Lodging on Seneca Lake: What's There and How It Differs

Geneva, at the northern end of the lake, is a small city with Hobart and William Smith Colleges on the shore and a historic downtown of restaurants and independent shops. Lodging here leans toward historic inns and small hotels. Belhurst Castle, a Romanesque Revival castle on the lake listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has rooms in the castle, a newer inn building and cottages, and makes its own wine. Several of the lake's oldest wineries are on the northern shores.

Wineries line Route 14 on the western shore and Route 414 on the eastern shore, and the southeastern shore, sometimes called the "banana belt," is known for warmer sites suited to red grapes. Most visitors stay in one place and drive both shores. On the east side, The Fox and the Grapes in Lodi is an 1885 Victorian with 5 rooms among the vineyards, and Stonecat Café & Rooms in Hector has 4 guest units next to a farm-to-table restaurant open since 1999.

Watkins Glen, at the southern tip, draws visitors beyond the wine trail. Watkins Glen State Park, with a gorge trail past 19 waterfalls, draws visitors who are not there for wine, and the Watkins Glen International racetrack draws crowds on race weekends. The town has motels, inns and hotels: Idlwilde Inn is an 1892 Victorian with 15 rooms a short walk from the gorge, and Seneca Lodge has operated since 1948, with more than 80 cabins, chalets and motel rooms about 5 minutes from the park entrance.

A few properties on Seneca Lake have direct water access, as opposed to lake views with a drive to the water. Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel, with 107 rooms, sits beside Glen Harbor Marina at the southern tip, and The Hotel Laurel at Seneca, the first motel built in Watkins Glen, reopened in 2023 with every room looking out on the lake. Lakeside rooms book out early for summer weekends.

The Seneca Lake wine country is open year-round, but the busy season runs from late May through October, and the grape harvest in September and October is the busiest time. Winter visits work, since the lake stays open and many wineries offer tastings year-round, but some small inns and B&Bs shorten hours or close between December and March. Watkins Glen State Park's gorge trail is usually open from mid-May into the fall.