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Foreword
There’s no place on Earth quite like the Finger Lakes, and there’s never been a book about the region quite like this one.
An exceptionally beautiful 4,692-square-mile corner of Upstate New York, the Finger Lakes are dotted with historic cities, vast farmland, vineyards, dramatic gorges, waterfalls and waterways. But perhaps most intriguing are the region’s many eccentricities, beginning with Indigenous folklore. The earliest inhabitants believed the lakes were formed when the Great Spirit laid his hands on the land to bless it, and His fingers left imprints that filled with water.
Think of this book as an armchair field guide of sorts to the odd, the offbeat,the fascinating and mysterious,the just plain unexpected –a book that explores the region’s often overlooked stories, legends, and best-kept secrets. It’s filled with curious characters – religious zealots, daredevils, explorers, suffragettes, inventors, benefactors, artists and writers, winemakers and brewmasters, bootleggers and scoundrels.
Visit the birthplace of women’s rights, the home of the first ice cream sundae, the world’s fastest carousel, waterfalls taller than Niagara, a haunted winery, a brain collection, and a circus school.
Drive over a bridge that inspired a classic movie. Search for a Gilded Age secret garden, a Gothic castle, a six-story treehouse, a life-sized papier-mâché dinosaur, and a faithful recreation of Monet’s garden.
Discover the drive-in that time forgot, a Confederate POW camp, an anarchist’s flower shop, a tavern with an electric chair, Harriet Tubman’s hometown, Mark Twain’s gravesite, and find out what in the world Amelia Earhart was doing here.
When you put all these places and stories together, it’s like lifting a curtain, and hardly surprising that the Finger Lakes has been called picturesque and enchanting, curious and creative, historic and inventive – it’s all those things and more.
Dio Way
Flash the devil horns
Naming a street after one of a town’s native sons is a meaningful way for a community to honor and memorialize an individual who’s made significant contributions, either locally or on a larger scale. Ronnie James Dio accomplished both, and on November 15, 1998, the city of Cortland officially renamed a street “Dio Way” in his honor.
Born in 1942 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Ronald James Padavona spent many of his formative years in Cortland. Beginning with his first band, the Vegas Kings, formed while attending Cortland High School, his musical career spanned six decades with Ronnie and the Rumblers, Ronnie and the Red Caps, Ronnie Dio and the Prophets, Elf,The Electric Elves,The Elves, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, and Heaven and Hell. Even after his death in 2010, his influence continues to be felt through the many musicians he inspired, including Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest.With his powerful voice and theatrical storytelling, Dio helped elevate heavy metal into an art form.
Oh, and about the “devil horns” gesture: perhaps Dio’s most lasting contribution to rock and metal culture. It involves extending the index and pinky fingers while tucking in the middle and ring fingers. Dio adopted the hand sign from his Italian grandmother, who used it to ward off the “evil eye” in Italian folk tradition. He began using the gesture during his time with Black Sabbath (after replacing Ozzy Osbourne), and it became a connection to the darker or more aggressive themes in heavy metal music.
Dio Way, although not far from his boyhood home, feels like an ironic tribute. It’s a short, austere block, in stark contrast to the artist’s energy and creativity. Under the street sign you might see flowers, candles, or even guitar picks, left there in honor of Dio’s legacy. It’s a landmark that draws devoted fans who flash the devil horns when they drive by.
Address Dio Way, between Central Avenue and East Court Street, Cortland, NY 13045, www.cortland.org | Getting there From Route 13, turn onto Hubbard Street, follow to Central Avenue, then turn onto Dio Way | Hours Unrestricted | Tip Another musician with roots in the region, Peter Yarrow rented an apartment on East State Street in Ithaca while attending Cornell, where he composed “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” popularized by Peter, Paul and Mary in 1963 (614 East State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850).
First Wave Sculptures
Birthplace of American feminism
In 1848,a group of “uppity women”from Seneca Falls banded together to make “unladylike” demands, for things like property rights, child custody rights, equal access to education, equal pay for equal work, the right to own property, the right to control their earnings, and –gasp! – the right to vote.
It took the form of a convention, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Mary Ann M’Clintock, Jane Hunt, Martha Coffin Wright, and Amelia Bloomer, motivated by their own life experiences. Over two days, July 19 and 20, more than 300 people attended the first Women’s Rights Convention in the local Wesleyan Chapel.
Initially drafted by Cady Stanton, a document called the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, echoing the language and cadence of the Declaration of Independence, called for equal social, legal, and political rights for women. Signed by 68 women and 32 men, including abolitionist Frederick Douglass, the Declaration became a blueprint for the early women’s rights movement.
The national park is actually a collection of historic sites, all within easy walking distance. The centerpiece of the visitors center is a 20-figure sculpture executed by Lloyd Lillie, Professor of Fine Arts at Boston University, near-life-sized depictions of the assembled activists, installed and dedicated in 1993. Called The First Wave, referring to the earliest period of organized activism, the installation allows you to feel as if you were part of that 1848 gathering, as you mingle among the bronze figures. Take a walk up the metal stairs to browse multiple exhibits that tell the “herstory” of the movement, the legend of the local activists, the battle for the ballot, and the life and times of women of the era.
The park includes the Wesleyan Chapel, the farmhouse Elizabeth Cady Stanton called “Grassmere,”and Mary Ann M’Clintock’s twostory red-brick home.
Address Women’s Rights National Historical Park, 136 Fall Street (Routes 5 & 20), Seneca Falls, NY 13148, +1 (315) 568-0024, www.nps.gov | Getting there Follow Routes 5 & 20 into downtown Seneca Falls, between Clinton Street and Mynderse Street | Hours Daily 10am – 4pm | Tip Visit the nearby National Women’s Hall of Fame on the first floor of the historic Seneca Knitting Mill, featuring ongoing exhibitions on loan from the Smithsonian art installation (1 Canal Street, Seneca Falls, NY 13148, www.womenofthehall.org).
Forest Bathing
Thoreau would approve
Henry David Thoreau once wisely wrote, “An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” Thoreau would undoubtedly embrace the practice of forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, a term coined in Japan in the 1980s as a preventive healthcare method. This is not exercise, hiking, or jogging. It’s more about being in the present moment and connecting with nature.
The forested trails of the Finger Lakes are defining elements of the region’s character, with diverse ecosystems, breathtaking views, and access to remote, peaceful settings. Since 2016, the Bristol Hills Trail near Naples has provided a natural environment for guided immersions that transform simple walks into curated, meaningful, and restorative experiences. The guide is Deborah Denome, horticultural therapist, herbalist, and certified forest therapy guide, trained in techniques and practices that help participants fully engage with sensory elements of the forest in ways that provide an inner calm and fresh inspiration. Leave your phone and cameras behind.
Deborah serves as a bridge between participants and nature, creating personalized excursions, based on individual comfort levels, experiences that might be harder to achieve independently. She offers prompts or cues called “invitations,”encouraging participants to focus attention, perhaps listening for certain sounds or observing specific natural details of the wooded landscape. One invitation might be to notice the different melodies and rhythms a stream makes as it meanders alongside the trail. Another might suggest slowing way down and noticing all the living things that are moving even more slowly than you are.These invitations create a serene escape, in stark contrast to often stressful patterns of daily life.
Finger Lakes Forest Therapy sessions are 90-minute or 3-hour guided walks, concluding with a tea ceremony.
Skenoh Island
Native American hiding place
Located at the northwest corner of Canandaigua Lake, this small patch of land has captivated imaginations for centuries. Skenoh Island, once known as “Squaw Island,”is closely tied to the history and culture of the Seneca Nation, one of the tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy. According to Seneca legend, the island was a place of refuge for Seneca women and children during a conflict with the French in the 18th century. Women of the tribe are said to have sought refuge on the island, giving it lasting cultural and historical significance.
At one time, the island was much larger. The lake’s wave action has reduced its size from two acres to its present one-fifth of an acre, and Skenoh has been called “New York’s smallest state park.”The site came to the attention of Dr. John M. Clarke, geologist and paleontologist. It seems that Skenoh is one of only a few places worldwide where one can find rare oncolites which form in the water around the island, a geological oddity known as “water biscuits.”These discshaped, whitish cakes of lime occur when the lime falls out of solution in the water and is deposited over small objects such as pebbles or twigs.
Today, a day trip destination, Skenoh is popular for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, and hiking. A public boat launch is available at the north end of Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park, for trailered, motorized boats. A gently sloping concrete ramp also provides access for paddlers with car-top canoes or kayaks. Paddlers can also access the water just upstream of the boat launch at grassy areas along the creek.
In 1918, Canandaigua native Mary Clark Thompson, philanthropist and wife of prominent banker Frederick Ferris Thompson, used her influence and connections to have the island declared a New York State Museum Reservation, then arranged for the transfer on a 10-ton boulder to the island to commemorate its status.
Address Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park, 620 South Main Street, Canandaigua, NY 14424, +1 (585) 394-9420, www.parks.ny.gov | Getting there Follow Routes 5 & 20 or Route 332 to South Main Street | Hours Unrestricted | Tip Skenoh is not the only island in the region. Cayuga Lake has two small islands. One, near Union Springs, is uninhabited Frontenac Island, an ancient burial ground; the other is Canoga Island, just off the Canoga Marsh Wildlife Area, with 23 summer homes.
