The Finger Lake region is picturesque, historic and charming because it is surrounded by several lakes. The city and town of Geneva has deep roots in farming and agriculture, this is reflected in the business and institutions that thrive here. There are a variety of farm to table restaurants, wineries, craft breweries and farmers markets which makes this place attractive to tourists.
Seneca Lake is the deepest of the Finger Lake about 617 feet at its deepest point. This lake draws fishing, boating enthusiasts as well is popular with golfers. Interesting fact Geneva was named “An all American City” for several years in a row. What really attracted us to visit this place was its natural beauty. It is a small town with less traffic and has so much going on year round. It is also a historical place going back to the Native Americans specifically the Seneca Nation who were part of the first inhabitants of this region. These natives set up hiking trails around Seneca lake which passes through waterfalls and pedestrian bridges and picturesque forested areas. We were excited to do the trails but a sudden winter blast that very day, spoiled our plans. Ironically it was the first full day of Spring !
Instead, this called for an Indoor adventure which is a must see if you are in this area. I am referring to the world famous Corning Museum of Glass. This museum is dedicated to the Art, History and Science of glass. It houses an unbelievable amount of items made of glass which I believe is more than 50, O00 objects and some of them very ancient, more than 3,500 years old. Very impressive was the Tiffany Glass window and the huge collection of objects made of cut glass.
Taking in the live demonstration is a must during the visit. You can actually see glass created before your very eyes, which is very educational and exciting for children and adults like. The Hot Shop demo made a water jug from scratch and the Flame working demo created a tiny dinosaur by twisting and turning a glass pipe to shape this creature, by melting the glass through a hot flame. All the glass pieces made during the demos are for sale at the Gift shop. The creative skill of the person making these glass objects is something to be admired.
Since agriculture is unique to this region there are an abundance of wineries, wine trails, distilleries, local craft beers and unique art and crafts shops and restaurants. If fun on the water is your kind of adventure there are marinas and bays all around. During the summer boating and sailboat races, paddle boarding or just relaxing of the water is a fun thing to do.
The Abbey of the Genesee in the town of Piffard was an hours drive from Lake Seneca area. The church and the property are well maintained. The Cistercian monks who run this place are committed to both the practice of pray and poverty. They live in community and do manual labor like farming, carpentry, plumbing, painting as well as baking and cooking. They are famous for their artisan bread known as Monk’s Bread and they bake several varieties of them. They are also famous for their jams, jellies fruit cakes and other goodies. A stop at the Gift shop is a great idea and we picked up some fresh baked bread. They also have a retreat center for those who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life.
Well folks we enjoyed a nice getaway in the Finger Lakes area. For sure we will return here at another season. The traveling Rebello’s has been doing a fair bit of short vacations. We have revisited Cancun, Cabo San Lucas and also stayed at Niagara Falls.
We are looking forward to flying to another destination very shortly. So friends stay tuned ………..The traveling Rebello’s keep on traveling on another adventure very soon.
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THE TRAVELLING REBELLOS 