Hammondsport, New York

If you want to visit a gorgeous little village in a beautiful setting, without the crowds, this town is for you.  The town is situated on the southern end of Keuka Lake, one of New York’s scenic Finger Lakes.  But the downtown section of town is buffered from the lake by two or three blocks of lovely residences. This provides visitors with easy strolling access to a panoramic view of the lake and surrounding hills.  There is just enough shopping and restaurants in downtown to keep you entertained during your day trip or weekend stay, but small enough so as not to attract hoards of tourists.  The Great Western Winery and Visitor Center, the most comprehensive center of its kind in the world, is part of the Pleasant Valley Wine Company, just a mile southwest of town. A portion of the Finger Lakes Trail System, a 950-mile series of hiking paths, passes thru this small town. Lazarus Hammond founded the village around 1827 and it was incorporated in 1856. The village later became a center for the New York wine industry. EARNS OUR HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.