Geneva, N.Y.: Lakeside Wineries and Fall Color Upstate

While the Hudson Valley and the Catskills collect most of the attention from leaf-peeping New Yorkers, Time Out New York is pointing readers farther west this season, to Geneva, a small town at the northern tip of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes. The pitch: vineyard views, lakeside walks and farm-to-table dining, with a harvest-season backdrop of orchards and scenic drives.

The writer’s route to the town was personal. She first came to know Geneva while working as a TV news reporter in nearby Binghamton, then drove the four and a half hours from New Jersey in the summer of 2020 for a change of scenery and a chance to dine out. She returned three years later with her husband, her eight-month-old son and another family.

Seneca Lake, the second-longest of the Finger Lakes at 38 miles, sits about an hour from Rochester and Syracuse. The area’s farming roots show up in its restaurants and vineyards, according to the piece. In warmer months, downtown Geneva’s Linden Street closes to traffic on weekend nights to make room for outdoor dining. A flat, paved waterfront path suits walkers and cyclists, with a route that runs past the Finger Lakes Welcome Center and its Taste NY Market, the Geneva Community Lakefront Playground and Seneca Lake State Park, ending near Geneva Lakefront Park and Long Pier Ice Cream.

Wine is the main draw. The region is celebrated for Riesling, and Time Out suggests building a day around several tastings. Its picks include Ravines Wine Cellars on the western side of the lake, known for dry, mineral-driven Rieslings; Ventosa Vineyards on the eastern shore, with a Tuscan-inspired setting and estate-grown Cabernet Franc; Three Brothers Wineries and Estates, a sprawling property with three themed wineries, a microbrewery and a cider house; and Zugibe Vineyards, a 40-acre estate that grows 11 grape varieties. Tasting fees and reservation policies vary, the article notes, so check ahead.

Fall adds its own agenda. The Pick n’ Patch in Stanley, about an 11-minute drive from Geneva, offers a pumpkin patch, apple orchard, corn maze, farm animals and treats such as apple cider doughnuts. Farther south along the lake, Watkins Glen State Park’s Gorge Trail passes 19 waterfalls over roughly a mile. Closer to town, a self-guided scavenger hunt covers 1.42 miles and eight stops, including the Smith Opera House and lake views.

For overnight stays, the piece highlights two historic properties. Geneva on the Lake, set on 10 acres with 30 rooms and suites, was built in 1914 as a private residence modeled after Villa Lancellotti in Frascati, Italy, later served as a monastery, and became a small resort in 1981. Its restaurant, The Terrace, overlooks the lake. Belhurst Castle and Winery, a Romanesque-style castle from the late 19th century listed on the National Register of Historic Places, now holds three hotels, two restaurants, a spa and a winery.

For New Yorkers weighing one more autumn escape before the weather turns, the case for Geneva rests on a simple trade: a longer drive in exchange for fewer crowds and a lake in the foreground.