The places that don't make you apologize for the kids. Restaurants with crayons that aren't an afterthought, parks with shade and bathrooms, the ice-cream stop with the line on a hot Tuesday.
Specialty breakfast and lunch sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, and pastries. A morning ritual on the way to the wine trail.
American BBQ inside the historic Watkins Glen fire department building. Brisket, ribs, and the kind of mac and cheese you remember.
Fourth-generation family donut shop — recipes from the 1950s Tobe's Bake Shop. Go early; they sell out.
The iconic gorge trail — 19 waterfalls, 800 stone steps. Go at dawn or after 4 PM to avoid crowds.
Lucifer Falls and a two-mile gorge trail that ends at a dammed natural swimming hole. The quieter Ithaca-area gorge.
Seneca Lake's east-shore park — marina, campsites, swim beach, and the old naval training station museum.