Features

May 16, 2009

Head to wine country

By Ron Bartizek rbartizek@timesleader.com
Business & Consumer / City Editor

Northeastern Pennsylvania residents or visitors ready for a change of pace are only a couple of hours away from one of America’s most scenic regions, the Finger Lakes of upstate New York.

“The lakes alone are gorgeous,” says Christina Chely, spokesperson for the Finger Lakes Wine Country ( www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com) tourism agency. The moniker reflects the long, thin and nearly parallel structure of lakes carved by ancient glaciers. Hillsides rise from the shores, providing stunning vistas to fields and vineyards on the opposite side.

Known for its world-class white wines, the Finger Lakes region also has become a hotbed for locally sourced food and dining. Cheese, fruit and meat are produced on small farms and incorporated into the menu at restaurants like the Stonecat Caf� on Seneca Lake.

Beautiful scenery, great wine and healthful food are enough to entice tourists, but Chely says there’s a lot more. “We have the world-class museums; there’s tons of stuff to do outside of the wine trails.”

Among the museums is little-known gem in Hammondsport, at the base of Keuka Lake, dedicated to the work and legacy of aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss. A contemporary and rival of the Wright Brothers, the inventive Curtiss held the nation’s first pilot’s license and his Curtiss Jenny became the military’s primary airplane in World War I and subsequently the first widely available private plane.

Power of a different kind is on display at Watkins Glen International race track. American sports car racing was born on the roads in and around the small town at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. Now races attract the world’s best drivers several times a year, and for $25 you can take a three-lap spin in your own car.

The list goes on, from the intellectual stimulation of Ithaca and its colleges to the fascinating Corning Glass Museum with its own hands-on activities and amazing displays of glass in virtually every form.

Spectacular gorges and waterfalls abound, and charming small towns surround the lakes. For those who want to make a weekend or more of it, lodging runs the gamut from affordable motels to luxury spas.

If you go

It’s 125 miles from Wilkes-Barre’s Public Square to the southern tip of Seneca Lake in Watkins Glen, a journey that should take two and one-half hours of scenic driving.

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