Fall was the perfect time to visit Corning New York. While every day was warm and sunny during our trip, there was a mercifully cool breeze that made strolling around town comfortable. And all this in addition to the changing colors of the leaves? Forget about it. Just lovely.
If you’re visiting the Finger Lakes or even just passing through, make sure you spend some time in Corning. With a charming, artsy downtown with plenty of locally owned shops, restaurants, and galleries, proximity to the eleven Finger Lakes and surrounding vineyard-studded hillsides, and two incredible museums, Corning truly has something wonderful for everyone.
On our first morning in the Finger Lakes, we headed north of Corning to Keuka Lake to do some paddleboarding and kayaking.
Since I’d been kayaking a few times before, I decided to challenge myself by giving paddleboarding a shot this time. I’m glad I did! It was a little scary standing on top of a tiny floating board way out in the middle of a lake, but it was fun to try something new (and it was a good delt workout, too).
I also took the opportunity to get a little yoga in. I kinda love showing off my newfound headstand skills!
After returning to shore, our lakeside adventures weren’t over yet — we drove around to another side of the lake for a seaplane ride at Finger Lakes Seaplanes in nearby Hammondsport, NY.
This plane seats a pilot and three passengers, and it takes off and lands right from the water! We boarded dockside and headed up into the friendly skies for a gorgeous view of the Finger Lakes area.
Upon returning to earth, it was time for a little refresher — a midday wine tasting at the Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, also located in Hammondsport.
The winery’s namesake, Dr. Frank, was a European immigrant, and the first person to successfully grow European grapes in the cold upstate New York climate. No one believed he could do it, but Frank had a PhD in viticulture, years of experience growing the same grapes in Ukraine, and of course, plenty of determination. In 1962, just four years after buying his first plot of land on Keuka Lake, his first vintage was released.
You know how “they” say you should swirl your wine glass to aerate the wine before you taste it? Something about opening up the wine. Well at Dr. Konstantin Frank’s we learned another aeration technique…
Apparently you can lay your wine glass on its side and roll it back and forth to accomplish the same thing you would by swirling it…and make yourself look really cool and knowledgeable in the process. Would def recommend as a party trick.
If the name Corning has been ringing a bell, it’s probably because you’re thinking of Corning Incorporated, the company which manufactures Gorilla Glass and many other specialized glass products, and which founded the Corning Museum of Glass in 1951.
Our visit to the Corning Museum of Glass was easily my favorite stop of this trip, and I could have spent several more hours exploring. Definitely set aside about half a day when you visit. The museum was founded to tell the story of glass, spanning from its earliest uses to today’s modern art.
To showcase the beauty of glass in all its forms, the museum has soaring ceilings and huge windows to bring in as much light as possible.
Live glassmaking demos happen daily, and we were fortunate enough to watch one. At the end of the show, the glassmaker even raffled off one of his previously created pieces to a lucky audience member. (Sadly, not me.)
See that glass pumpkin in the foreground above? At the end of our museum visit, we each had the opportunity to make our own (with the help of a trained glassmaker)! Here’s Liz blowing hers:
When you visit the Corning Museum of Glass, make sure to save some time to browse the stunning gift shop before you leave. It catches your eye right as you enter the museum, but save the pleasure until the end — maybe you’ll find a new favorite artist during your visit and can support them by making a purchase from their collection in the gift shop.
See what I meant about Corning being the destination with something for everyone? Outdoor sports, beautiful vistas, wine, art — asking for more would be a little selfish, no? They certainly don’t call it America’s Most Fun Small Town for nothing.
Make sure Corning New York is on your agenda if you’re visiting the Finger Lakes region, and remember to check out Corning on the web for further trip planning information!
Comments & Reviews
The Corning Museum of Glass looks beautiful! How fun it looks to ride a seaplane at Finger Lakes Seaplanes! Beautiful scenery, too!
What a lovely destination! I appreciate towns with so much to see and do, but still a relaxed feel. Looks like you had the best of both worlds in Corning.
What a lovely place to visit–I know my family would really enjoy it!
I love that you shared this. It looks absolutely idyllic. I’ve always had a dream of visiting NYC in the winter (thank you Home Alone), and now Corning is certainly on my list. It shouldn’t be hard. My husband is from New York.
I have yet to paddle board. It is on my bucket list. This looks like a fun vacation spot. I love how you always share the food.
This looks like a really fun place to visit. I would LOVE the Corning Museum of Glass!
I’ve always wanted to fly in a seaplane. I’ve flown in small ones like that, but land-based. Looks like so much fun to land on water!
I’ve been to Corning before and really enjoyed the trip. I visited the museum there also and I loved every minute of it. Next time I’ll have to try the Seaplane. That looked like a fun adventure!
Looks like a great place to visit for a few days. That Glass museum looks fabulous. When we vacation we make a point to visit a local museum or two and or find a tour of something local.
What an absolutely charming town. I have always been fascinated with glass blowing, and got to try it once when we were in Mexico. This looks like a really fun experience.
Corning, NY is not that far from me. I can’t believe I haven’t been to the Glass Museum before…not even on a school field trip.
Wow! This is the first time I am hearing about Corning New York and I fell in love with it, Liz and Chanelle! Doing yoga there seems like an excellent idea. Was it easy to find accommodation there?
Great pictures. Nice headstand. Looks like a lovely place to visit.
I didn’t know leaves change at this time of year. Love the plane that takes off and lands on the water. The glass museum sounds like a place full of stunning work. I enjoyed the snapshots of what you saw. So I guess you have to good balance for paddleboarding? Maybe I should take up yoga to help me with that, that’s a mean headstand you got there. 🙂