Family-Friendly Finger Lakes Hotels & Resorts
The Finger Lakes have more family infrastructure than the wine country reputation suggests. The gorge parks — Watkins Glen, Taughannock Falls, Robert H. Treman — are accessible hiking that works with children in a way that requires no technical preparation. The lakes have public and private swimming. The properties that work well for families have outdoor access, pool or lake swimming, and enough room to spread out — they've made peace with the fact that not every Finger Lakes guest is there for the tasting rooms.
4 Properties
Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel
Watkins Glen · Hotel
A 107-room waterfront hotel at the southern tip of Seneca Lake, adjacent to Glen Harbor Marina. AAA Four Diamond. Many rooms have private balconies with panoramic lake views. Blue Pointe Grille and Coldwater Bar on site; alfresco dining on The Patio with a firepit overlooking the water. Indoor pool and hot tub. Watkins Glen State Park, with its mile-long gorge trail and 19 waterfalls, is within walking distance.
The Chalet of Canandaigua
Canandaigua · Lodge
Three bedroom suites on a wooded property with a private pond and walking trails near Canandaigua Lake. Each suite has a soaking tub, fireplace, and private bath; a three-course gourmet breakfast and evening desserts are included. Ranked in TripAdvisor's top 25 B&Bs in the USA for six consecutive years, and a Select Registry member. The property's alpine name fits its mountain-lodge feel — quiet, wooded, distinctly not commercial.
The Statler Hotel
Ithaca · Hotel
A 153-room teaching hotel on the Cornell campus in Ithaca, run in partnership with Cornell's School of Hotel Administration since the 1950s. More than 300 students work alongside professional staff each year, which produces a combination of genuine hospitality training and unusually attentive service. TavernaBanfi is the signature dining room; The Regent Lounge, in-room dining, and a student-operated restaurant round out the food program. Renovated in 2010. On the edge of Ithaca's gorge country.
Hotel Laurel at Seneca
Watkins Glen · Motel
The former Glen Motor Inn, bought out and fully renovated in 2022–2023 as Hotel Laurel at Seneca. Lake-view rooms with balconies overlooking Seneca Lake; mid-century modern design. The Grill at The Laurel is on-site, with deck seating and fire pits on the water. Two miles from Watkins Glen State Park; six miles from Watkins Glen International Raceway. Affordable and well-located in a corridor where both qualities are harder to find than they should be.
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Browse Now →What Makes It
- •The gorge parks are the clearest family draw in the region — Watkins Glen's 19 waterfalls and 3 miles of trail are achievable by most kids old enough to walk independently. Taughannock Falls, at 215 feet, is taller than Niagara and has easy access from a flat trail suitable for young children.
- •Several lakefront properties have beach or dock access that makes summer family stays obviously worthwhile — swimming, kayaking, and paddleboarding on a Finger Lake without organized programming is its own sufficient activity for a family weekend.
- •The region is compact enough for a family to cover multiple activities without long driving: gorge hike in the morning, lake swimming in the afternoon, a family-friendly dinner in Watkins Glen or Ithaca in the evening.
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