness.

  • I found the driving in Buffalo to be alarming—folks are running red lights and driving aggressively everywhere you look. Be aware and be cautious.

  • The Buffalo Roam app is what the city uses for parking. You’ll need to add a $10 deposit to start an account.

  • On a Western New York road trip? Check out my Rochester guide and my Finger Lakes region guide here!

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations: 

  • Froth Brewing Company: An extremely good brewery specializing in Fruited Sours. Their taproom hours are a bit more limited than other spots in town so be sure to plan ahead.

  • Other Half Brewing: The Buffalo outpost of the popular NYC brewery. They are located right across from the baseball stadium with a bit of an odd set-up. Inside they have a couple of arcade games with limited seating and only 8 taps. Outside there are a few tables and corn hole.

  • The Beer Keep: A fantastic bottle shop and beer bar in the Elmwood Village neighborhood. They have great vibes, patio seating, a small food menu, and a killer selection of beers.

  • Thin Man Brewery: A good brewery on Elmwood Avenue with games, a rooftop patio, a full food menu, and good vibes. Their tap list is Sour heavy but they still make a wide variety of beers.

  • Belt Line Brewery & Kitchen: A great brewery with a plethora of IPAs and Sours. They also have a food menu and some outdoor seating.

  • Big Ditch Brewing Company: A solid brewery with a full food menu in downtown Buffalo. This is a popular spot for workday lunches due to its location. Their Sours are what they do best!

Niagara Falls

touristy things in buffalo that are worth doing:

  • Check out Niagara Falls: Touristy, yes, but still awesome to see. The Canadian side offers better views, so be sure to bring along your passport or enhanced license to get across the border. Expect it to be very busy. Niagara Falls is 30 minutes from downtown Buffalo.

    • If you’re just making a quick stop to see the falls, park at Niagara Garden Place near the police station. The falls are right across the street and it is $10 for 30 minutes of parking which is the perfect amount of time. There is conveniently a public restroom nearby as well.

    • If you want a more robust experience you can do a boat tour or walk behind the falls. You will get soaked as a forewarning. There are several different tour operators in the area with various options.

  • Explore Elmwood Village: This is definitely the nicest neighborhood in Buffalo and Elmwood Avenue is full of bars, restaurants and shops to hop around and visit.

  • Canalside Park: A nice park on the Buffalo River and Lake Erie. There are walking trails, boat tours and a Naval and Military Park.

Big Ditch Brewing Company

other things to do in buffalo:

  • Resurgence Brewing Company: A popular brewery with a spacious taproom, an outdoor patio and some food options as well. They share a courtyard with Hartman’s Distilling Co. if a cocktail is calling your name!

  • Hofbrauhaus: The Buffalo outpost of the German brewery. They are located downtown with a great patio space and stay true to the German roots with their beer and food menu. Hofbrauhaus also has a great happy hour, but the service I had here was truly awful.

  • Gene McCarthy’s Old First Ward Brewing Company: A little dive bar with a full food menu that makes their own beer. They have a nice outdoor patio.

  • The Intersection: A little coffee window in the Allentown neighborhood with coffee, tea, muffins and bagels.

The Finger Lakes, NY

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.

Watkins Glen State Park

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.

Two Goats Brewing

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.

Upstate New York

Upstate New York is beautiful and full of small towns worth exploring. I spent time in Albany, Troy, and Saratoga Springs.

Albany Recommendations:

I would not recommend going to Albany in general, but there are a couple of great beer spots here. The city itself leaves a lot to be desired.

  • Fidens Brewing Company: A superb brewery in a beautiful space. They have about 20 taps with incredible beers along with cocktails and wine. Their main focus is IPAs, but their Sours and Stouts are also delicious. The food menu is full of delicious eats.

  • Delaware Supply: A fantastic beer bar with a great tap list, a cute interior space, and some patio seating. They also have a small to-go selection.

  • Druthers Brewing Co.: Beer cheese everything and a large quantity of beers in their flight—need I say more?

  • New York State Capitol: The biggest and most grand building in the city. Tours are available by request.

  • Alias Coffee: A coffee shop in the heart of downtown that roasts their own beans in Troy. The service is very slow and not always accurate.

  • Skip Hampton Inn Albany: This hotel is outdated, smelly, and has a host of issues. Unimpressed.

Saratoga Springs Recommendations:

Saratoga Springs is a super cute little town just a quick train ride from Albany, I highly recommend!

  • Get outside! Check out the State Park or one of the many local parks

  • Artisanal Brew Works: The owner is so nice, the beer is pretty tasty, and the taproom is nice and sunny.

Artisanal Brew Works

Artisanal Brew Works

Troy recommendations:

If you decide to head to Troy, be sure to check out the two spots below!