Schuyler County · New York State
Eleven glacial lakes carved by ice-age glaciers. World-class wine country, dramatic waterfalls, and one of America's most beautiful inland landscapes — all within minutes of your dock.
Read the complete Seneca Lake guide →The Guide
Eleven pages, written from the lake. Pick the one that fits the trip.
Restaurants →
Where we actually eat
Wineries →
The honest list
Wine Trail →
The routed 4-stop day
The Order of Brewers →
Six SLOB stops + sunset porch
Ice Cream Trail →
Seven-stop pilgrimage
U-Pick Trail →
Seasonal farm calendar
Things to Do →
Geographic activity guide
State Parks →
12 parks, ranked by feature
On the Water →
Swim, launch, fish, sunset
Family & Kids →
Parent-savvy answers
Coffee & Breakfast →
Morning routines
Rainy Day →
Weather plan B
Essentials →
Pharmacy, urgent care, gas
The Insider List →
What we send our friends
Farmers Markets →
Every market by day
Amish Markets →
Windmill, roadside, sourdough
A Day in Watkins Glen →
The full village day
A Day in Ithaca →
Commons + market + gorges
A Day in Trumansburg →
The insider village
A Day in Penn Yan →
Windmill + Seneca Farms
A Day in Hammondsport →
Curtiss + Keuka Lake
A Day in Canandaigua →
Bristol Aerial + Sonnenberg
A Day in Geneva →
Kindred Fare + Belhurst
A Day in Corning →
Museum of Glass day
Live Music →
What's playing this week
Interactive Map →
Every pin, filterable
Area Guide
Seneca Lake Wine Trail
30+ award-winning wineries · 2 miles from the property
Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars
Estate wines on the lake bluff · 4 miles
Atwater Estate Vineyards
Stunning views · excellent Rieslings · 6 miles
Wagner Vineyards
Full estate winery and brewery · 12 miles
Bloomer Creek Winery
Small-batch, critically acclaimed · 8 miles
Watkins Glen State Park
8 miles · 19 waterfalls · iconic gorge trail
Watkins Glen International
Historic road racing circuit · summer events
Watkins Glen Village
Restaurants, shops, Seneca Lake access
Montour Falls
10 miles · She-qua-ga waterfall · village square
Havana Glen Park
Local gorge park · swimming · picnic grounds
Seneca Lake
On-site · swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding from the dock
Boat Rentals
Pontoon and motorboat rentals · Watkins Glen · 8 miles
Fishing
Seneca Lake is premier trout and salmon fishery · all skill levels
Watkins Glen Pier
Public dock · sunset walks · swimming area
Finger Lakes Boating
Eleven glacial lakes within driving distance
Local Farm Stands
On route · fresh berries, tomatoes, local honey, flowers
Schuyler County Farmers Market
Seasonal · produce, cheese, baked goods
Taughannock Farms Inn
Fine dining · Cayuga Lake views · 30 miles
Watkins Glen Restaurants
Castel Grisch, Nicola's, village dining options
Burdett & Schuyler County
Small-town charm · butchers, bakeries, general stores
Getting Around
Burdett, NY is ideally situated on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake — close to everything worth seeing.
On-site
Seneca Lake Shoreline
Private dock & 200ft shale beach
2 mi
Nearest Winery
Seneca Lake Wine Trail begins nearby
8 mi
Watkins Glen State Park
19 waterfalls · gorge trails
6 mi
Finger Lakes National Forest
Hiking & equestrian trails
10 mi
Montour Falls
She-qua-ga Falls · village square
35 mi
Ithaca / Cornell University
Dining, culture, Taughannock Falls
90 mi
Rochester
Airport, Eastman, arts scene
80 mi
Syracuse
Interstate access · Hancock Airport
Seneca Lake · The Anchor of the Region
Of the eleven Finger Lakes, Seneca is the largest, the deepest, and the one with the most to offer a visitor. At 61 miles long and 618 feet deep, it rarely freezes, sustains a microclimate that produces world-class cold-climate wine, and anchors one of the most concentrated outdoor recreation areas in upstate New York.
Wine Country
More than 35 wineries ring both shores of Seneca Lake — the highest concentration of any Finger Lake. The east shore (Route 414, running north from Watkins Glen through Burdett, Hector, and Lodi) is the most celebrated stretch, home to estate producers including Forge Cellars, Boundary Breaks, Red Newt Cellars, Wagner Vineyards, and Hazlitt 1852. The region is internationally recognized for dry Riesling, Cabernet Franc, and Gewurztraminer grown on the glacially carved hillsides above the lake.
Harvest season (September–October) is the most active time on the trail — crush events, harvest tastings, and winemaker dinners run nearly every weekend. Summer is peak visitor season; spring and winter offer quieter tastings with shorter waits.
Outdoors
The lake itself is the primary outdoor attraction — kayaking, paddleboarding, swimming from private docks, and fishing for lake trout, landlocked salmon, and yellow perch are all accessible from the property. Eight minutes south, Watkins Glen State Park offers 19 waterfalls in 1.5 miles of carved gorge trail — one of the most dramatic natural landscapes in the eastern United States.
The Finger Lakes National Forest — the only national forest in New York State, at 16,000 acres — sits 10 minutes east of the property in Hector. The Interloken Trail provides access to lake overlooks that most visitors never find.
Dining
Watkins Glen anchors the dining scene — Seneca Harbor Station and Pier 42 serve waterfront meals overlooking the marina, while Rooster Fish Brewing and Scalehouse Brewery offer solid pub food and local craft beer. For a longer afternoon, Red Newt Bistro in Hector pairs a seasonal farm-to-table menu with serious wine. Castel Grisch Winery offers German-influenced outdoor dining overlooking the vineyard. Saturday mornings are best spent at the Windmill Farm and Craft Market in Penn Yan (30 minutes), one of the largest outdoor markets in the Northeast.
Deeper Reading
Our hosts have written a detailed, opinionated guide to Seneca Lake wineries — not a directory of everyone on the trail, but a short list of the wineries worth your actual time: the first five for a single wine day, the deeper picks for repeat visitors, and a frank note on which ones to skip. It covers Hermann J. Wiemer, Ravines, Lamoreaux Landing, Forge Cellars, Boundary Breaks, Red Newt, and more.
When to Visit
April – May
June – August
September – October
Your Base for All of It
Lakeside Landing is the five-bedroom reunion home on 200 feet of private shale beach — ideal for multi-generation families and larger groups. Smooth Sailing FLX, the waterfront cottage on Seneca Lake, is the sister cottage next door — a couples’ retreat with its own private dock, kayaks, and dog-friendly policy.