Cottage Rental New York

Visiting Seneca Falls New York: An Insider's Guide

We're about to let you in on one of New York state's best kept secrets, Seneca Falls. "What's that? You say you've never heard of Seneca Falls." Well you may not have heard about this little town which serves as a gateway to the Finger Lakes, but its contribution to American history is known around the world.

Seneca Falls is known as the birth place of woman's rights. In 1848 Elizabeth Cady Stanton, along with four of her cohorts held the first women's rights rally at her home in Seneca Falls. This event has been immortalized the Women's Rights National Historical Park which is just off the 20-5-414 interchange, on 136 St. In downtown Seneca Falls. This year Seneca Falls will be holding the 160th anniversary of the convention; on July, 17 -26th so make your reservations now.

Unlike some get away places Seneca Falls is a year round retreat. If you are looking for a spring or summer get away, then you have come to right place. As mentioned earlier Seneca Falls is the Gateway to the great Finger Lakes which means boating, camping, fishing, Jet Ski's and swimming. Then of course there are the usual summer activities like hiking and of course golf.

If you are looking for a winter get away have no fear, Seneca Falls is the place to be. Rumor has it that Seneca Falls was the great Frank Capra's inspiration for the Christmas classic it's a wonderful life. Each year Seneca Falls play host to "It's a Wonderful Life" weekend. It's a fun filled time for everyone; there are carriage rides a Santa train, and the whole town is decorated like Bedford Falls in the movie. The festivities include a narrated screening by the actor Karolyn Grimes, who Play Zuzu in the movie. Ms Grimes also signs autographs and presents the George Bailey award to the most benevolent and civic minded candidate chosen for that year.

Getting there:

Now that you have the general overview lets get specific. The hardest part of any task is the getting there. If you are heading to Seneca Falls the task has been made a lot easier for you. If you plan to fly, Finger Lakes Regional Airport is available for smaller planes. Also Hancock International in Syracuse and Greater Rochester International Airports are both less 50 miles away from Seneca Falls. Both Terminals are served by most all the major airlines and rental car companies to help you on your way.

Seneca Falls sits like a hub in the middle of a wheel with State roads 5, 20 and 414 acting as spokes making easily accessible from I90.( Be aware that I90 is tolled in certain locations) Gas in the area is running around the national average of about $4.20 a gallon.

Sorry there are no bus or train services available to Seneca Falls. Greens Taxi Service does offer transportation to and from the Airports be sure to check out their information in our resources.

You have arrived:

Whatever mode of travel you choose to get you to Seneca Falls will be well worth the trip. When you enter the village its old world charm reaches out to you and its welcoming atmosphere makes you feel at home. The best thing about Seneca Falls is its people. These folks don't just greet you with a tourist face they are genuinely glad you came. Take Mary Brown for example: Mary works over at the Seneca Falls Chamber of Commerce and was very gracious and excited to tell us all about her town.

Settling in:

If the high travel cost made you say "uncle", you will be very pleasantly surprised to find that a getaway in Seneca Falls is quite inexpensive. You will find very adequate accommodations at the local Holiday Inn starting at about $80 a night. There are also great rates over at the micro Inn and Suites.

To make your visit unforgettable you may choose to stay at one of Seneca Falls Bed and Breakfast. Such as Barrister's Bed and Breakfast over on 56 Cayuga St. You may have see this beautiful old house on HGTV's if walls could talk or explored it's secrets on Civil War shockers. In any case you will find this taste of yesteryear a welcome retreat for a weary traveler. For all you who must stay connected to the web you will be relieved to know Barrister's has wifi. One of the most enjoyable things about the Barrister house is the price you can have a room for under $150.00 a night.

John Morris manor on Lake Cayuga offers a cozy night nook from $95-150 a night. This 1838 Greek revival farm house offers you spacious rooms complete with bath suite. The is pet friendly for dogs by permission. Guest can relax in the parlor or lounge by the full size in ground pool.

Lastly there is Hubble House on beautiful VanCleef Lake. If fishing is your passion you may want to drop anchor here. Hubble house offers free boat docking and free paddle boats to it's guest. This three story Gothic Cottage opens it's doors to Seneca Falls visitors for a very competitive rate.*

*Authors note if you are going to bring small children (under 12 ) along you may want to call ahead for availability or go to a hotel. Most B&B although kid friendly have an age limit of 12 and up.

It's soup!

No travel Guide would be complete without telling its travelers the best places to eat. While in Seneca Falls if you are looking for great food at an even better price, you must try Abigail's Restaurant. At first glance Abigail's looks expensive, yet you will find it very affordable. A family of four could eat a very nice dinner for under $85.00. Manager Liz Comatis shared her favorites with us; the chicken Florentine and for dessert? The strawberry cream cake, then there is also my favorite the hazelnut chocolate cream cake. It's great main dishes and desserts are not what makes Abigail's famous however, what makes Abigail's famous is it's wings. That's right Abigail's Bleu Bayou hot wings! Gotta try'em recently voted the best Buffalo wings.

If your in the mood for fast food Seneca falls has all the usual chain stores I won't name them , but if you want fast food at a fair price with real New York flavor. Then you have to try the Downtown Deli. They offer hot bagels, overstuffed subs, as well as soup and salads. Downtown Deli Opened in 1994 and has served over 100, 000 happy customers since that time.

Relax and enjoy:

Well now that you've have a place to stay and you've been fed It's time to relax for a while and truly enjoy your vacation getaway. Yet with so much to do it can be hard to decide. So you may want to make a list or make up an activity planner so you can use your time wisely.

If you are a fisherman, you know that fish usually bite better in the early morning or late evening so you easily mold your schedule around that. Since Seneca Falls is wine country you may want to take a day to just tour the wineries. If you are a history buff you really can't afford to miss a trip to the Seneca Falls historical Museum. (if for nothing else just to see the clock) There is a wealth of history in this little village so it would take a full day or maybe two to see it all. One thing you will surely want to do is take a gondola ride, for a mere $85.00 you can take a 90 ride. There are several places in the U.S. where you can take a gondola ride but non have the wine country scenery of Seneca Falls.

Well there you have it, a view of one of the most picturesque villages in America. No wonder it inspired Capra to make a movie about it and deem it "It's a Wonderful Life".

Living in a place like Seneca Falls you caught help but have a wonderful time. It is then that you look around you and truly say "This is a wonderful life!"

Resources:

www.senecafalls.com

www.nps.gov/wori

www.therealbedfordfalls

www.syrairport.org

www.monroecounty.gov

www.co.seneca.ny.us/vis-fl-regional-airport

www.senecafallsmicrotelinn.com

www.holidayinn.com

www.stayfingerlakes.com

www.abigailsrestaurant.com

www.downtowndeli.com

Greene's Taxi & Airport Services 8 Reed St Waterloo, NY 13165 (315) 539-2111