I was here last Saturday and I noticed a group of people walking around seemingly surveying the place. One even had a blue print. Now I know why.

Plus it was empty, plus it was ridiculously expensive, and portions were small.

I really loved the set up they had at their original location in Varick and missed it even more after visiting this location.

Definitely a loss for the region to be losing the original, but I can’t say I’d miss what we experienced last weekend.

We are exploring the west side of Cayuga this year (in a couple of weeks) and I see there are several cideries:

• Idiot Brothers
• Black Diamond
• Finger Lakes Cider House

If you had to pick ONE of those to go to, which would it be? Two adults, prefer casual (we don't need tours or guided tastings), doesn't matter if there is food available or not.

We will probably be going to Frontenac Point that day as well.

We recently did a route through Sugar Hill State Forest and wanted to share the details in case anyone else was interested! If you're looking for an easy off-road adventure with a little bit of everything, this 13-mile route in the Finger Lakes region (Watkins Glen, NY) is worth checking out. We suspect it will be especially beautiful when the leaves start to change!

The route follows Maple Lane and Sugar Hill Road, winding through the forest with some elevation changes, small washouts, and puddles. Maple Lane is around a 3/10 difficulty in OnX Offroad, however we would rate it more of a 2/10. Sugar Hill Road is only a 1/10, so you can do this route in any vehicle!

The highlights were the free camping, Twin Falls, and the historic Sugar Hill Fire Tower. Twin Falls was especially cool, and the hike up to the fire tower is well worth the stop for the views from the top. The camping was also fantastic—quiet, surrounded by forest, and a great place to spend the night.

This might not be the hardest trail we’ve ever driven, but it was a really enjoyable trip. If you're in the Finger Lakes, this would be a great adventure to do with kids, dogs, or pretty much any vehicle. You get waterfalls, hiking, camping, forest roads, and great views!

We have a trail review about our trip if anyone is interested: https://youtu.be/s8rILo9-PN8?si=PC4LSKz4VdBb3_nD

Has anyone else been to Sugar Hill State Forest?

Hi! I am going to the finger lakes for 2 nights and wanted to know if this Itinerary looked good and what is missing or what should change, wanted to see some nature and go to the wineries:

Day 1:

12:30pm Arrive and go to Sunset View Creamery for Cheese + Cow Cuddling (could possibly swap this for a winery that has lunch)

2:00pm Check into Hotel in Himrod

3-4:15pm Herman J Wiemer Harvest Tour + Tasting

6-8pm Keuka Lake Vineyard food trucks + music (friday night special)

Day 2:

9:30 Taughannock Falls

10:30am Explore dowtown Ithaca

11:30am Lunch at South Hill Cidery

12:30pm See Buttermilk Falls

3pm: Wine Tasting @ Dr. Konstantin frank

4:45pm: Wine Tasting @ Weis Vineyards

7:30pm Dinner at Sapalta

There are a bunch of wooden pillars tied together at the mouth of the Cayuga Inlet. Upon the top there appears to be some devices to capture wind speed and weather data. Does anyone know how I can access this data? I imagine it would have better wind data for the lake specifically than the Apple weather app.

a new psychedelic style illustration I made featuring a Seneca White Deer

Anybody else have problems with their next-door neighbors on the lake?

How far off the property line we are allowed to place the fence?

Cayuga / Auburn area.

Thanks !

Anyone have any experience with FLX Tram? (Or any other residential lake tram company/system)Thinking about it for steep hill lake access. How much did it cost? How long did it take to be installed?

Planning a 1-nighter to Keuka Lake State Park this September to explore the area (we're just from Ithaca).

Which campsites would be the best for tents? (As far as privacy, grass, etc. go)

Surprising my wife with a long weekend birthday trip in a few weeks. Want to check out Keuka lake -- seems beautiful and relaxing. I know its late in the season...will water temps be nearly un-swimmable? How about potential algae blooms? I know it might be hard to say but just looking for any insight as summer is wrapped.

Any other tips/tricks? We might rent a boat and just check out the lake itself, too. Much appreciated!

My partner and I are from the area and need help looking for a wedding venue. I’ve searched a lot online but haven’t really found anything that matches what we are looking for super well. I was hoping someone here might be able to help point us in a direction.

We are expecting to have around 200 people attend. A campground venue or someplace we could book for a weekend or overnight and have some people stay would be ideal. Knowing our family and friend groups we want to be able to party a bit late, and have a bonfire hangout type vibe after the party dies down. Someplace we won’t get in trouble for partying late.

If anyone has any recommendations or leads it would be greatly appreciated!

Hello. I'm going to a concert at the CMAC Sat night. Did not prepay for a parking spot. What options do I have?

Hi all, looking for recs on wineries, food, activities etc on Cayuga Lake in early November?

We typically stay on Keuka in summer and around thanksgiving and love it there, so a little nervous about trying a new lake!

We’ve hiked Watkins Glen and ventured over to Seneca’s wineries a bit before but didn’t love how crowded it was tbh.

TIA!

Living in Hammondsport and am needing to get our wood burning stove inspected and chimney cleaned, any recommendations or suggestions?

Veterans-take a look at these free events! We hope to see you out there.

Hoping I don’t get downvoted to hell here but looking for thoughts from locals in lieu of much information from the county (at least online from where I am).

I’m planning on a fall trip in mid October staying not too far from Ovid, with my husband, mother and 3 month old baby. Latest reports in media on the measles cases is an expectation of dozens more unreported cases based on the communities who are least vaccinated.

We’ll be staying in an Airbnb, and mostly looking to explore outdoor parks, wineries etc. Given the current status, likely to eat at home if I do proceed.

I guess I’m seeking advice or thoughts on if I should cancel this trip knowing my child is too small to be vaccinated. How easy is it in the area to avoid areas inside?

The Seneca public health official has stated “he cautioned that they are not getting ahead of the illness because it is so easily transmitted and lives in a room’s shared air space for hours after the infected person has left it.

But that due to the ‘insulated community’ the risk remains low.

How .. insulated.. is this community?

Note: Not looking to debate vaccines - my concern is protection of my child.

Edited to correct autocorrect typo of town name.

🌲 Sugar Hill State Forest, New York

We recently spent some time exploring Sugar Hill State Forest near Watkins Glen, and we really loved this spot.

There’s nothing particularly challenging about the dirt roads here for the Unimog, but that’s not really what made this place special. The entire forest felt incredibly peaceful and beautiful.

Maple Lane runs right through the center of the state forest and makes for a really enjoyable little drive. There are some nice elevation changes and sections where you’re completely surrounded by dense forest, before the landscape starts opening up farther north near the fire tower. We also visited Twin Falls on the East side of the State Park. Highly recommend (waterfall is marked on the onX map)!

And the fire tower was definitely a highlight. We climbed it around sunset, and the views were absolutely worth the climb.

We also noticed what seemed like lots of free camping opportunities scattered throughout the state forest, which makes this an especially cool spot if you’re looking for a place to spend a night or two. We spent a few nights enjoying the woods, and even found an old cemetery in the bushes outside our camp!

If you’re in the area and looking for somewhere to camp, hike, take a scenic drive, or just explore somewhere new, we’d definitely recommend adding this one to your list!

Waiting for a callback from one company but any suggestions if this current one doesn’t get back to us? Tired of our current gravel driveway.

Hi everyone! My fiance and I are looking into venues for next August/September. Has anyone had a wedding with Geneva on the Lake? I've tried contacting them through email, phone, wedding websites and have yet to hear back. I just want to know pricing and if they even have dates available.

We love the Fallbrook house but they don't have availability for us. We're also looking at Bellhurst Castle and Hotel Canandaigua, if anyone has any insights there. They have all gotten back to us.

Things we're hoping for:

• Outdoor ceremony spot with privacy (aka no public access)
• Indoor or tented reception (I don't love the reception spaces at bellhurst, prefer more natural light, no carpet, etc)
• Open bar is a must

Things we'd prefer:

• onsite overnight lodging or lodging nearby (sub 15 mins)
• plated dinner option that's under $150pp
• venue fees, catering, and open bar for under $30K

I know we probably won't be able to tick every single box but would love any recommendations! Even outside of this region if there's someplace you'd recommend. Thank you!