Ganondagan State Historic Site, Victor

FLX for Knowledge Seekers

Native American or women’s history?  Architecture or Victorian Gardens? This tour offers knowledge seekers and explorers opportunities to touch history where it happened and delve deep into the rich culture of the Finger Lakes Region.

Start the tour at the Finger Lakes Welcome Center, on the Geneva lakefront, with an orientation to the region through multiple interactive kiosks and exhibits. 

Routes 5 and 20 traverse this country and here it’s called the Authentic American Road. Travel along Routes 5 and 20 and note the historic cobblestone buildings you pass that were built in the 1800s with field stones from the surrounding farmlands. From the land to the lake – include the Canandaigua Lady, a 19th century steamboat replica – for a feel of how the old steamboats traveled the Finger Lakes. 

Canandaigua was originally settled in the 1700s. You can travel through the centuries here: Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park, a Victorian Estate with a Queen Anne-style mansion and nine formal gardens or check out the Ontario County Courthouse where Susan B. Anthony was tried for illegally voting. Or Granger Homestead is a favorite with its carriage museum and homestead where famous folks, like Helen Keller visited and stayed for a while. Between tours, stop in downtown Canandaigua and let your group choose from a wide variety of restaurants - from crepes to pasta to German - for a dine-on-own lunch.  

More options for life long learners are visits to the Quaker Meeting House in Farmington, noted for its significance to 19th century reform movements, the Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor to learn about Native American history, and the world-class Antique Wireless Museum in Bloomfield to discover the history of electronic communications.

Learning Adventure Highlights

Bonus 

  • National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, known as the “birthplace of women’s rights” or the Susan B. Anthony House in Rochester. 
  • George Eastman House in Rochester, on the Estate of George Eastman, the pioneer of popular photography and motion picture film
     

Other Sample Itineraries

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Any day in the Finger Lakes is a great day for outdoor recreation. Ontario County is a diverse...