Perfect spot maybe the best on Lake Ontario not over developed like some parks…read more About the only way you can experience the lake in that vicinity

Family picnic on Memorial Day first time and not the last…read moreQuiet family's enjoying like us and very clean!

My wife, two teenage sons, and I enjoyed a mid-July 2025 visit to the Women's Rights NHP in Seneca…read moreFalls. It has lots of pluses. First, it has a theater which provides a free 23-minute video on the history of the 1848 Seneca Convention and conveys how much opposition there was to the Declaration of Sentiments at the time. Only 100 people (68 women and 32 men) out of a total 300 attendees signed the famous document. Interestingly, no pastors or clergy signed the document (most likely due to fear of losing their congregations). Second, the exhibits on the 2nd floor provide an in-depth historical overview of the suffragist movement. If you're a history fan, this place is awesome! It covers topics which are not extensively discussed in standard US history courses. For example, I had no idea that Frederick Douglas (living in Rochester, NY at the time) attended the 1848 Seneca Convention and signed the Declaration of Sentiments. Also, Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton first met in London in 1840 and were prohibited from actively participating in a convention due to their sex. Finally, you can see the historic Wesleyan Methodist Chapel which was the meeting location for the convention. I wish we had more time to explore other buildings in the NHP - but the museum provided a great introduction to a fascinating period in US history.

My husband and I visited the Finger Lakes a week or so ago for the Fourth of July. We were there…read morefor hiking, waterfalls, and wine, but I was also very excited to spend a few hours of our Fourth of July at the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls! The NPS park tells the story of the first Women's Rights Convention, held in Seneca Falls in July 1848. The park is comprised of several sites in Seneca Falls, and, while a few are centralized, there are a few that require driving. The park includes the visitor center, historic homes, and the Wesleyan Chapel. The visitor center and Wesleyan Chapel are next to each other and should not be missed. The visitor center has a film you can watch (we got lucky on the Fourth of July and got to hear an Elizabeth Cady Stanton impersonator speak in lieu of the film), a museum area upstairs, and a gift shop. On the side of the building is a park area where you can read the text of the Declaration of Sentiments, the document that was drafted at the Convention (it was pouring when we were there, so we weren't able to appreciate this during our visit). Then, next to that, is the Chapel, a partially restored, partially reconstructed chapel building, the site where the Convention took place (when we visited on the Fourth, a Ranger gave a talk inside the Chapel, which made our visit here extra special). The park also includes three historic homes: the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House, the M'Clintock House, and the Hunt House. The Hunt House (in Waterloo) is currently (as of July 2026) closed for renovations. We didn't make it to the M'Clintock House (the home of Mary Ann and Thomas M'Clintock, radical Quakers who were involved in the Convention), but we did make it to the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House, which is a short drive away from the Visitor Center/Chapel. The Elizabeth Cady Stanton House wasn't my favorite part of our visit; the house is almost entirely empty and a short few-minute self-guided walking tour (with a laminated one page guide available inside the house) is all it takes to see everything there. So it's must visit for anyone wanting to take in every part/site of the park, but I think you could certainly get enough out of your visit by focusing on the Visitor Center/Chapel in downtown Seneca Falls if you don't have time to visit the historic houses. The historic houses are open seasonally, so definitely check the hours on the park's website if you're planning a visit. The ranger programs made our visit extra special, so I would definitely try to take advantage of those free offerings if they overlap with your visit! I was a history major in college, and I do love visiting historic sites. Women's Rights National Historical Park was a special place to visit during our time in the Finger Lakes. I got to refresh my memory of the events that took place there, and it was a wonderful place to be a little patriotic on the Fourth/250th!

Had a wonderful chat with volunteer Bob at the visitor center before heading out on the 3+ mile…read morenature drive. He gave us some tips about where we might see certain types of birds and he was absolutely spot on!! We spotted a pair of bald eagles in the tree line and after a 5 minute wait or so, they treated us to a flight right over the car to soar over the water on the other side of the drive. It is absolutely amazing that this wonderful resource is free to enjoy. The visitors center is accessible to those using mobility equipment and the drive is a wonderful way to enjoy the wildlife without a hike.

Very pretty reserve, lots of wildlife. If you like birding this is a good area to be in. This is…read moreonly a drive through trail but there are lots of walking trails nearby!

We enjoyed hiking through Taughannock Falls State Park in Ithaca NY (Jul 2026). There's terrific…read moreviews of the falls from an overhead Taughannock, a small pedestrian bridge, and a spacious viewing courtyard.

Overlook is half way point of North Rim Trail. Since half of the trail was close during winter…read more People just drove and park here (free parking). There is a visitor center and bathroom but it wasn't open when I was there. View is not bad. It is a 2-minute stop. Take some picture and then go back to the car. Gorge trail has better view because you can get close and feel the energy of the waterfall.

I was in Spencerport for their canal days festival and thought it would be nice to check out this…read moremuseum since the Erie Canal was celebrating 200 years. This is a super interesting museum that tells the history of the canal as well as a bit of information about how the lift bridge works. The museum itself is very small but information packed (and a very nice reprieve in hot weather). If you live anywhere near the Erie Canal, this is a must-visit museum to familiarize yourself with the Erie Canal history.

So we were in the area and I've not been here Spencerport that is... I saw sign for the museum and…read moresaid to my husband "Let's check it out" I'm so glad we did. I guess a trolly/tram came from Rochester to Buffalo back in the day and went thru Spencerport and I guess this space/building was moved and became a private home. It was given to the town for a $1.00 as long as it became a museum. (Don't quote me on this) So much to learn and it's not a big space but it's so cool to see and learn about history. They have some vintage Kodak Cameras, they found bottles from the apothecary that was on the property and etc. The person or docent who was there (they are volunteers) gave us some great information about why this is here and what's really nice is as you walk out you are on the canal and a local restaurant over looks the canal as well. You can buy postcards and books and some posters are available but it's cash only. If you are in the area and have a few minutes give it a go. Also you need to sit in the two Stickley type rocking chairs.

This is a great place to learn about birds! They also have some nice trails you can check out so…read morethere's a possibility of seeing some in their natural habitat.

So the Terrible Trump administration shut down the government and Montezuma National Wildlife…read moreRefuge was closed (a wise choice, given all the trashing happening to some national parks) when I wanted to visit - so I decided to instead to check out the Northern side of Montezuma Wetlands Complex (north of I-90) run by the NY state and Audubon Center - and boy am I glad I did! Before I came here, I did not know that this whole area was a large wetland complex, and one that's relatively well preserved by patches of federal, state and Audubon Center protections. There are myriads of water ways in the area some even creating an "island" ...and many hiking trails ... Alyssa at the Visitor Center and her cute dog Addie were wonderful in explaining and answering all my questions. It is a flat hike all around; but I realized wetland hiking offers something different from mountain hiking - I saw many birds and traces of wildlife on the trails - and the trails were very, very pretty. Even when I did not see any birds, I could hear them nearby ... a lot of them. Abundance of birds and wildlife reminded me of Everglade National Park in Florida. I visited during the broad daylight, and spend most of the day exploring the area, and I saw trumpeter swans, blue heron, geese flying over .... and also chickadees, golden finches, and woodpeckers near the shrubs with winter berries and feeders near the Visitor Center. I saw interesting scats of coyotes or fox filled with furs of their victim dinners, and lots of goose scats, too! Another highlight of my visit was meeting with a muskrat on the trail! I did not know what it was and I had to ID when I get home - a North American native rodent with powerful tail that propel them in water ... a "cousin of beaver"! Trees standing in water reminded me of Congaree National Park in South Carolina (although there the trees you see there are cypress trees, and the one I saw here was .. I believe mostly oak trees ... please correct me if I'm wrong - I visited in January and leaves were all gone ... what I saw on the ground seemed mostly oak ... ). I felt the whole area should be protected federally and made into a national park or national wildlife refuge, but I imagine there must be a long history of struggles for preservation and public education ... in the nearby town of Savannah, I saw one house with many colorful placards complaining about wetlands ... I think it is truly very sad that some people are not proud of this tremendous natural heritage! The visitor Center was build in 2006 (or around that time - speaking from memory of an exhibit - so not exact) - after nearly a decade in use, I saw some of the exhibit needed updates, dusting, and clean-up - some of the tanks did not have any animals in it but some had live animals and I felt they could be returned to outside .... and instead just have photographs or videos of these animals will be great. Also, the telephone guide for the trails for the Audubon Center was not working! I hope the Center will update and fix them soon. There are many events sponsored by the center such as guided snowshoe hikes and birding tours. It sounds all very interesting. I hope more people will come visit the area and support this amazing conservation initiative!

Lime Hollow Nature Center is surrounded by so many nice easy to low moderate trails. I'm sure no…read morematter what time of year this is a place to spend some time taking in fresh air, nature and some unique fun artwork. I hiked in winter with my guy on some snow packed trails and found it still easy to navigate without much fear. The trails are very well marked so no worries about losing your way. They have cross country skiing trails which were nice and many small groups/families were enjoying. I would think you could bring your snowshoes too if you wanted to traverse trails that way, but boots worked fine too. There are compost style restrooms outside/inside the center where you can pick up guide map or equipment. That edges an open private lot visible seen from the roadway. Great location to have some go clean fun all year round I'm sure and would highly recommend to all ages.

This is such an excellent place and such a great find. This place is so much bigger than it looks…read morewith lots to see and explore! They have a sculpture trail and loads of other places to check out. The woods are beautiful and the trails are well marked. Unfortunately, due to COVID their nature center and bathrooms are currently closed but the trails are open from sunrise to sunset. The trails let you explore multiple different places including open field, meadows, old woods, hill sides, swamps/marshes, and more! The leaves and animals here were fantastic as well and it was a lovely place to relax and enjoy the serenity of nature. Highly recommended place to visit and enjoy a beautiful day!

After briefly stopping at the [free] overlook to get some photos, we decided it would be nice to do…read morethe walk to the falls too, so we chose the Gorge Trail. It was 1 mile each way (from the parking lot to near the base of the falls). The trail was relatively flat and shaded for parts of it (but not all). There were a few benches along the way to take breaks, and water at the beginning of the trail to fill up your water bottle. It costs $10/car to get into the state park but you can use that ticket to get into other state parks on the same day without paying again, which would be great to visit nearby Buttermilk Falls and other parks.

I visited Taughannock Falls State Park about a week ago when my husband and I were in the Finger…read moreLakes for the 4th of July, and I'm glad we included it in our itinerary for our trip. The highlight of the park - and its namesake - is Taughannock Falls, a 215-foot plunge waterfall. That's what we were there to see, but let me explain more about the park. The park crosses Taughannock Boulevard. On one side of the road, is the park of the park with lots of amenities: the marina, boat launches, a beach, a concession stand, bathrooms, a playground, and more. We were there on the morning of the Fourth of July, so lots of families were setting up for a fun day for the holiday: picnics, beach, boat day, etc. On the other side of Taughannock Boulevard is the waterfall and several trails. There is one parking lot by the trails, which was already full when arrived around 9am on Saturday, which was the Fourth of July, but we parked near the entrance on the other side of the park and walked over to the trail. There is signage requiring cars on Taughannock Boulevard to stop for pedestrians; it felt safe to cross. We took a little walk around the side of the park with the amenities, but we were there for the falls. We walked along the Gorge Trail - a .95 mile trail that is very flat. While not paved, it was a flat, wide dirt path, making it much more of a walk than a hike. Compared to other parks with falls in the area, it really doesn't feel like you're *in* a gorge, but you do walk along Taughannock Creek. But it's not quite as beautiful of a trail as some others in the area. But we were for the waterfall, which is incredible. It's worth a sweaty walk (it was a hot, hot day) to get to. We took a million pictures, watched the hawks flying over the falls, and took in the falls for as long as we could before heading back along the Gorge Trail. (Unlike other parks nearby, the Gorge Trail doesn't connect to the other trails, so you have to return on the same trail.) It might not be my favorite of the state parks we visited during our time in the Finger Lakes, but the waterfall is stunning and well worth a visit. It's also a great option for anyone who wants to visit a waterfall but isn't up for a more challenging hike, as the Gorge Trail is extremely flat and easy!