Ithaca or Finger Lakes lodging?
La Tourelle B&B on Danby Rd up past Ithaca College heading out of town.
If you're visiting Cornell, the Statler Hotel is right in the middle of campus. There's also a nice Hilton that's downtown on the Ithaca Commons. La Tourelle is really nice, but out of the way a bit.
Taughonick farms inn...just stayed there and it's lovely. Right on lake Cayuga, near hiking trails, wineries and about 10 mins to downtown Ithaca. We love it up there.
Statler is very pricey and rooms are small. Taughagnick is wonderful but not near campus. They also have a separate really nice 8 room guest house. The rooms on the upper floor have balconies with views of Lake Cayuga. On the same road as Taughagnick is an interesting place called New Park. Near the campus we have stayed at the Marriot many times, very nice. Also have heard good things about the Ithaca Hotel in downtown Ithaca (it used to be the Holiday Inn, completely updated.) BTW it's hard to go wrong with restaurants in Ithaca. Try the city's website- very helpful.
If you like hiking check out Buttermilk falls (rt13) and Taughanick falls are a short level walk from the inn. On the campus are the plantations and LOTS of gorges with wonderful waterfalls. For shopping the commons has great unusual clothing and art stores. There's a lot for children- the Science museum and the children's garden. Of course there are tons of wineries dotted all around the lake. In August there is a huge used book sale by the local library. But huge in a giant building off rt. 13 and everything is well organized. Another good place for just walking around browsing in shops and looking for restaurants is right near the campus- Collegetown. Sorry I'm rambling- there's so much I love about Ithaca it's hard to focus.
Taughannock Falls is a great place to stop...it was my escape place for a number of years. Glenwood Pines is a fun stop between falls and Ithaca for a Pines burger and a beer. If you are there on the weekend, the Ithaca Farmers Market is worth exploring. Cornell campus is a great place to hit, especially the center of campus for the views and sense of history, and then the gardens/plantation, and a walk down into the gorges. There are other parks and falls closer to campus...Treman and Buttermilk Falls. There are plenty of wineries, breweries, artisan distillers throughout the region on Cayuga, Seneca and Keuka especially. Id be happy to give you suggestions if that interests you. Dano, a restaurant on Seneca, has Maplewood ties, if you venture over that way...even without the Maplewood ties, its worth a stop. Corning isn't far away and that's a cool place to check out. Seneca Falls at the top of Seneca Lake has a bunch of history attached to it. Places that seemed far away from Ithaca when I was a student don't seem so far a drive now as an adult -- nothing is terribly far away.
There are two campuses in Ithaca, and a lot of what is being said about "close to campus" (or not) only applies to one of them. Buttermilk Falls, for example, is adjacent to the IC campus. Anything on Danby Road (rt 96b) is very convenient to Ithaca College. The OP did not specifically mention a reason for going to Ithaca, after all.
Thank you for the great suggestions! I am looking for a summer vacation, just adults. Specific suggestions of wineries/breweries would be welcome too!
do you plan to stay in and around Ithaca and Cayuga Lake or venture over to other lakes?
On and around Cayuga: Heart and Hands, Goose Watch, Toro Run, Sheldrake Point, Knapp, Belwether for wine and cider (may have to make an appointment but one very hot up and coming winery). There is a Cayuga wine tour by boat but not sure what wineries it stops at. Ithaca Beer Company. The famous Moosewood Restaurant downtown Ithaca.
I stayed at the Aurora Inn http://www.innsofaurora.com/a few summers ago with my husband (left kids home). It was a really nice get-away. Besides the wineries and hiking, there is the Mackenzie Child estate to visit, which was pretty cool.
http://www.mackenzie-childs.com/Content/VisitorCenter/
The Ben Conger Inn is a nice B&B although I have not stayed there for quite a while.
http://www.benncongerinn.com/
There used to be a beautiful bnb at the intersection of Buffalo and North Aurora Streets. I believe it was called the William Henry Miller Inn. Interesting story/rumor behind the house - it was built by the father of a Cornell co-ed (at the turn of the 19th century) for his daughter's room mate with whom he had had an affair.
Definitely check out the farmer's market. Beautiful produce, local craft vendors, delicious place for snack or lunch. I loved the empanada place last summer.
The Heights (romantic dinner, north of Cornell), Mahogany Grill (lunch or brunch, near the Commons) are my two favorite restaurants. If you love ice cream be sure to check out the Dairy Barn on the Cornell campus. They make it there from their own cows. Delish! Or for something fancier, Madeline's for dessert (also on the Commons.)
If you feel like driving north an hour from Ithaca, you could go to the Women's Rights National Park in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the suffrage movement: http://www.thepolisblog.org/2012/08/sf.html From there, it's a short hop to Auburn, where you could go see William Henry Seward's mansion: http://sewardhouse.org The Polis Blog mentions the George Eastman House, which would be fascinating, I think: http://www.eastmanhouse.org But that's in Rochester, which might be too far away.
carolanne said:
Definitely check out the farmer's market. Beautiful produce, local craft vendors, delicious place for snack or lunch. I loved the empanada place last summer.
They also have wine and hard cider tasting (or at least they did the last time I was there). It really is must see, it is orders of magnitude better than any other farmer's market that I have been to in the US, outside of California.
ETA: The setting is beautiful as well, right on the lake.
Hi again and thanks! Hope to reactive this thread in case anyone has more to add! We did not go to Ithaca/Finger Lakes last year, but are going this year. So ideas are still welcome. And this year, we might be more interested in staying in a town on a lake rather than in Ithaca itself. Currently looking at Aurora Inn? Also thinking about the town of Hammondsport near Corning? Unfortunately, working with a limited budget so Statler Hotel in Ithaca is out. Ben Conger and William Henry Inn don't work. And we won't be there on a Saturday so will miss the Ithaca farmer's market. 
So looking for a three day get-away for adults (while kids are away at camp) in the Finger Lakes region, not too far. Looking for a little nature (maybe kayaking/swimming/hiking), a little wine/craft beer, a little good food, relaxation, and maybe some glass making 
. all suggestions welcome, but where to stay is the main question for now!
You can get a house on a lake for reasonable money up there. Go to VRBO and check it out.
yahooyahoo said:
Downtown Skaneateles is right on the lake.
I was going to suggest this. It's really beautiful. There's a terrific inn & spa there, the Mirbeau Inn. If you get a treatment of any kind you have use of the whole facility for the day which includes an outdoor hot tub, sauna, fitness classes and more. They have a restaurant on site as well.
http://www.mirbeau.com/
I wrote an entire post and it disappeared. I am much more familiar with the southern ends of the lakes.
Taughanock farms Inn over looks Cayuga lake in the town of Trumansburg and is near Ithaca. It is really lovely, but not sure on cost.
At the southern tip of Seneca lake in Watkins Glen is the Harbor Hotel. Also lovely, but expensive. There are B&B's in Watkins, but none of the other hotels are very nice. (I stayed in several while my mom was in a nursing home up there. They were fine for my purposes, but for a vacation, I would have been unhappy). The gorge in Watkins glen is beautiful for hiking and picture taking. If you won't be there on a weekend, it may not affect you, but do check the race schedule at Watkins Glen raceway. It's a nascar track I believe. It can get crowded in town and on the roads leading to town. People in that area take their NASCAR very seriously.
Hammondsport is at the southern tip of Keuka lake. It is a very small town. I don't think there is a lot to do there except winery tours, but I haven't been there in several years. It is about 40 minutes from their to The Corning Museum of Glass. Definitely a fun activity to check out. They have several different glass making experiences there that are quite fun. It is a good idea to make a reservation ahead of time in the peak summer months. If you are in Corning, a stroll down market street is quite lovely. Many quaint shops and eateries. I believe Corning's farmer's market is on Thursday afternoons. Doesn't compare to ithacas, but nice. Several craft vendors etc.
Another activity between Corning and Ithaca is the Glider Museum on Harris Hill in Horseheads. You can ride a glider from there. The view down over the valley is beautiful. Corning and horseheads are not directly on a lake, but for some of the activities you mentioned, Corning is a great place.
Each lake has a different character. Keuka is much smaller and calmer. Seneca is the deepest and I think longest. It can get rough and has white caps. It also never freezes.
If you do end up in Ithaca, I believe the farmers market is Saturday and Sunday. It has permanent structures, so it's not like the pop up tents in a parking lot like the ones around here.
No matter where you go, the scenery is beautiful. I hope you have a wonderful time.
To tag on to Carolanne's post:
Second everything she says about Corning. Well worth a day trip, is 40-45 minutes from Ithaca, Watkins, or Hammondsport.
Re Hammondsport, would be the quietest of the three with the least access to hiking, but it is the prettiest of the three lakes and towns. There is the Glen Curtis museum (the Wright Brothers' main competitor), one or two retaurants, and tree-shaded strolling.
Ithaca has the most to do, with restaurants, bars, art house cinema, good hotels and b&bs. College town vibe.
My friends who still live up there like Watkins best for the down home vibe.
It is beautiful up there. Just the drive from Ithaca to Hammondsport on the back roads is worth it.
South of Watkins is Montour Falls, a stop on the way not a trip, but worth the stop.
Best hiking is Watkins Glen but can get busy, avoid race weekends unless you like that. Track has been upgraded so now also has Indy car and other open-wheel events as well as NASCAR and local races including formula v and mini coopers.
But there are lots of other gorges to hike, especially around Ithaca -- Buttermilk Falls (s), Taughannock, Robert H. Treman (s), and Catherine Valley (part of Watkins Glen). Those marked (s) have swimming in the gorge. One piece of advice for gorge hiking. Most gorges have two trails, a rim trail and a gorge trail. It is almost always best to park at the bottom, hike up the gorge and down the rim. http://www.nysparks.com/parks/park-results.aspx?r=4&c=&src=2
And tagging on Max's post. Some parks have shuttle buses from the top to bottom. When we hiked the Watkins Glen Gorge we parked at the bottom, took the bus to the top and hiked down.
Also, there is a very easy mostly flat hike from the parking area at Taughanock falls to the bottom of the falls.
We stayed at both La Tourelle and Taughannock when we were last there and enjoyed both. La Tourelle has a great spa and Taughannock Falls has a lovely hike and charming old lodge. We used to live in Ithaca, and still love to visit (in the summer and fall). The Moosewood restaurant is worth a visit, and the Ithaca Bakery is great for lunch. Also, one of the wineries has a good restaurant with a Cordon Bleu chef: Dano's Heuriger on Seneca Lake. Cornell campus has a landmark art museum designed by I.M. Pei. that's worth seeing. You can also take a cruise on Cayuga Lake, or rent kayaks.
In 1984-5, I was involved in the building of LaTourelle. Did all the tile in the rooms,lobby,tower,etc. I also designed and built the sign on the lawn. [what a nightmare]. Its still owned by the Wiggins family.Lovely setting. Good proximity to downtown.They do a great job. What was LaBuerge [sp], a french resturant, is now or was, John Thomas steakhouse, which is right on the property.
Hijacking thread slightly. Headed up to Ithaca as well, had some hotel points. But we are headed up during the NASCAR race at Watkins Glen.
For those who have gone, and possibly during that time do they do anything with the cars besides the race? We are still undecided on the race. More of FIA WEC\IMSA race fan then NASCAR. But kids any I would still like seeing cars up close.
We stayed at a fantastic and very reasonably priced AirBnB. If you are interested I can dig up the details!
Hi. I am looking for recommendations for hotels in the Ithaca or Finger Lakes area. Also would welcome suggestions of things to do. Thanks!