November 17 is National Take a Hike Day! I plan on taking advantage of this fantastic day by going for a hike with my faithful companion, Shadow. No matter the weather or your preferred activity, Ontario County’s Finger Lakes offers plenty of ways to experience the great outdoors! 

For over 50 years and counting...the great Naples Grape Festival has transformed the quaint, peaceful village of Naples, NY into the center of the universe for one amazing weekend in September.

The Heron Hill Tasting Room at Bristol is offering a unique opportunity this summer to walk through a Finger Lakes vineyard and learn about the grape-growing cycle. Every Sunday through August 14, you can join Finger Lakes Community College viticulture student Andrew Mavromatis in the Ingle family vineyards overlooking Canandaigua Lake and the Bristol Hills.

The Finger Lakes Are for the Dogs!

When visiting the Finger Lakes, be sure to bring your fun loving, four-legged friend(s) along with you! The Finger Lakes Region was ranked #7 in the nation on the list of Top 15 Spring Break ideas for you and your dog on the I Love Dogs website. Don’t let the reference to Spring fool you or make you wait for Spring! Bring Fido along for the Finger Lakes fun, whether it is winter, spring, summer or fall.

Unique festivals in the Finger Lakes?

Yes, indeed! 

This weekend, venture to Phelps, in Ontario County, for the one and only Phelps Sauerkraut Weekend.

One of my favorite quotes is “Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.”

I have found that living in the Finger Lakes is the perfect environment to live by these three simple and important ideals.

As National Simplicity Day (July 12) approaches, I like to celebrate the simple things in life.

Simplicity is defined as the state, quality, or an instance of being simple. Too often we complicate our lives and forget that the simple things in life matter most. I could never give up my life in the country. There are so many instances where I give thanks for the simple beauty of the world around me.

National Trails Day falls on the first Saturday in June.  I really don't see the need for a special day to honor all of the phenomenal hiking trails in our country. I believe they deserve recognition each and every day, especially the beloved trails in the Finger Lakes that I explore regularly with my dog Shadow.

Hiking and discovering new trails is a personal passion. Another passion is finding trail signs as Shadow and I trek around Ontario County. These signs share the story of the trail that lies ahead. They guide you on your adventure. They also provide a history of the trailblazers who came before us.

Please join Shadow and me as we share our passion for the path less traveled, and a passion for the signs that guide us on our way.

The Finger Lakes are home to some of the greatest state parks in the nation. For the people who live in the region, we know this to be true. USA Today confirmed our insider’s knowledge with the announcement this week of the top 10 state parks in the ENTIRE United States of America. American voters have designated Letchworth State Park as the #1 in the US. And as if that wasn't enough, Watkins Glen State Park came in at #3! 

Finger Lakes Visitors Connection would like to extend our congratulations to our friends in Livingston and Wyoming Counties, home to the "Grand Canyon of the East", Letchworth State Park. Kudos to our friends in Schuyler County, home to Watkins Glen State Park, the oldest state park in the Finger Lakes region.

Can there really be a National Drink Wine Day? February 18 is the magical day - every year. With all of the amazing wine available to all of us that are lucky enough to live in the Finger Lakes, we like to think of every day as Drink Finger Lakes Wine Day.