20 Finest Locations to Go to in Upstate New York

Sometimes, after I inform folks I am from New York, their response is one thing alongside the traces of, “However you do not sound such as you’re from New York.” I’m wondering, have they forgotten there’s an entire state past the Huge Apple?

However upstate New York, with its majestic mountains, abundance of lakes, and charming small cities, is something however forgettable as anybody who has been to the area is aware of. For individuals who have not but visited, or need to see extra of it, listed below are 20 of one of the best locations to go to in upstate New York.

Conesus Lake

Conesus Lake is the westernmost Finger Lake, drawing crowds yearly for its July third Ring of Fireplace, when 10,000 flares are lit alongside its periphery as fireworks explode overhead. Close by, the tiny hamlet of Lakeville is residence to the Little Lake Brewing brewery, one of many stops alongside the brand new Livingston Libation Loop that maps out wineries, cideries, and craft microbreweries across the county. Whereas there, do not miss the lately put in avenue murals and artwork alongside the 90-mile self-guided Inspirations Path.

Cooperstown

The Nationwide Baseball Corridor of Fame is simply one of many notable sights price visiting on this quaint New York village. The Fenimore Artwork Museum, constructed on land as soon as owned by novelist James Fenimore Cooper, options a formidable assortment of American artwork, and the Glimmerglass Competition, held every summer season, lures opera lovers from far and extensive. Guests to close by Howe Caverns (about 38 miles east), can go caving or spelunking at New York state’s second-most visited pure attraction.

Letchworth State Park

Often known as the “Grand Canyon of the East,” Letchworth State Park options a formidable gorge carved out over centuries by the Genesee River. You will discover dozens of camera-ready waterfalls the place the river dramatically crashes down alongside shale, limestone, and sandstone cliffs that rise 550 ft at their highest level. A lately constructed Autism Nature Path, the primary within the nation designed for folks on the autism spectrum, contains eight marked sensory stations unfold throughout a one-mile loop.

Niagara Falls

Along with the long-lasting Niagara Falls, the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Middle is price a cease to study extra in regards to the historical past of the Underground Railroad, which frequently culminated on the Canadian border. Find out about Harriet Tubman and native heroes like John Morrison. The museum’s everlasting exhibit, “One Extra River to Cross,” obtained the 2019 Award of Excellence from the American Affiliation for State and Native Historical past.

Jamestown

Situated on the southwestern finish of Chautauqua Lake, Jamestown is greatest referred to as the hometown of comedienne Lucille Ball. Guests with an appreciation of comedy ought to pop by the Nationwide Comedy Middle — the primary museum devoted to the artwork of comedy. For one thing extra mental, the famend Chautauqua Establishment is a brief drive up the lake, and every summer season options audio system, performers, and packages centered on the “exploration of one of the best in human values and the enrichment of life.”

Ellicottville

About an hour south of Buffalo, within the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, this quaint village exudes appeal as witnessed by the well-preserved and restored houses and buildings courting again to the nineteenth century. It is also the place western New York sports activities fanatics and skiers go to mountain bike, hike, or slalom down the 60 slopes and trails at neighboring Vacation Valley Resort.

Seneca Falls

Located on the north finish of Cayuga Lake, this historic spot is believed to be the inspiration for the city of Bedford Falls in Frank Capra’s “It is a Fantastic Life.” Most notably, although, is the necessary position it performed within the girls’s rights motion, having hosted the primary Girls’s Rights Conference in 1848. The city’s Conference Days (every July) entice crowds, and the Girls’s Rights Nationwide Historic Park is price visiting, too. You can even toast to the suffragettes whereas wine tasting alongside one of many many close by Finger Lakes wine trails.

Skaneateles

This prosperous city (pronounced skinny-atlas) whose identify means “lengthy lake” in native Iroquois is one other central New York vacation spot identified for its wine tasting and fall foliage. It is also a favourite amongst avid cyclists who come to pedal the 32-mile path across the lake. Every year, beginning Thanksgiving weekend, the city hosts its annual Dickens Christmas celebration with reside leisure, horse and wagon rides, and a forged of Dickensian characters.

Lake George

Few lakes round New York state are identified for scuba diving, so guests are sometimes shocked to find that licensed divers can discover 18th-century shipwrecks on the backside of Lake George, together with the oldest intact warship in North America. Vacationers flock to this city within the Adirondack area every summer season, and the crowds can get thick, however there’s additionally loads of winter enjoyable available, together with snowshoeing and a family-focused carnival each February.

Saranac Lake

The Adirondack Mountains have beckoned metropolis dwellers for hundreds of years, together with tycoons just like the Guggenheims and Vanderbilts, who owned rustic but luxurious compounds referred to as the Nice Camps. The Level, as soon as a Rockefeller Nice Camp, nonetheless welcomes visitors with all-inclusive stays that harken again to that point, full with black-tie dinners. The resort is close to the village of Saranac Lake, nestled between the mountains and lakes and full of inviting boutiques, galleries, and eating places.

Ithaca

Not solely is Ithaca a top-notch school city, however it’s additionally a pure wonderland with breathtaking gorges, parks, and waterfalls, like Taughannock Falls, with a top 3 times that of Niagara Falls. There’s an abundance of actions across the metropolis, too, together with a botanical backyard, boat excursions, wine trails, and a self-guided Discovery Path that highlights native historical past, astronomy, and earth science. Rumor has it that it was additionally the birthplace of the ice cream sundae.

Watkins Glen and Montour Falls

In upstate New York, many locations are outlined by their proximity to one of many state’s lakes — and so it’s, with Watkins Glen, discovered on the southern finish of Seneca Lake. Finest identified for its legendary auto-racing historical past, the Watkins Glen Worldwide racetrack has performed host to numerous races, from the Grand Prix to Nascar to System One. It is also jumping-off level to hit the Seneca Lake Wine Path, which stretches alongside the size of the lake and is the biggest wine path within the Finger Lakes.

Saratoga Springs

Simply because Saratoga Springs is already referred to as a well-liked trip vacation spot does not imply you should not go. There’s one thing classically old-school about spending a day on the races on the well-known Saratoga Race Course or at Saratoga Spa State Park, which is a Nationwide Historic Landmark. The artwork scene is stable, too, with spectacular productions on the Saratoga Performing Arts Middle, the Spa Little Theatre, and different venues.

Thousand Islands

The U.S.-Canadian border snakes by way of the St. Lawrence River, zigzagging by way of the spectacular Thousand Islands archipelago the place the river meets Lake Ontario. The archipelago consists of about 1,800 islands, from small and craggy to massive and luxurious. Guests converge right here every summer season and fall to absorb views of picture-perfect lighthouses and dramatic castles, together with the never-inhabited Boldt Citadel. On the close by mainland, cities embrace Clayton, Cape Vincent, and Sackets Harbor, the latter of which has been designated a New York State Heritage Space.

Pittsford

An prosperous upstate New York group, Pittsford is a charmer set on the banks of the Erie Canal. This 12 months, the city — and plenty of others alongside the trail of this historic waterway that connects the Atlantic with the Nice Lakes — celebrates its bicentennial with particular programming. That features a twilight boat tour on the Sam Patch, a duplicate 1800s packet boat. Come summer season, guests and locals dine at Schoen Place overlooking the canal, then line up for home made ice cream at Pittsford Farms Dairy & Bakery. Different sights embrace neighboring Mendon Ponds Park and The Sturdy Nationwide Museum of Play in Rochester.

Ausable Chasm

Within the jap Adirondacks, not removed from Lake Champlain and the Vermont border, Ausable Chasm is a two-mile-long sandstone gorge carved out 500 million years in the past. It is one other best vacation spot for chasing waterfalls (significantly the cascading Rainbow Falls) and exploring the Adirondacks on its many climbing and journey trails. It is also a stone’s throw from the North Star Underground Railroad Museum, which tells the tales of slaves searching for freedom on the Canadian border, positioned about an hour north by automotive.

Beacon

Dia Beacon, a celebrated assortment of latest artwork, introduced a whole lot of consideration — and guests — to this metropolis on the banks of the Hudson River. And with that focus got here extra appreciation for the numerous different galleries, retailers, cafés, breweries, and vintage shops which have taken up residence on its magnetic Major Road. Trek to the highest of Mount Beacon or e-book a ship tour to Pollepel Island (identified regionally as Bannerman Island), which Native People believed was inhabited by haunted, hostile spirits.

Windham

A few three-hour drive from New York Metropolis, this mountain down welcomes adventurers with its multitude of endorphin-producing actions, together with the quickest and longest zip-line cover tour in North America. There is a charming Major Road on this “gem of the Catskills,” with inviting boutiques, bistros, and galleries. In August 2022, the Wylder Windham resort reopened with a pickleball courtroom, heated pool, and wine tastings each weekend.

Buffalo

Do not write off Buffalo simply due to its notorious winter climate. The town continues to evolve as a tourism vacation spot, with the current restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin Home, a restored historic carousel on the Buffalo Waterfront, and a giant growth of the Buffalo AKG Artwork Museum (beforehand referred to as the Albright-Knox Artwork Gallery).

Sylvan Seashore

Since we’re highlighting cities round New York’s Finger Lakes, Oneida Lake and the village of Sylvan Seashore deserve a shout-out, too. It is an awesome possibility for a basic upstate summer season trip, the place guests can spend the day on the city’s old-timey amusement park, kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding, or just enjoyable lakeside with a bottle of native vino. One other method to whereas away the day is on the water: Lease a cottage on the new Cove at Sylvan Seashore, the place every rental features a non-public pontoon boat.