Watkins Glen, NY

A beloved downtown BBQ spot ranked consistently among the best restaurants in Watkins Glen, with pulled pork and smoked wings that draw repeat visits even from gorge day-trippers. The picnic-table vibe and generous portions make it the natural first stop after a morning hike. Local meats, real smoke — not a tourist operation.

The town's Italian anchor since the late 1990s, Jerlando's sits on North Franklin and does the things the Finger Lakes do best: wood-fired pizza, house-made pasta, and a wine list that draws heavily from the surrounding Seneca and Cayuga trails. Ranked in Watkins Glen's top three restaurants consistently, this is where locals send their visiting relatives.

A wine bar and bistro set on Route 14 with a lake-view patio that practically defines the Seneca Lake Wine Trail experience. Hand-crafted Finger Lakes small plates pair with a focused local wine list that rotates to reflect what's pouring well from the surrounding vineyards. Open year-round at the Lakeside Resort — the off-season is when you get elbow room and the best conversations with the staff.

An 1876 train station converted into a lakefront dining room with a mahogany bar and a beach patio directly on the Seneca Lake marina. The setting is unambiguously the main draw — fish, steaks, and regional specialties under the original iron train-shed roof with boats visible through the windows. It earns its place for the atmosphere even when the kitchen has an off night.

A casual café near Watkins Glen State Park serving sandwiches, wraps, salads, and coffee — the practical meal option for hikers doing the gorge trail who want something beyond the park concession. Good for a quick refuel before the gorge walk or a relaxed lunch after. Unpretentious and efficiently run.

A craft brewery and tap room in downtown Watkins Glen pouring house-brewed beers alongside pub food — burgers, wings, flatbreads — in a casual, social atmosphere that anchors the evening scene in town. After a day of wine tasting or gorge hiking, the taproom makes a natural transition to something lighter and more social. Live music on select weekends.

The signature 2-mile gorge trail inside Watkins Glen State Park, passing 19 waterfalls along a continuous stone staircase path. It climbs approximately 500 feet through a narrow canyon where the light changes dramatically throughout the day. This is the one hike visitors come to Watkins Glen specifically to do — and it earns the attention.

A flat, multi-use rail-trail that runs 12 miles south from Watkins Glen along an abandoned railroad corridor through the Catharine Creek valley. It's the anti-gorge trail — wide, shaded, accessible — and runs through farmland and wooded bottomland that looks completely different from the dramatic gorge landscape above town. Perfect for cyclists, families with young kids, or anyone who wants miles without elevation.

The less-traveled counterpart to the famous Gorge Trail, the South Rim sits above the gorge at the canyon's edge and delivers top-down views of the waterfalls below. It's a loop that connects back via the Indian Trail and offers overlooks you simply can't see from inside the gorge. Most visitors skip it entirely — which makes it the best crowd-free hiking option in the park.

A family-operated winery north of Watkins Glen on Route 414 with a tasting room full of antique decor, a casual lakeside atmosphere, and a track record of being voted one of the top tasting rooms in the country by Wine Enthusiast. Known for accessible Rieslings and their red cat wine that nobody admits to loving but everyone orders. The staff here talk about the vines the way mechanics talk about engines.

The first winery established on Seneca Lake and still one of the most visited, Glenora sits on a bluff with a panoramic view of the lake from its tasting room and the attached inn. The Veraisons restaurant makes it possible to spend the whole day here — tasting, eating, then watching the light change over the water. More polished than most Finger Lakes wineries, with consistent quality across their estate whites.

A low-key, family-run winery on Route 14 south of Watkins Glen with award-winning Rieslings and a chardonnay program that punches well above its price point. No pretense, no theme-park tasting experience — just good wine, honest prices, and staff who've been here long enough to know every tank in the building. The pinot noir is a surprise worth trying.

Beyond just watching races, the event weekends at WGI transform Watkins Glen into a motorsport destination where camping in the infield, paddock walks, and the roar of prototype cars at full throttle define the experience. The IMSA WeatherTech Championship and the NASCAR race draw different crowds — IMSA for the cars, NASCAR for the pageantry. Either way, the natural amphitheater of the Esses section offers some of the best spectating sightlines in American racing.

A 778-acre gorge park where a 2-mile trail threads through 19 waterfalls and 200-foot canyon walls carved by Glen Creek. The Gorge Trail is entirely stone-stepped and lit by mist from Rainbow Falls — you can walk directly behind it. One of the most dramatic short hikes in the Northeast without requiring any technical ability.

The deepest of the Finger Lakes at over 600 feet, Seneca stretches 38 miles north with the clearest water in the region. The public pier at the bottom of Franklin Street puts you at eye level with sailboats and the open water, and the marina is the departure point for boat tours. The agricultural terraces on both shores are what make Riesling grow so well here.

One of America's most storied road circuits, this 3.4-mile track has hosted Formula 1 and now hosts NASCAR and IMSA weekends that transform the whole region. Even on non-race days the facility runs lapping sessions and tours, and the village racing history is visible in old signage and track memorabilia at local bars. The banking and elevation changes are unlike anything on the NASCAR calendar.