All Things.. Finger Lakes, Fall Foliage and Fantastic – Part 1

Let’s go back! Every time we leave Upstate New York.. it calls us back. We love it.

Brian, grew up in the small village of Manchester, NY in the Finger Lakes region. The Hulbert Family still has a family home on Waneta Lake, one of the many beautiful lakes of the region, East, between Keuka Lake and Seneca Lake.

This time our trip to the Finger Lakes was short but sweet – a little bit of work and a little bit of play (and family too!). Our first stop was Naples, NY – directly at the bottom and south of Canandaigua Lake. Naples, was established in 1789 and given the name in 1808. It is a small town, with a population of near 2,500. The town story goes.. that a visiting European Dignitary commented on how the scenery was so beautiful it rivaled the beauty of Naples, Italy and the name stuck. Maybe just a tale? We don’t know… but we couldn’t have gone at a better time to see the beauty of fall.

Naples is truly a four season mecca for those that love the outdoors (the town is one of the hilliest in the Finger Lakes), art scene (think woodworkers!) and those who love grapes.

Our favorite ‘fantastic’ spots in this small town you might ask? Yes.. here we go (we think you should, too!).

🍁 Naples Hotel – Quaint little gem right in town. If a Bed & Breakfast is your thing – this is the spot. The Delaware Room was just remodeled but captured the details of the 1800’s historic building. The old-world decor of the in-room radiator to the elegance of the gold touches and remodled bathroom – made us want to stay longer. The B&B was set up similarly to a VRBO in a way that there was no reception – just a door code that is emailed to you and phone number of the owners who live locally for additional needs during the stay. It was private, elevated and functional. There are only a handful of Inn’s and B&B’s in Naples – we thought we made the right choice.

🍁 Roots Café – Fresh and local fare. Farm to table – literally – garden adjacent. Delicious and worth a stop. The most down to earth folks and excellent service. We went to Roots both arriving in town for dinner as well as lunch the next day. For dinner we enjoyed Inspire Moore Winery’s Gruner, Vegetable Curry and the Beef Brisket with a root mash. For lunch a Chicken Salad Wrap with Kale Salad was enjoyed with a warm and cozy spiked mulled cider. Perfect for the rainy day! If you haven’t tried the apples and apple cider from Upstate New York.. you’re missing out. Tree ripened apples in a climate designed to grow them… deliciously sweet and crisp. Mmmm.

🍁 Red Cat Cellars (Hazlitt) & Inspire Moore Winery – …are the two wineries in Naples, NY. Inspire Moore was right next door to Roots Cafe and Roots reaped the rewards of cross promoting. Delicious food and wine. Red Cat Cellars was grand in scale and sat back in the hillside offering a variety of different wines, ciders and seltzer’s made from the Concord grape. Both locations were very different from each other but celebrated the region through the wines (and drinks) produced.

🍁 Old School House Café – Old School House Café felt out of a movie scene. The old school house was converted into a café and made into a town hangout. Locals filled the cafe with laughter and stories. We noticed such happy, at ease and genuine people both working and living in Naples.

🍁 Artizanns Gifts from the Finger Lakes – Naples, NY is known for their artistry. We had to take a look. Pottery, rocks, paintings, jewelry, woodworking – all beautiful. This particular gift shop was a converted old home on Main Street (Route 21) – a hop, skip and a jump from the Naples Hotel. Sara made a lasting impression on the shop owner by falling down the stairs with the pottery mug (with a painted Concord grape!) we ended up purchasing. Anyone who knows Sara – this sounds about right. It didn’t stop her from walking the entire length of town and out into the vineyards in her heels though… claiming the only boots for the weather this California native owned had heels. Ha!

We look forward to sharing our second part of our trip to the Finger Lakes. Stay tuned for Part 2 soon.

#locatedhere

Brian and Sara