Sometimes we love to hike in the rain, other times we love to just hang out indoors, but most of the time we are off finding some local fun. When you are in the Finger Lakes region the best thing to do when it’s raining is find a few wineries. This is our third vacation in the Finger Lakes region so we have a few favorite wineries that we have been excited to visit for one reason or another. When we have the time, we like to visit our favorites while sprinkling in a few new wineries.
This day started with a favorite winery for us and one that is known for its port at Ports of New York in Ithaca. We keep coming back to this winery for a couple of reasons, the story of how the winery started and the delicious port wine! Frédéric Bouché has been making wine in New York for about 10 years. Every year we visit the winery we get to see it evolve and grow.
Next stop was the Lively Run Goat Dairy Farm, established in 1982. This was the most impressive stop of the day. It was new to us but we will definitely be back! The visit started with “playing” with the goats, chickens, and the horses while our cheese tasting was being prepared. We did a lot more talking to them than actually playing with them, but oh my goodness they were adorable!
As if that wasn’t enough fun, our cheese tasting was ready. For only $5 a person you get to taste 10 types of cheese and 2 jams. We also had a few more tastes of cheese and jam once she realized how much we loved cheese! LOL The cheese was really that good! The flavors were rich, creamy, and a good variety to meet everyone’s cheese needs!
When we were in Spain last summer, we fell in love with quince paste jelly (tastes a bit like combination of apple butter and pumpkin pie filling). We were pleasantly surprised when she had quince paste and quince jam!! Needless to say, we left with 4 packages of cheese and some quince paste.
Next stop was another familiar winery. Lucas Vineyards has been in the Finger Lakes region since 1980. The founder, Ruth Lucas, not only started this family business but she also co-founded the Cayuga Wine Trail, noted as America’s first wine trail.
Brian was in a hurry to get inside because it rained all. day. long! 🙁 Lucas Vineyards is a beautiful place to listen to great music on the patio on Thursday nights, meander through their shop, and of course, taste good wine! We purchased Lucas Blues, a blend of Seyval and Cayuga grapes, to enjoy on a summer evening. We also purchased a couple of sweet bottles for our sweet wine loving friends. The wine looks good, tastes good, and is reasonably priced – this is a trifecta for us! We really love the Nautie line for a nice gift with a bit of attitude!
The last stop of the day was another new winery, J.R. Dill Winery. We stopped here because (1) they had wines that interested our taste buds,(2) they had a great view of Seneca Lake, (3) had a nice patio to enjoy their wine while looking at the lake.
This was a great find! If you enjoy looking at the character of a winery, you will love this place. They had an antique bar back from an old soda fountain shop and sea glass collected by the owner in the bar, just to name a couple bits of the character in this shop.
There is usually more to enjoy in a winery than just wine, which is great for a person who doesn’t drink or is the designated driver but still wants enjoy the experience. J.R. Dill Winery had cheese and are you ready for this? Riesling Garlic Dill Pickles! If you love garlic and pickles, you will be in heaven with this combination! Your friends may not love your breath, but if that is the case, they are not real friends! LOL
We ended our winery and cheese day with a nice glass of Cabernet Franc Rosé and a bit of cheese. I would love to show you the cheese but we inhaled it faster than I could take a picture. Now that is good cheese!
We have just a couple more wineries to visit before our time comes to an end in Watkins Glen, NY., including Shalestone Winery who has the best tagline ever, “All we do is Reds!” Check out their website to read their philosophy. If you love them, you love us! 🙂
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Month: June 2018
Top 10 Ways to See Niagara River & Falls
When you visit Niagara Falls, you can see the river and the falls from every angle possible! We have tried almost every way during our 7 day visit. On Friday, we zip-lined next to the falls and it was an outstanding 45 seconds!
As a part of our package with Wild Play Adventure Park, we were quite challenged on their adventure course! The best part of this course were the views of the Niagara River and the whirlpool. We were quite distracted by the powerful water flow. We loved this adventure park! This recommendation came from an episode of Live with Ryan and Kelly. The funniest part of the entire day needs no explanation, but you will have to go to our Instagram page to watch that video – let’s just say Brian landed on his butt and not his feet!
The City of Niagara Falls really has created more opportunities than we ever thought possible when it comes to seeing both the Niagara Falls and the Niagara River. You can:
- Ride a boat that goes right up to the falls, on the US side you ride the Maid of the Mist and on the Canadian side you ride The Hornblower. Depending on the season, you can enjoy fireworks from the boat.
- Ride a boat to the whirlpool from several companies. A few years ago we took a Whirlpool Jet Tour out of Lewiston and loved it!
- Take a walking to tour behind the falls called Journey Behind the Falls.
- Watch a movie called “Niagara’s Fury” where you get soaked again
- Take a helicopter over the falls
- Ride the Aero Car over the whirlpool <— which they have been doing since 1916!!
- You can go over the the US side and hike Niagara Falls State Park or you can hike on the Niagara Glen on the Canadian side. The trails will get you so close to the river you can put your toe in – but be careful, those are class 6 rapids!!
- You can bike right next to the Niagara River and the falls on the Niagara Parkway. We have loved this bike path!! This parkway is 55 kilometers long and has gorgeous the entire way!
- You can play mini-golf across the street from the Niagara River from the campground we are staying at, Riverside Park Campground and Hotel.
- You can see the Niagara Falls from a barrel. Here is barrel from 1949 which is on display if you are tempted! While not recommended, it has been done.
We certainly have had a blast seeing the Niagara from many vantage points. We have biked, hiked, wandered, zipped, been challenged on an obstacle course, and sipped on fantastic wine! Do you want to know more? Just comment below or leave us a message. Do you want us to plan your visit so you can maximize your vantage points? We will plan a trip that is precisely what you are looking for in a vacation!
Wine, Wine, and yes please, more Wine!
Niagara-on-the-Lake has wine for every taste bud; from a smooth, dry Italian wine, to a refreshing Riesling, to a sweet Ice Wine, they have wine that is pleasing to all palates. You can check out just a sampling of what they have to offer here. Before we get started you need to know that we have a few “rules,” if you will, when going to wineries for the day:
- We look for recommendations from friends
- We look for wineries with character or maybe a good story regarding why the winery got started
- We try to avoid the weekends because of the crowds
- We try to avoid wineries with buses in the parking lot
- We make sure they have wine we enjoy – we are dry wine people so it is important that we look at their website to see what wine they have on the tasting menu before we visit
- Finally, we won’t visit more than 3 wineries in a day unless we are either sharing tastings or on a tour bus. Teacher moment: It is important to be responsible when you are wine tasting. 🙂
If you have never visited a winery, there are some “etiquette” rules, we like Wine Enthusiast’s 14 rules.
The first stop we made was Between the Lines winery. They have a fun story, you can check it out at https://betweenthelineswinery.com/. We really enjoyed their wine, the staff could have been more knowledgeable but we let the wine distract us. We always struggle with how much to buy, especially when we really enjoy the first winery we visit and when we are in Canada and have to respect the import laws when we head back to the states on Monday. We left with 2 bottles of Pinot Grigio, and let me tell you, the one we enjoyed last night was just as good as thought it would be! 🙂 Yes, on a warm, summer evening we love a nice white wine on our “RV patio.”
The next winery was a recommendation from friends, Colaneri Estate Winery, and let me tell you, our friends know us well! Look at that building – it even more gorgeous in person! We enjoyed beautiful Italian red wines, visited with the owners, and learned a lot about the labels on their wine bottles. Seriously – ask about the wine bottles when you go!
We enjoy taking wine tours because it really adds to the overall wine experience and every winery creates wine just a little bit differently. For example at Colaneri Estate Winery they dry the grapes first using the “appassimento” style. You never know what you will learn when taking a wine tour and you certainly never know who you will meet along the way.
The finally winery of the day was Peller Estates Winery. We were excited to visit this winery because it was recommended by several people and we had tasted a beautiful Cab-Merlot earlier in the week. Unfortunately, when we pulled up there were two buses – yes two! Fortunately, it is a large enough estate winery that it wasn’t crowded. However, the Cab-Merlot that we loved wasn’t on the tasting menu nor was it for sale in the winery. Sadly, overall the winery was a disappointment. Now I will say, we heard the food in the restaurant is amazing and we have put this winery on our “try again” list.
There was so much more to explore in Niagara-on-the-Lake wine region. This was our third time to visit the region and we always look forward to going back! If you have a favorite winery in the region, leave a comment and let us know because we are always open to suggestions! This summer will also be visiting the Finger Lakes, Geneva on the Lake, and Traverse City, so if you have a must see winery, leave a comment!
“Peopling” at Niagara Falls
When I think of the Niagara Falls, this is not what comes to mind. But if you come to the Falls, you need to be prepared to drop a lot of money, be ready to be surrounded by people who randomly stop in the middle of the sidewalk, and be forgiving when employees are less than patient.
The Niagara Falls are breathtaking, and genuinely overwhelms the senses. However, like many other Wonders of the World, they are filled with tourists. But with tourists comes tourism and a lot to keep the average person busy for a week. You can enjoy a glass of wine from a Niagara-on-the-Lake vineyard while getting soaked on The Hornblower boat as you get up close and personal with the Falls; you can zip line near the Falls; you can eat a great meal while overlooking the Falls; you can watch a movie about the Falls and you can walk under them. That’s just what’s near the Falls. When you wander up the hill you’ll find Ripleys attractions, Hard Rock Cafe, Rainforest Cafe, an IMAX theatre, a Casino, dinosaur mini-golf, and more food than you’ll ever need to consume.
The Niagara Falls are truly something everyone should experience. We’ve been here several times and never get tired of seeing the Falls from every angle. The only thing we get tired of is the people. There are days where it feels like everyone is in a bad mood and nobody learned manners. There are days when I feel like I’m going to snap if someone else bumps in to me or cuts in front of me.
On those days, when we can’t “people” anymore, we escape to a place where few tourists go. It’s funny tourists all stay within about a half mile radius of any attraction. This is true when we’re in the Great Smoky Mountains, Yosemite National Park, the Grand Canyon, or any other major attraction. All you have to do is walk a bit further than the average tourist and you’ll have a quiet paradise all to yourself.
We’re staying at a small campground on the Canadian side of the Niagara River and we were able to bike to the Falls. The Niagara Parkway bike path is quite impressive and will help you get away from all the people.
This morning we were even able to get out and just walk about 5 miles on the parkway. We enjoyed the Niagara River and only encountered about a half dozen people. Now that’s a good way to start the day.
Our New Journey Begins
Thank you for visiting our new site. We have had a dream for several years to begin a travel planning business but thought, “who needs that when I can search the Internet?” What we realized is that we all need a little help. It may be just having a conversation about where to begin, or what’s really the best place to go visit, or figuring how to manage all of the activities a national park has to offer when you only have a short time to visit, or maybe you want someone to plan your whole adventure!
We have been married for more than 10 years and traveling for a lot longer. We have been to almost all 50 states and 4 countries. We love to visit wineries, breweries, and quaint food stops. We have traveled across the country staying in bed and breakfasts, hotels, our tent, and are currently traveling in a 30′ travel trailer. We have traveled in groups, with students, our family, and with our two cats (Lola and Pepe).
We hope you will enjoy getting to know us as we begin this new journey. Want help with your travel plans? Great! Just drop us a message!
Happy Travels!
Brian and Michelle Coleman
Let’s go Cruisin’ with the Colemans!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
