A mere four-hour drive from New York City, Toronto, Cleveland, and a bit longer from Boston and Philly, the Finger Lakes of western New York are ideally suited for a summer or fall road trip in Eastern US. That’s exactly what my wife and I did this past week.  Start in Watkins Glen, where you hike through the famous gorge in the state park alongside a number of spectacular waterfalls. Watkins Glen is at the southern end of 38-mile Seneca Lake. Go for a sunset sail on a schooner and the next morning, head a wee bit south of the lake to kayak through a cattail-laden marsh and see countless herons, turtles, and beaver. The following day, we headed to nearby Keuka Lake to bike the 27-mile Bluff Ride on a quiet peninsula jutting out into the water from Penn Yan.

All of the lakes are surrounded by vineyards, so after a morning of adventure, you can taste wines the rest of the day. The area is known for its award-winning Rieslings and Gewürztraminers. The Reserve Riesling at Fox Run, the Semi Dry Riesling at Heron Hill and the Gewürztraminer at Dr. Frank’s stand out, but also try more unique offerings like the sweeter Red Cat at Hazlitt Vineyards, ideally chilled over ice on a boat in the lake, the Cayuga White Wine at Glenora, the exceptional ice wine at Heron Hill, and a surprisingly good pinot noir at Dr. Frank’s.

We stayed at the new Harbor Hotel in Watkins Glen, right at the water’s edge with an outdoor patio overlooking the marina for breakfast and dinner. In Keuka Lake, we were fortunate to book the Black Sheep Inn in Hammondsport. Owners Debbie Meritsky and Marc Rotman spent over 6 years refurbishing the rare octagonal-shaped house, celebrating its 150th birthday in 2009. The couple is perfectly suited as innkeepers, with Debbie, a former caterer in Cleveland serving sublime breakfasts like an egg sunny-side up, served over a bed of grilled Portobello mushrooms and freshly picked greens. She even makes her own organic soap, lavender and peppermint. Marc is an interior designer and his fine eye for detail extends to the moldings above each room, an apple-picking ladder used as a towel rack, and the cupola atop the house painted as a gold compass.