Photo credit: L. Tripoli.
For some of us who by happenstance spent our formative years in Upstate New York, visiting the Finger Lakes region was a matter of course. Now the area seems to be experiencing a bit of a renaissance thanks to a second-year-in-a-row win as America’s best wine region courtesy of the USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice. The village of Hammondsport, NY, on the southern part of Keuka Lake, just adds to the charm.
With a population of less than 1,000 people, Hammondsport offers an ideal getaway: small-town good cheer, an actual town square, cute shops, well-kept lake houses, and close proximity to a significant body of water.
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Where Is Hammondsport NY?
Booking.com
Photo credit: L. Tripoli.
Spend Some Time on Keuka Lake
Of course, the star attraction is Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. I like to park in town and walk to the lake just to watch airplanes land on the water. Keuka Lake is almost 20 miles long and not quite a mile wide. More ambitious visitors may want to rent a kayak or other boat or book an evening sail.
Become a New York Wine Aficionado
Not surprisingly, given that America’s best wine region designation, a number of wineries can be found—and visited—here. Check out the tasting room at Keuka Lake Vineyards or at Heron Hill Winery to sample some local product (tasting fees apply). If you want to make more of a day of your wine-tasting adventure, check out the Keuka Lake wine trail.
Keuka Lake Vineyard, 8882 County Route 76, Hammondsport, NY 14840
Heron Hill Winery on Keuka Lake, 9301 County Route 76, Hammondsport, NY 14840
Photo credit: L. Tripoli.
Walk around Town
Looking for more things to do in Hammondsport, NY? Park in the village and take a peek into Aroma Coffee Art Gallery before heading out to windowshop and browse for a bit. I cruise by Opera House Antiques and the Wine Barrel furniture store before cutting through Pulteney Square to go for lunch at Village Tavern Restaurant and Inn. Prepare to see a mix of both locals and tourists here. A crabcake and some coleslaw later, I am ready to burn a few calories and learn a bit more about what has been dubbed the “coolest small town in America.”
Photo credit: L. Tripoli.
I find the Park Inn, offering lodging as well as fine dining, to be historic (it dates from the 1860s) and romantic. Foodies will surely appreciate it. A hint: make reservations!
I toodle around town a bit more before heading down to the lake to watch airplanes land.
Aroma Coffee Art Gallery, 60 Shether Street, Hammondsport, NY 14840
Opera House Antiques, 61-63 Shether Street, Hammondsport, NY 14840
The Wine Barrel, 59 Shether Street, Hammondsport, NY 14840
Village Tavern Restaurant & Inn, 30 Mechanic Street, Hammondsport, NY 14840
Park Inn, 37 Shether Street, Hammondsport, NY 14840
Photo credit: L. Tripoli.
Learn about Early Airplanes at the Glenn Curtiss Museum
Afterward, I drive to the nearby Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Museum where I get a highly informative crash-course in aviation history. All I knew about early airplanes was pretty much limited to the Wright Brothers, an awareness that the Boeing Corp. was formed in the 19-teens, and, of course, a fascination with what might have become of Amelia Earhart after, and wherever, her plane went down on her trip around the world.
At the Glenn Curtiss Museum (his middle initial, H, stands for Hammond), I learn that, as a kid, his mom let him tinker around with an old sewing machine. That led to tinkering around with motorcycle engines and then to plane engines. I love the mix at the Curtiss Museum—a bit about him along with plenty of old motorcycles and airplanes, but also a bit about his family life and about female pioneers in aviation history (Amelia Earhart was not the only one!).
Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Museum, 8419 State Route 54, Hammondsport, NY 14840
Photo credit: L. Tripoli.
For Bashful Adventurers
To learn about transportation history of a different sort, check out the Finger Lakes Boating Museum at 8231 Pleasant Valley Road, Hammondsport, NY 14840.
Arrange for a lesson in making stained glass at the Black Sheep Inn’s studio and gallery called FLAVOR, which stands for Finger Lakes Art Vintage Old Repurposed. Book a stay at the inn—in a restored 1800s octagon house—too!
If you do, check out the Brewery of Broken Dreams just down the street for some locally grown beer.
Black Sheep Inn and Spa, 8329 Pleasant Valley Road, Hammondsport, NY 14840
The Brewery of Broken Dreams, 8319 Pleasant Valley Road, Hammondsport, NY 14840
—Lori Tripoli
Lori Tripoli is the editor and publisher of Bashful Adventurer. Based in the New York City vicinity, she writes about travel for a variety of publications.
Contact Lori at loritripoli@bashfuladventurer.com.
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