Most of Upstate New York and certainly the Finger Lakes Region is historically rooted in American Indian heritage. Watch for the common Indian names, like Skaneateles Skan-e-at-las which means Long Beautiful Lake in Iroquois.
English is universal in this region, with the dialect resembling that of the Midwest more than New York City or New England. Small pockets of German-speakers, mostly the older generation, can still be found. Place names are heavily influenced by Iroquois languages; some are veritable tongue-twisters. Give pronunciation your best shot and you'll get a friendly correction if needed.
Fly, take a bus, or take a train into Syracuse or Rochester and explore. The Finger Lakes region is only a few hours from New York City by car or bus, or only an hour by plane.
The region has only one international airport, in Rochester, but Syracuse is close by and easily accessible. Flights to both cities are primarily from hubs such as Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia, and New York; actual international flights are now rare. Ithaca has a regional airport, as does the Elmira-Corning area (just south of the region).
Most travel in this area will be by car. Unless you are traveling on an organized trip and transportation is already arranged, you will want to drive or rent a car. Limousines are popular for small groups looking to do a lot of wine tasting.
Stop in and see the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls.
Cornell University is in Ithaca.
In the summer, the Finger Lakes are home to many great music and arts festivals, including the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance.
Also, check out the Rochester Folk Art Guild, a local community of craftspeople who have been creating fine art for over 35 years.
Skaneateles Village is a must. It's a "cute-as-a-button" StoryBook Village perched on the edge of the lake. The Creamery local historical society can tell you all about the "teasel" and the Lightning Class Sailboat. Watch for their Wooden Boat Show, Chamber Music Festival and Charles Dickens Christmas.
Nestled among the glacial valleys of the Finger Lakes, only a few miles from Canandaigua lake, is a thriving '''regional hand crafts community''': the Rochester Folk Art Guild. The guild has been producing fine art for over 35 years. It hosts a small crafts gallery; as well as the ceramics, woodworking, sewing and weaving workshops located there. 1445 Upper Hill Rd, Middlesex (New York), ''+1 585'' 554-5317, [http://www.rfag.org].
There are almost one hundred wineries dotting the hills surrounding the Finger Lakes [http://www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com]. Their reputation grows each year, as travel writers and wine connoisseurs alike discover the area in ever-expanding numbers. Finger Lakes wineries utilize a wide variety of grapes, but the area's Rieslings turn out especially well; they can compete with the best of Germany's products.
Also not to be missed are the region's many ice wines. Made from grapes harvested while frozen, the local ice wines benefit from upstate New York's harsh winter weather.
If you're just starting out exploring the Finger Lakes wine area, an excellent first stop is the '''New York Wine & Culinary Center''' [http://nywcc.com] in Canandaigua. The Center has an array of wine tastings and instructional programs, and also features other gastronomic delights from throughout Western New York.
The '''Cayuga Wine Trail''' has a flavorful and educational tour every spring featuring herbs and food at each wine tasting stop. The '''Seneca Wine Trail''' is the most active of the wine trails, boasting the biggest lake, most reputable wineries, and most activities.
Individual wineries vary in the number of amenities available. Most have tastings, of course, but many go beyond that; you'll find tours of the fields and bottling areas, gift shops, and sometimes cafes or restaurants.
One of the most award-winning of the individual wineries is Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars [http://www.drfrankwines.com] in Hammondsport. Other popular wineries are '''Bully Hill Winery''' [http://www.bullyhill.com] in Hammondsport and '''Fox Run Vineyards''' [http://www.foxrunvineyards.com] in Penn Yan.
Of course, if you can't get to the wineries themselves, countless restaurants throughout Western New York have local wines on their wine lists.
If traveling in this area during the winter months, be aware that heavy snowfalls are possible. '''Lake effect snow''' has been known to drop four feet of snow in a weekend, or more. It is not unusual during heavy storms for it to come down at a rate of one inch per hour.