Fall Getaway Guide to the Finger Lakes

New York’s Finger Lakes is one of the best areas in the nation for the fall season. The region is full of fall harvest festivals, beautiful fall foliage vistas, and ghost tours and haunted houses just in time to celebrate Halloween. Below, we’ve compiled a list featuring several of the endless attractions and events that the Finger Lakes has to offer in the fall season.

VIEW OF FALL FOLIAGE

Taughannock Falls

1740 Taughannock Blvd.
Trumansburg, NY 14886

At 215 feet, three stories taller than Niagara Falls, Taughannock Falls really knows how to make you feel small. Rocky walls reach over 400 feet at this location, and creek guides a total of four trails through hikes born to be seen during fall foliage season. Breathtaking views from the end of the Gorge Trail and along the South and North Rim trails are guaranteed to be spectacular this season. The park also offers tours through the scenic Taughannock Gorge. Visit the website for more information.

Southern Tier Balloon Tours

Stewart Park, Gardner Parkway

Ithaca, NY 14850

Launching from Ithaca’s Stewart Park, Southern Tier Balloon Tours offers an extraordinary view of the Finger Lakes’ fall foliage from a hot air balloon. Even though it’s just under an hour’s drive south, this is probably your only option for viewing the vibrant, fiery colors of fall from the sky. You won’t find a vantage point any better, or more breathtaking, than this one.

JR Dill Winery

4922 NY-414

Burdett, NY 14818

607.546.5757

Located six miles north of Watkins Glen on the east side of Seneca Lake, JR Dill Winery not only provides great wine and wine tasting, but also has a beautiful view of the lake it sits beside. Plan your wine tasting trip, and combine it with a trip to the Watkins Glen waterfalls, by visiting the JR Dill Winery website.

GHOST TOURS AND HAUNTED HOUSES

The Fox Sisters Property at Hydesville Memorial Park

1510 Hydesville Road

Newark, NY 14513

315.879.8804

Discover the roots of modern spiritualism at the home of the Fox sisters, the world’s first mediums. After a haunting forced them to communicate with a ghost, later investigation found that the information the Fox sisters were given by a spectral companion all turned out to be true. The Fox sisters became famous soothsayers, traveling the world and speaking to the spirits of the dead.

Seneca Falls Historical Society

55 Cayuga Street

Seneca Falls NY 13148

315.568.8412

Visit Seneca Falls for a ghost tour of this historic three-story Queen Anne building. Psychics believe there are three ghosts that permanently make Seneca Fall Historical Society’s building home. One is a mischievous previous owner, another a former nanny, and the third a homesick Irish girl. Take a one-hour guided ghost tour for $20.

Sonnenberg Haunted Garden Stroll 10/29 6-8PM

Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park

151 Charlotte Street

Canandaigua, NY 14424

585.394.4922

Get spooked at Sonnenberg on this family-friendly “haunted” stroll through the beautiful gardens and grounds of the famous estate. Tickets are $7 per person and the walk is about a half-mile in length. The Haunted Garden Stroll takes place on October 29^th, 6-8PM. Visit the website for more details!

HARVEST FESTIVALS

Chestnut Festival at Goose Watch 10/21 12-5PM

Goose Watch Winery

5480 NY-89

Romulus, NY 14541

315.549.2599

Just a short drive away from Yale Manor, Goose Watch hosts its annual harvest festival, the Chestnut Festival. Celebrate fall with roasted home-grown chestnuts, BBQ, ice cream, and warm mulled wine that is perfectly paired. Enclosed in a grove of chestnut trees on the shores of Cayuga Lake, discover what almost earned this winery the name “Chestnut Ridge.” The Chestnut Festival is held on October 21^st, 12PM to 5PM.

Falls Fest and Fireworks at Montour Falls 10/7 12-7PM

Shequaga Falls Park

109 S Genesee St

Montour Falls, NY 14865

Celebrate all your favorite things about fall at this day-long harvest festival in the village of Montour Falls. While the great food, live music, or pumpkin carving contest may be your calling, it’s the 7PM fireworks display over the beautiful Shequaga Falls that landed it on our list. Visit the website to view a picture of Shequaga Falls from the center of the village.