Hello there! This is the beginning of an ongoing series I am starting about how to spend a day in different parts of New York State. We don’t always have a week to spend on vacation or maybe you just want a quick getaway (I am a big fan of an overnight), so I hope these blogs will serve as an inspiration for future travel. For reference, I live in a suburb of Buffalo, NY so most of these trips are easily done with just a few hours of driving. I will try and include an accurate cost for each place.

The Finger Lakes region has always been a favorite of mine and I find that each time I go, I can create an entirely new, unique experience because of the endless options available. I have written a few other blogs about the Finger Lakes. You can check them out here.

My husband and I left on a Saturday morning, stopped for breakfast on our way and headed towards the tiny town of Hammondsport, NY at the base of Keuka Lake. Drive time from my home is just around two hours. I did make reservations in advance for our wine tastings, but in the off season I am sure you could just walk in.

Stop #1

• Point of the Bluff Vineyards - located on the Western side of Keuka Lake at 10489 County Route 76, Hammondsport, New York 14840.

• This winery has been on my list to visit for a while. It was very quiet on the January day we were there, but don’t let this fool you. This winery always has something going on and is known for their concerts and harvest dinners in the summer and fall, and a big Christmas market on the weekends in December. We really enjoyed our tastings and learning about the history of the vineyard and left with three bottles of wine! We spent $0 on our tastings because we were staying at the Park Inn (they are owned by the same people). I did not know this when I booked in advance so that was a win! Our wine cost around $80 and we left $20 for gratuity because our service was great!

Stop #2

• Domaine LeSeurre - located on the Eastern side of Keuka Lake at 13920 State Route 54, Hammondsport, New York 14840

• This was such a fun stop and I imagine is quite the happening place in summer also. I love that you can book more of an experience and not just a tasting. We booked the Signature Wine & Gourmet French Macaron Experience for $28 each. We also ordered the charcuterie board ($35) since it was mid afternoon and we didn’t have dinner until 7:00 pm. We loved the macaron pairing! We purchased one bottle of wine for around $25 and left $20 for gratuity. Again, service was great.

From there we made the ten minute drive to our hotel The Park Inn - located at 37 Shether Street, Hammondsport, NY 14840. The Inn has five suites, all newly renovated and absolutely beautiful. The cost for the night was $196 with the taxes and fees. We stayed in Room Four and we really liked that we were down the hall from the main entrance. The check in process was very easy. The Inn provides you with a code for the front door and for your room so the entire process is contactless, and only guests of the Inn are allowed to enter. A coffee bar is located in the hallway on a credenza along with extra items you might need for your room such as towels and toiletries. The bed was very comfortable and the room was spacious. We both agreed we would definitely stay here again! You can also reserve their farmhouse, The Glen Scott Manor, if you have a bigger group!

The other amazing thing about staying at the Park Inn , is the restaurant located right below it! It was wonderful to not have to worry about driving anywhere after being in the car most of the day. We literally got changed and walked out the front door. We were a bit early so we sat at the bar while we waited. Our bartender was great and we honestly could have been content eating there. Please note, you will definitely want to make a reservation in advance. I did see the host have to turn people away. The restaurant was on the smaller side, but cozy and welcoming. The menu changes every few weeks and is seasonally focused, with an emphasis on locally produced and sourced ingredients. We each had an appetizer, entree and a dessert, as well as drinks. My favorite thing I had was the grape sorbet! Our dinner with tip was around $150.

The next morning we were up early to grab breakfast, check out and hit our last stop before we hit the road towards home. Another great reason to stay at the Park Inn is the cutest breakfast/ice cream place located right next door. Crooked Lake Ice Cream Company doesn’t sound like a breakfast/lunch place but it sure is. The aesthetic is that of a diner, yet they serve oat milk lattes complete with latte art. Our food came hot, was delivered quick and by the time we left every seat was taken, with people waiting. We would come back for sure. Our bill for breakfast was around $35.

I also wanted to include some pics I took of the little coffee bar and guest book at the Park Inn. Unfortunately the Fuji Camera was out of film when we left, but I thought that was such a cute idea!

Last stop on this Keuka Lake overnight was Krookid Leyk Distilling - located on the Eastern side of the lake at 14322 NY 54, Hammondsport NY, 14840. Now there was a specific reason we waited until Sunday to go here and that was for the Boozy Coffee Flights. These are only served on Sundays! And they were worth the stop. Our coffee flight was $25 plus tax and we also ordered a frozen hot chocolate (not pictured but tasty) for around $7. We left $5 for gratuity because we just grabbed our drinks from the bar and found our own table. They also have a nice cocktail list and they change up the flavors of the coffee flights every month. You don’t have to order a flight, single servings are also available. Please note, I just saw that they will be closed for the month of February 2023 and reopening March 2, 2023. As much as we love wine tasting, it’s always nice to mix it up a bit. Be sure to add this place to your list!

This sure was a quick weekend but sometimes that’s all we need to reset or recharge our batteries. And I suppose not everyone would enjoy going to the Finger Lakes in the winter because of the cold, but we actually enjoyed the quietness of the weekend. Not to mention you can take advantage of off season rates on hotels, have your pick of wineries and distilleries to visit and in my opinion, more of a one on one experience. Some other wineries on the Eastern side of Keuka Lake I want to mention that are favorites of mine are Ravines and Weis. They are all located within minutes of Krookid Leyk and Domaine LeSeurre. And of course on the Western side you have Dr. Konstantin Frank’s and Heron Hill. All of these are only a few minutes from the town of Hammondsport and would make a fabulous weekend itinerary.

Total for our Keuka Lake overnight was roughly $665. This could certainly be less, but we purchased wine and did the more expensive tasting experience at Domaine LeSeurre.

Wishing you many new adventures and experiences in 2023! Let me know if there are other places in New York you’d like to see me spend a day in!

x, Julie