Finger Lakes, NY
Thanksgiving Break Nov. 24-26 2023 Trip
As the kids grow with each year. We find things a little easier to do with them. One of those things being travel. We have made it a point to vacation every year whether it’s to the Carolina beaches or to the woodlands of Maine. Now, we are finding it fun to add on other long weekend trips into the mix throughout the year. We left the day after Thanksgiving and headed about 5 hours North from Pennsylvania into New York to a lovely wine country filled area called Branchport, New York near Keuka Lake. We booked a really nice rustic home with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms each on a different floor hoping to convince others to join us. Due to conflicting hunting seasons and the Holiday, it ended up being us with my in laws. The drive was beautiful taking you through some of the nicest scenery Pennsylvania has to offer with it’s rolling mountains, creek filled hollows, small towns and rivers along the way. We stopped and got some groceries in Corning, New York. While having only a little time left until arrival… we stopped and grabbed some pizzas for dinner right off an exit to take back to the cabin. We knew there was not much around once we got there. We enjoyed a quick dinner and unloaded the trucks of our possessions and food. We settled in and hung out that evening warm in the cozy living room. My husband had booked 2 morning duck/geese hunting sessions. I stuck back with my mother in law, her puppy and the kids while my husband, our dog, Timber and my father-in-law went to hunt. Whilst they were gone, we soaked in the hot tub and I went outside and explored the surrounding area. There was a small pond on the property that I was able to walk around. The boys were home by lunch time and we decided to get ready and venture out to a local winery (my only goal for the trip, ha). Stever Hill Winery was the name of the winery and it did not disappoint. Tucked on the backside of what usually is an open-air covered porch… for the cold season it was closed in and warmed up nicely with patio heaters throughout and beautifully decorated for the upcoming Holiday season. We enjoyed some wine and beer tasting, flights and the kids tried the fresh local grape juice. We drove a short way to Keuka Lake and walked around in the cold and saw the sun set. Me of course crazily taking pics of the kids and holding onto them being little for as long as I can. Next, we needed to find some dinner. A few suggestions from the locals were closed. (Remember this is a non-busy season and was also a holiday weekend. Venturing over to the town of Penn Yan we found a place called the Tavern Restaurant and the food was really good as well as the service. After, a margarita for mama and a filling meal we headed back home to the comforts of our rental and got into our pajama’s and relaxed. After one final morning soak with the kids in the hot tub and my husband’s final Sunday AM hunt, we packed and headed home back to Pennsylvania.
