What is your Favorite Restaurant in Finger Lakes Wine Country?

Finger Lakes Wine Country is certainly well-known for its many wineries (last count over 100), museums, state parks, and unique shops. It is becoming a hot spot for culinary experiences including roadside farmstands (we picked up the most beautiful cherries last weekend on the east side of Seneca Lake), farmers markets (Elmira and Corning), farm tours, and a rising number of restaurants and chefs committed to working with the freshest and most local ingredients.

I have posted a blog poll this weekend asking for your favorite restaurants in Finger Lakes Wine Country. This is a short list of some of the best restaurants in our region. Red Newt Bistro, Veraisons, Hill Top Inn, Sarrasin's, Tony R's, Stonecat Cafe, Simply Red Bistro, and Esperanza. It is certainly not complete but is a good starting point. Add to the list here and share with us your favorite dining experiences.

Take a Mark Twain Trolley Tour in Finger Lakes Wine Country

If you are looking for an inexpensive, informative, fun, and unique experience for you and your family then you must put the Mark Twain Trolley Tour on your list of things to do in Finger Lakes Wine Country. Wineries, museums, and state parks are vacation staples in the region but not everyone knows that Samual Clemens (Mark Twain) spent many summers in Elmira writing some of his most famous works (Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn).

This summer you and your family can learn more about Mark Twain and the important history of Elmira. Take the one hour Mark Twain Trolley now through August 31. Everyday at the top of the hour from 10 - 2PM with departure from the Holiday Inn Elmira for the unbelievable price of $2 per adult and $1 per child. I know that you are probably thinking that for that price that the tour is not very good. Well I took the trolley a couple of weeks and kept thinking I can't believe how cheap the tickets are. Trust me you will be amazed with the quality of the tour guide and you even stop at the Mark Twain Study on the campus of Elmira College.

Finger Lakes Wine Country Featured in St. Petersburg Times

Finger Lakes Wine Country is featured in the travel section of the St. Petersburg Times with two articles about the region. The first article highlights the rising quality of the wines from the Finger Lakes and the second article highlights our top museum experiences. With so many New Yorkers living in Florida we are thrilled with this comprehensive article. Here's to Finger Lakes Wine Country.

Finger Lakes Wine Festival is Coming!

Hard to believe but the Finger Lakes Wine Festival, the largest New York wine festival, is happening in Finger Lakes Wine Country July 19-20. We just finished a great Fourth of July weekend at Watkins Glen International and now our track friends (under the direction of Wendy Brubaker) are transforming the track into a huge showcase of over 80 New York wineries pouring over 500 wineries. (You didn't forget that the Finger Lakes is the largest wine producing region east of California did you?)

From culinary seminars to live music, the weekend is amazing and so much fun. Spend a couple hours at the festival and then head off site to some of the other great attractions in the region like the museums (The Corning Museum of Glass), state parks (Watkins Glen State Park), shops (Skyland Farm), Harris Hill Amusement Park, and some of the vineyards along the Keuka, Seneca, and Cayuga Wine Trails.

If you come to the Finger Lakes Wine Festival make sure you stop by the Finger Lakes Wine Country tent because we are partnering with a virtual wine cellar company. Want more details? Then come see Morgen and Christina on July 19 - 20 just past the main registration booth.

Save time and buy your tickets now to the Finger Lakes Wine Festival.

The Finger Lakes Wine Experience at Watkins Glen International

This weekend the IndyCar series comes to Watkins Glen International in Finger Lakes Wine Country. So many exciting things are scheduled: concerts (Gavin DeGraw on Saturday night), fireworks, camping, of course racing (can't wait to see Danica on Sunday afternoon), and lots of Finger Lakes wine.

This year a special tented area called the Finger Lakes Wine Experience is featuring nine Finger Lakes wineries Saturday and Sunday from 12-4PM each day. Visitors pay $3 for addmission to this special section and will be able to sample a large selection of local wines. You will also be able to purchase wine to enjoy in this special section. One winery, Fulkerson's, is actually releasing one of its new white wines, Airship White, at the event.

Tickets to this weekend's IRL race are still available and the weather is looking great. See you at the track!

Kids and Teens (19 and under) are free at The Corning Museum of Glass

Have you made your summer vacation plans yet? There is still plenty of time to escape with your family this summer to a destination that offers many affordable things to do. One of the world's most famous glass museums, The Corning Museum of Glass, (of course located in Finger Lakes Wine Country) just announced that all kids AND teens (19 and under) are free at the museum. With adult general admission at $12.50 per person, a family of five can spend three hours of quality time at a world-class museum for less money spent going to the movies. (Our family of five went to Wall-E this weekend and spent $43.50 just on movie tickets) There is even a combination ticket with the Rockwell Museum of Western Art for only $4 more per adult. So $33 for a family gets you 4 1/2hours of family memories this summer ($8 per hour)!

Here is some more family fun at The Corning Museum of Glass this summer-

Kids can explore magical far-off lands at The Corning Museum of Glass. Lisa Lou brings the “magical” world of science to Little Gather on Wednesday, July 9.

Little Gather performances, free and appropriate for children 3 and up, take place every Wednesday, through August 27. Public shows are at 11:00 a.m. and require no registration; shows for groups are held at 10:00 a.m. and require advance registration. For details or to register a group, call Kristy Bartenstein at (607) 974-3306.

Parents are encouraged to visit the Museum after each program and tour the galleries. Admission to the Museum is free for children and teens 19 and under; adults must pay admission. Those who live in the zip code areas beginning with 148, 149 or 169 pay only a $5 admission. The Museum also offers an Annual Passholder program. Adults pay admission once, then return for free any time throughout the year until December 31, 2008.

Families participating in Little Gather will receive a coupon for 5% off a family order at the Museum’s Coffee Bar and GlassMarket Café.

The schedule for the Little Gather this season is as follows:

The Magic of Chemistry with Lisa Lou
July 9
Magic tricks and circus skills help explain scientific principles. Watch as a balloon inflates by itself, plain water changes color and disappears, and liquids “magically” become solids.

Science Stories with Amy Garguilio
July 16
Did you know that glass is its own state of matter: not a solid, liquid, OR gas? Little Gather will take an entertaining walk on the science side as Amy mixes stories with experiments.

Little Gather: In Jest with Science Circus 2
July 23
Incredible juggler, scientist, and funny guy Nels Cremean is back with an all new show just for us! Watch plates, cups and pins fly through the air as you learn about gravity, math, and science. See one of our many Hot Glass Shows during the day and compare juggling and glassblowing.
Magical Music and Musings with Merry Mischief

July 30
Wizard Harry and Magical Merlyn of Renaissance duo Merry Mischief bring you stories of dragons, songs about centaurs, folklore of spells and charms— maybe even a tune about a witch or two! Bring your wands!
Little Gather: Dr. Think, Man of Imagination

August 6
Through humor, music, mime, circus skills, and audience participation, Dr. Think introduces kids to great “imaginators” throughout history, including Ben Franklin, Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton, George Washington Carver, Marie Curie, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and others.
Science Rocks with Flumpa® the famous tree frog and Wendy ‘The Singing Scientist’

August 13
Flumpa and Wendy will have everyone rotating and orbiting, traveling on a rainbow, cheering on their favorite reptile or amphibian, swimming in the vast oceans, hopping like frogs, and much more in this entertaining and educational musical science adventure.
Rumble, Melt, and Cool with Suzanne White

August 20
In “A Glass Act—For Kids!” Suzanne re-creates some amusing and amazing stories about the history, science, art and geography of glass.
Make Worlds from Words with Jay Stetzer

August 27
Jay draws on a wealth of stories and songs from around the world to craft a highly animated and participatory experience that is both entertaining and educational.

Older kids, ages 8–12, can also explore the unique relationships between glass and sea travel, looking at topics like science, history and geography in entertaining ways, through Vitreous Adventure workshops, which begin July 16. A free interactive series, Vitreous Adventures offers workshops that engage kids with craft activities, educational games, songwriting, theatre, and more. The programs run from 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m., July 16 – August 13. Reservations for Vitreous Adventures are required and should be made as soon as possible, as space is limited. For details, or to register, call Kristy Bartenstein at (607) 974-3306.