Ontario County, NY and surrounding counties will be in the path of totality for the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse. Prepare your safety and travel plans today! 

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West River, Canandaigua Lake

FAQs

  • Eleven. From west to east, they are: Conesus, Hemlock, Canadice, Honeoye, Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, Owasco, Skaneateles, and Otisco.

    Our corner of the Finger Lakes, Ontario County, has five of those lakes within its borders: Canandaigua, Seneca, Honeoye, Canadice, and Hemlock. That is more than any other county in the Finger Lakes region.

  • The Finger Lakes region is about 9,000 square miles, spread out over 14 counties. Ontario County is in the north central part of the region.

  • As of the 2019 Census, Ontario County had nearly 110,000 residents. The three largest communities in the county are Canandaigua (the county seat with a combined town and city population of about 20,000), Geneva (combined town and city population of 16,000), and Victor (about 14,000).

  • We are a four-season climate.

    Winters can be cold (teens or single digits), snowy and long, but incredibly beautiful, with cardinals sitting on snow-dusted branches, farm fields under a blanket of white, and our hills and mountains beckon. While there are sometimes heavy snowstorms, the crews do an excellent job of clearing roads and streets to make travelling as safe as possible.

    Spring kicks in full-force by late April or early May. Daytime temperatures can be anywhere from mid-40s to high 60s, but nights are still cool, dipping down to the 30s or 40s. Trees green up by the first week of May.

    The time between Memorial Day and Labor Day is our unofficial summer season. Rare is the day when you will need more than shorts and T-shirt during the day, though it's a good idea to have a light jacket for night-time wear at the end of the season. July and August can occasionally get hot (in the high 80s or low 90s) and humid, but more often you will see daytime temperatures peak around 80 and nighttime lows in the 60s. Rain and thunderstorms can happen, so it is always a good idea to pack a light raincoat and umbrella.

    Fall is all about the color change. Early and mid-September can still be summer-like, though you will see the days getting shorter.
    Time for peak foliage is the second or third week of October, when the days are crisp yet enjoyable and nights are starting to get chilly.

  • It depends on where you are coming from and where in the Finger Lakes you want to go. (Remember, the region is about 9,000 square miles.) For our neck of the woods, Ontario County, here are some approximate driving times.

    Boston, MA or Detroit, MI.: 7 hours
    New York City, Philadelphia, PA or Washington, D.C.: 6 hours
    Montreal, Hartford, CT or Newark, NJ.: 5 hours
    Harrisburg, PA, or Cleveland, OH: 4 hours
    Toronto, ON or Albany, NY: 3.5 hours
    Hamilton, ON or Cooperstown, NY: 3 hours
    Buffalo, NY or Niagara Falls, NY: 1.5 hours
    Corning, NY or Syracuse, NY: 1.25 hours

  • At the most recent count, there are about 130 wineries, and more coming on board all the time.

    Canandaigua, Seneca, Keuka, and Cayuga all have wine trails, with maps that make it easy to loop around a particular Finger Lake, experience some great scenery and stop at small towns with delicious dining and sight-seeing options. You can drive around each of the lakes in a day. A designated driver or tour company is recommended as the safest way to visit and taste at a variety of wineries.

  • Absolutely not. Craft and farm breweries are exploding in the region, as are hard cideries and distilleries. Each has a different personality, flavor profile, ambiance, and history. More and more establishments feature a combination of wines, beers, ciders, and spirits.

    As you travel from brewery to brewery, you will find that hops growing has a long history here in upstate New York. As you seek out cideries, you will also find out how abundant our orchards are in New York (we are one of the top apple growers in the country.)

    For help in planning your beer, cider or spirits tour, go to www.fingerlakesbeertrail.com

  • Not at all. We have some great water here (Canandaigua's water supply always gets high marks for taste and purity). There are also some unique local coffee houses, tea shops, and cafes with delicious and interesting beverages using cold-pressed juices, fresh apple cider and locally roasted coffee beans.