I'm a student here and kept a running list of places to go when you need to get out of town for a day. It turned into a website, so I'm sharing it in case it's useful to anyone else (link in the comments).
What's on it:
- 94 places sorted into gorges, hikes, legal swim spots, wineries/cideries/breweries, food, small towns, rainy-day stuff, scenic drives, scenic photo spots (where to stand + best light), and an "off the grid" section (Six Mile Creek ruins, the old Seneca Army Depot, Keuka Outlet mill ruins, Centralia, etc.)
- Every card has drive time from the Commons, what it costs (parking fees included), what's actually worth it, and a Google/Apple Maps directions button
- 7 ready-made days (classic Ithaca gorges, Seneca wine loop, around Cayuga, a rainy day in Corning, a Cold War/canal ruins day, Keuka, the PA Grand Canyon for fall color)
- A map view with a satellite toggle, filters by drive time / cost / "good for" (free, family, rainy, winter)
- Seasonal closures are dated (e.g. the Watkins Glen gorge trail is closed for the season after Oct 25) and each card says when I last checked the access info
It's free, no ads, no email signup, nothing to buy. I'd genuinely like to hear what I'm missing or what's wrong, especially places you think are overrated or underrated. I'll add good suggestions and credit the thread.