20 Best Places to Visit in Upstate New York

Occasionally, when I tell people I’m from New York, their reaction is something along the lines of, “But you don’t sound like you’re from New York.” I wonder, have they forgotten there’s a whole state beyond the Big Apple?


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But upstate New York, with its majestic mountains, abundance of lakes, and charming small towns, is anything but forgettable as anyone who has been to the region knows. For those who haven’t yet visited, or want to see more of it, here are 20 of the best places to visit in upstate New York.



Conesus Lake

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Conesus Lake is the westernmost Finger Lake, drawing crowds every year for its July 3rd Ring of Fire, when 10,000 flares are lit along its periphery as fireworks explode overhead. Nearby, the tiny hamlet of Lakeville is home to the Little Lake Brewing brewery, one of the stops along the new Livingston Libation Loop that maps out wineries, cideries, and craft microbreweries around the county. While there, don’t miss the recently installed street murals and art along the 90-mile self-guided Inspirations Trail.



Cooperstown

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The National Baseball Hall of Fame is just one of the notable attractions worth visiting in this quaint New York village. The Fenimore Art Museum, built on land once owned by novelist James Fenimore Cooper, features an impressive collection of American art, and the Glimmerglass Festival, held each summer, lures opera lovers from far and wide. Visitors to nearby Howe Caverns (about 38 miles east), can go caving or spelunking at New York state’s second-most visited natural attraction.



Letchworth State Park

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Known as the “Grand Canyon of the East,” Letchworth State Park features an impressive gorge carved out over centuries by the Genesee River. You’ll find dozens of camera-ready waterfalls where the river dramatically crashes down along shale, limestone, and sandstone cliffs that rise 550 feet at their highest point. A recently built Autism Nature Trail, the first in the country designed for people on the autism spectrum, includes eight marked sensory stations spread across a one-mile loop.



Niagara

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The place to Consume, Keep, and Visit in England’s Lake District

The air smelled diverse than in London, sweetened by the armies of pine gathered on the hillside. I tightened my scarf as the last of the night sun fired the skies, and viewed the clouds’ underbellies flip peach. The well known fells of Cumbria, the county in northwestern England, tapered toward the horizon. At their base, Lake Windermere shifted quietly, its floor like molten lava in the autumn light-weight. 30 decades in the past I experienced sailed right here, a terribly behaved eight-yr-old throwing Kendal Mint Cake to the swans. As a barn owl shrieked in the treetops, I wondered why I had taken so very long to return.

3 and a 50 % several hours by train from London, Lake District National Park is recognised for owning some of England’s most gorgeous walking and biking routes. In summer season, the air is warm with honeysuckle, the vales flushed with inexperienced. With just one of the country’s lowest amounts of gentle air pollution, the park is fantastic for stargazing.

But on this excursion, it was a distinctive type of stargazing that piqued my curiosity. 20 decades ago, Cumbrian dining meant pubs with significant fires serving Sunday roasts to walkers in wellies with muddy canines in tow. That altered in 2002, when chef Simon Rogan opened his now famous L’Enclume (tasting menu $240) in the riverside village of Cartmel. He concentrated on harvesting British deliver in its prime, earning the restaurant two Michelin stars and igniting a gastronomic revolution.

Because then, dining places have popped up like mushrooms in the woods, with other Michelin-starred entries like Hrishi (tasting menu $130), Allium (tasting menu $117), and Forest Aspect (tasting menus from $62) inspiring hungry pilgrims to travel below. Growing opposition has retained Rogan on his toes, prompting him to open Rogan & Co. (entrées $33–$39) — a a lot more relaxed model of its elder sibling, also in Cartmel — followed by Aulis at L’Enclume (tasting menu $222), an exceptional chef’s desk adjacent to the first cafe.

The exterior of Linthwaite Property hotel

Linthwaite Household, a new lodge close to Windermere, sits

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