My hubby surprised me with a weekend away for our birthdays. Does he know me or what??? The way to my heart really is with travel haha!! I was so excited when I found out we would be staying at the Lake House Canandaigua. What a beautiful hotel and property and the reviews told me that others felt the same way I did. I immediately got to work planning our other activities because I didn’t have much time before we left.

On the day we left, I decided we would make our first stop at Star Cidery on our way into Canandaigua. This place is a favorite of mine. Delicious ciders and they have a huge outdoor space with picnic tables for those hot summer days.

Upon checking into the Lake House, we were greeted with a glass of champagne and in our room was an adorable complimentary tote bag ! Ooh I love those little touches that make a hotel feel special. Our room was beautiful, so clean and had a balcony with the best view overlooking the lake. We chose to have dinner on the property that evening at the Rose Tavern. We tried a few of the appetizers, each had an entree and they brought us out a dessert at the end because they knew we were celebrating our birthdays. How sweet! I would highly recommend if you have the chance to dine there.

The next day we were up early to make the drive down to Plenty the Bakery. Located in Naples, NY, this bakery has the worlds best cinnamon rolls. No joke! We also ordered the pecan sticky buns, a scone and a cookie. Keep in mind if you want to try these goodies, you must preorder. She is only open on Saturday mornings from 8 am - 1 pm.

Next stop (and my favorite of the weekend) was the Lazy Acres Alpaca Farm. For $10 we were given a tour of the farm and got to feed the fluffy alpacas, plus take one million pictures with them!! Just keep in mind, masks are required when walking around the farm. There is also an incredibly cute gift shop with all sorts of alpaca merchandise.

Next stop, lunch at FLX Fry-Bird! So many options and almost the entire menu is gluten free. Plus the milkshake menu does not disappoint.

Now on to the good stuff! With so many wineries in the Finger lakes it can be overwhelming to try and decide where to go. I scoured the internet to find the smaller, off the beaten path wineries and came across an article recommending Hermann Weimer. Currently the tastings are by appointment only so make sure to book ahead. The property was beautiful, we were seated right away and the wine was good. We even bought a bottle of the Riesling.

The second winery we visited was Standing Stone. We scored a table on the patio and enjoyed our wine with the sun on our faces. What a great day! After talking to the wonderful staff, we discovered that Standing Stone is actually owned by Hermann Weimer. No wonder we liked the wine so much haha.

We made it back to the hotel in time to catch a beautiful sunset and grab a late dinner at the Sand Bar. The Sand Bar is the casual restaurant on the property and no reservations are required.

We had such a great stay at the Lake House but all good things must come to end! We decided to grab breakfast before making our way home to the kids. I made a reservation ahead of time for Simply Crepes and I was so glad I did! It was busy, but we were seated right away. Let me tell you the real reason I wanted to go there… the mimosa flights! You can choose from four different flavors and my favorite was the Apple Cider Mimosa. We decided to split a few things on the menu so we could each try a savory and a sweet item. The crepe was perfectly sweet but our favorite item was the hand pressed hash browns.

Our last stop on our wonderful weekend was the Polka Dot Barn! Located in the Town of Bergen, this barn is the cutest and the owner does not mind if you stop to take pics. If you want to put it on your list, it is located on the corner of North Bergen and Sautell Roads.

We are so lucky to have this amazing area right in our backyards and hopefully this inspires you to explore the Finger Lakes and all it has to offer.

x, Julie