Seneca Lake Reviews

We stopped by this lake on the way back from Niagara Falls to New Jersey. It was a short visit but we wish we had more time on hand. The drive along the lake is very scenic and has some stunning views. The landscaping and scenery does remind you of Switzerland. I would recommend spending a weekend there to explore the beauty of the place and your tour would be incomplete without a wine tasting tour.

Among other nice places and wineries, we loved a small farm called 'Cowlick' where a very friendly owner treats you with fresh milk, cheese (sampling!) and Italian ice cream, Gelato! All milk comes his Micro-Farm. We loved this place!

Just found hies website:
http://www.winecountrycabins.com/cowlickfarm/index.htm

Our tour group took a one hour cruise on board the "Seneca Legacy" which departed from Captain Bills cruise dock behind the Seneca Harbor Station Restaurant. It was a lovely afternoon ( close to 70 in October!!!) and we thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing and narrated one hour trip. We saw the large lake area, salt manufacturing and some of the delightful foliage that was just starting to turn. We only saw a touch of these lovely finger lakes, but the area is a delightful place to visit if you are in this part of NY.

Such a big lake !!!! Best place to visit with scenic drive, children play area , grilling station, food store etc etc. u can relax lay enjoy your weekend

A Great time experiancing wonderful wines in a beautiful place

Seneca Lake is a beautiful area. Wineries are terrific and the lake itself is beautiful. My husband and I have spent many visits here and will always continue to enjoy the area.

Docked our boat for a week at the resort. Staff were always friendly and accommodating. Facilities from the docks to the store and rest rooms were clean and well maintained. Enjoyed greeting Rod every morning as he would work to keep docks clean and free from spiders and webs and assorted other bugs. Will be back next year!

The guys at the mariner made it easy for us to get out on the lake and have a swim followed by lunch in the sun admiring the views. You cant see much of the lake as you drive up from Watkins to Seneca Falls so this was ideal.

Had the opportunity of going on Captain Bill's Seneca Lake Cruise, it was a wonderful experience, it was a special occasion and we opted for the Dinner Cruise, great meal out on the water, sailed for over two hours in the moonlight.

They will be doing lunch time cruises with "Broadway songs" from June to September.
I would recommend this cruise.

Located in the heart of the Finger Lakes, Seneca is the largest of the Finger Lakes in surface, volume and 2nd only to Cayuga in length by a couple of miles. It is fed by underground springs with about 328,000 gals a minute, has the deepest average depth of 291 feet, maximum depth of 618 feet and is the source of 50% of all the water in the Finger Lakes. Due to the powerful springs and depth, it rarely freezes with the last reported freezing being 1912.
Seneca is at the center of the Finger Lakes American Viticultural Area with the 1st true vineyard founded in 1866 and now hosts over 50, along with many breweries and a few distilleries. It is also known as the Lake Trout capital of the world.
We loved taking the nearly 80 mile trip around Seneca visiting 2 wineries and 7 breweries over the course of our visit. With historic Geneva anchoring the north shore and Watkins Glen on the southern shore, we found plenty to do and the scenery is tremendous.

Recently visited the Finger Lakes and lodged at the Anchor Inn and Marina. The rooms were very clean and the view of the lake was breath-taking.

The staff were all very friendly and accomodating!
Can't wait to make another trip in the Spring!

Love Seneca Lake Resorts. It's so peaceful and beautiful there. There cabins are beautiful and some allow pets. The weather was perfect. There is a little playground for kids also music on the weekends

It was our first vacation in the Finger Lakes area and we headed to Seneca Lake State Park so that our two small grandchildren under the age of four could enjoy the large playground and Sprayground. The Sprayground is a large area enclosed by fence and watched over by a lifeguard. The over 100 water sprays up at varying intervals and in different patterns and through different fun structures throughout this large, padded area. They had so much fun! This park has a beach with lifeguards, bathhouse, sand beach, concession stand, many picnic areas with tables and grills, shelters for rent, etc. We were not able to explore much of the park for the few hours we were there, but it sure seemed like a popular destination. We visited the week of August 18 and the beach was closed because most of the lifeguards had gone back to school, therefore, depending on the time of year you visit, you might want to call ahead and check the schedule.

So much to see and do! The Seneca wine trail is a must for wine lovers. Watkins Glen State Park offers wonderful hikes with beautiful waterfalls. I recommend staying by the lake. It was a great place to gather and relax after a busy day of taking in the area sites.

We stayed 2 nights at Stivers Seneca Marine on their boathouse and had a wonderful time. The Boathouse was great, it has 5 bedrooms, kitchen, BBQ, Slide and hot tub! Bob our host was great, we took a boat ride on the lake and also were able to use bikes avaiable at the Marina, Bob directed us to the path to Seneca State Park which was a beautiful ride. Tiki Bar North is located at Stivers Marine a fun place to have cocktails and see the sunset! The City of Geneva is beautiful with places to eat & drink, went to dinner at Ports Cafe the food was delicious! All in all a great mini vacation on the Lake!

We stayed overlooking the lake and directly across from the town of Geneva. Just so tranquil and scenic. I'd warn that most properties available right on the lake are on a SHARP cliff with very little shore.
Tour the lake with the organized pontoon boat tour that boards at the visitor center in Geneva. It's an hour and you get a lot of history!! Plus, full bar on board.

Wonderful lake, fish it, boat on it, take a cruise, rent a kayak, swim in it, enjoy the wineries around it. A must visit destination!

What a wonderful getaway from Austin, Tx. Wonderful temperatures, even during the heat and drought they are currently experiencing. Beautiful wineries and micro breweries to visit. Seneca Lake is great for skiing, boating and fishing. Awesome restaurants and hotels. I'll never talk bad about New York again. Simply --- Mahvalous!

Beautiful vista on its south side in Watkins Glen! It has a boardwalk dock that leads to a jetty that is easy to hike. The water is so clear.

An excellent, well run venue! Good value for transient boaters. Beautiful sunsets and groundskeeping. Engaging staff.

Seneca Lake, one of the longest and the deepest of the Finger Lakes is a mecca for trout fishermen, for wine lovers, history buffs, bicyclists, campers, swimmers and sailors. At the head of the lake is the world-famous Watkins Glen and NASCAR and at the foot of the lake is Geneva with Hobart and William Smith College.
Both sides of the lake have extensive wine trails, hiking and biking paths and marinas. More and more B&Bs are opening and tourism is expanding. There are numerous NY State campgrounds dotting the region for tents and RVs. It's still a quiet, unhurried and rural area of Western New York once home to the Iroquois nation and early pioneers who encountered old growth forests in a pristine wilderness.
For history buffs there is both Iroquois sites, early pioneer towns with names out of antiquity like Ovid, Romulus, Hector, and Ithaca as well as some miles east of Geneva, the birthplace of women's rights in Seneca Falls at the foot of Cayuga Lake.

The lake is a beautiful sight to sea. You can see a waterfalls on one side. There is a Ticki Bar on the ;lake. There is also condominiums made from an old factory. I was on a private boat this time. They have a tour boat that rides up and down the lake. We ate at Chef's Cafe it is a dinner where the race car drivers like to eat. I had a $9.99 dinner special. It was sirloin steak , mashed potatoes and salad. The dessert , rainbow sherbet, was included. It was a generous portion served with whipped cream. The waite staff was very friendly.
There are public bathrooms here. I used the private ones because , I was with members. I have used the public ones before.

We paid in advance for a sailboat ride but since there was no wind that day the captain turned on the motor and cruised up and down the lake.
Pretty cruise, but greatly overpriced as a sailing cruise when it turned out to be just a motorboat. We could've gotten a motorboat cruise for half the price.

This lake has a lot to offer. There are so many wineries and breweries to visit you will need a full weekend or more to enjoy all of them! There's also Watkins Glen on the south end which has a nice boat tour, shopping, and of course the race track. The east side of the lake has the Seneca army depot which features albino deer, if you're lucky enough to see them! Also on the north end is Geneva which has a nice park right on the north shore of the lake. Even if you're looking for a road trip or a nice motorcycle trip, the scenery is beautiful and the drive is relaxing. You can't go wrong spending time on this lake!

Probably Seneca lake is not the most picturesque of the finger lakes but it has got a bit of everything, pretty small towns, Geneva and Watkins Glen, good vineries and some great viewpoint of the lake. Certainly a good place to visit if you are in the Rochester area

Great place to spend the night or nights on your boat. Beautiful facility. Liked it so much going back in 2 weeks with more friends.

the pier was very aesthetic & provide great photo opportunities. the marina was so serene at sunset.

There is so much to do around Seneca Lake that just seeing it from one angle (as I did) is to really shortchange its vastly diverse offerings. I found myself on its shoreline in Geneva, NY this past weekend, and so decided to take a stroll along the northwest side of the lake and enjoy the sunshine and views. Quite a few folks were doing the same as me, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves as well.

As far as other activities on this lake, you really need to check out the guidebooks, because there is something for everyone. From fishing and sailing boats to dinner cruises to the tours of the many wineries, this is a great place to visit. There are a few really nice parks along the shoreline where you can find nice shade trees under which to take a nap. (I tried that myself!) This was a wonderful afternoon, and I think I'll go back and take the family for a picnic lunch. Wonderful!

Please take the time to visit the Military Museum at the park. It is a wonderful tribute to our past servicemen and the gentleman running it, the last volunteer who actually experienced the running of the camp, is a joy to meet and talk with. The park itself...nice big sites but the beach is horrible. Wish there were lake views from the campground.

No wonder everyone in the whole region is so nice!! The lakes are spectacular, landmarks (like Belhurst Castle) are impressive, with interesting history, but for the most part, the area and and people are completely unpretentious.... There's no traffic, great wine, amazing food and nothing but gorgeous scenery. Wow. Great place to visit.

I grew up in this area so you might think I am a little bias but I have not lived there for many years. We went to the park that is on the lake in Watkins Glen. My kids had so much fun. It has picnic tables, a playground and swimming area for everyone to enjoy. If you have the chance to go please go and watch the wonderful view of the sailboats on the lake.

We were looking for a hotel on the lake, near a town, with things to do within walking distance. The chamber of commerce recommended the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel that is at the base of Seneca Lake and in the town of Watkins Glen. The hotel itself was great but besides that, there is not much around. The 4 block "town" is half boarded up and the other half are falling down old stores and restaurants, none of which were recommended by anyone we spoke to. The lake itself has a small marina at the southern base, with 3 choices...a dinner sail that we were specifically told to avoid, and smaller boat tour that goes out on the hour, and the Schooner True Love....that's it. The lake itself is desolate. No "beach" area to go hang out. No restaurants/bars on the lake to sit at. Wineries are up in the hills. Only a few factories on the lake that make the trip even more depressing. Everything that was recommended to us was either 45 minutes this way or 20 miles that way. Beautiful to look at for a minute but that's it!

I would have preferred to leave a review on the site where we booked the house, but the owner never sent us a Review link as he was supposed to.

Our stay was off to a rough start when Housekeeping had not cleaned the house or laundered sheets and towels from the previous tenant. Apparently, the Property Manager was confused as to the departure date of the previous tenant. Housekeeping came promptly and did some cleaning but never provided us with any start-up toilet paper or even a roll of paper towels. She even took the bottle of laundry detergent. Housekeeping came the next day to do some additional cleaning, but she never vacuumed the living room carpet which was dirty. The oven was filthy and looked like it had not been cleaned in ages. The Property Manager told us that due to several back to back renters with large groups they have not had the chance to give the house a thorough cleaning. It sounds like to me that they do not have an adequate cleaning crew for the size of the house and the number of people that the house can accommodate given their turn-around time. Trash is placed in an industrial dumpster. It smelled and looked as if it had not been emptied all summer.

The traffic sounds made by passing cars and huge trucks on Hwy 79 can be annoying but is tolerable. All over the house there are signs that indicate “For Owners Use” from bedroom closets to drawers, kitchen cupboards, and the contents of a china hutch. While I can appreciate that the owner needs some space for their personal belongings, it’s excessive compared to other houses that I have rented and is not inviting.

On the bright side the house is very spacious with several refrigerators, lots of parking, a great deck, and a beautiful view of Seneca Lake, sunsets, and Independence Day fireworks. The house is in an ideal location and is close to Watkins Glen and a lot of nice wineries. The kitchen is well equipped with pots, pans, and bake ware but could use a few more forks. The window Air Conditioners worked very well on very hot days. We encountered a few electrical issues with the house but nothing serious.

The home owner told us that we would receive some sort of refund based on our troubles with the house. It will be interesting to see how much it is. Regarding our housekeeping issues, I think that he did what he could for us given that he was in New Jersey. I can honestly say that we left the house in better shape than we received it.

Not much to see and few bench available to sit to enjoy the scenery.
it would be good to have mini mart shop that selling drink/ cakes, instead only surrounding by restaurant.
Free parking slot is limited. it is about 30-40 park slot.
it has a clean restroom nearby.

What a great couple of days with good friends. We toured many vineyards. Some of the best being Glenora, Wagner. We had fun at the Red Neck winery and ciders. It was cool to have lunch at the German Fest at Anthony's. Such a lot to do. We also had lunch one day at Villa Ventosa. Yum baked Brie. Miles winery has an interesting story about a resident ghost. We'll worth a visit.

Everything that the Seneca Resort has done at Sampson State Park is top notch. We stayed in one of the bungalow cottages and it was great! Our boat was kept in a slip at the marina. The grounds are lovely, the employees are helpful, the cottages are well equipped for a camping type experience. There is a nice little beach, playground, and kayak rental too.
This is not a hotel type experience, but if you want to stay somewhere you can take long walks, enjoy nature, enjoy boating, swim, this is the place. This property also has a history which is explained at the museum.

Seneca Lake is gorgeous. I was in the Watkins Glen end. I wish there were a trail that went around it. The best I could find is this pier.

I never thought Lake could look like a sea! It so big, wide, clean waters. So much yacht there, it's really looks like a sea shore. Take a walk around this great place. Lots of good recreation arias around.

Seneca Lake is so breathtaking. We visited from Watkins Glen. There is a very nice marina with a pier. At the end of the pier is the cutest looking little red “school house” building. It is so scenic! There’s a jetty you can walk out on also. It is all so beautiful. We also booked a “cruise” on the Seneca Spirit which we greatly enjoyed. This is a must see place.

For camping families this park has it all. The sites are very large and restrooms (with showers) very clean. Numerous playgrounds throughout the park. Museum and beach on property. As this is an old Navy/Army training facility, plenty of roads for walking or biking. Centrally located to Geneva and Watkins Glen. Wine trails easily accessed. Only draw-back everything outside of park is 20 minute+ ride. But that is this region - everything is so spread out.

Very nice at the pier. The walkway is clean and very pretty. Great place to kickoff our trip to the area. If you are interested in a drink you can get one from the restaurant.

The facility was incredibly clean, super friendly staff and beautiful marina. The shop had all important items that we forgot to pack. Views of the lake and sunsets were amazing and the stay was at a super fair price. Our kids are 15, 5 and 5 and there was something for everyone!
We did trail out boat and had a marina spot for the duration of our stay. We explored the nearby wineries, brewery and Watkins Glen Falls.

Its a beautiful lake. We took the cruise to cover the lake. Its beautiful and calm.
After a day of travel and trek its a nice relaxing place to be.
We enjoyed our cruise and then sat near the lake to enjoy some drinks.
Perfect end to an evening.

We spend only about two hours at this lake but it was worth it. It's a beautiful region, very peaceful and quiet.
We first stopped at Watkins Glen State Park (WONDERUL) and after that at one of the vineyards for a little wine tasting.

Seneca Lakes Resort at Sampson State Park was the highlight of our boat trip on Seneca Lake. The staff there is friendly and helpful. I've never seen such a clean place! We used the bathhouse there for all our showers and other necessities for the two days we were there. The ship store staff even gave us some information on the history of the WWII Naval Training facility that used to be there, along with some maps to show historical sites. We easily walked to the Park Museum, as it is just beyond the grounds maintained by Seneca Lakes Resort. We were there during the week so it was pretty quiet. On weekends there are movies and concerts.

An annual trip to enjoy tasting wine, beer, and spirits. Seems every year new venues open. Been to Cayuga and Keyuka lakes also

Hands down one of our family’s best cabin/camping experience so far. Seneca Lake resorts has all the amenities my nephews & son were looking for & more. sand, beach, playground, arcade, basketball court, museum…Our family would definitely come back.