Festivals aren’t just for the Festive

There are many festivals that occur throughout the Finger Lakes. Every weekend, especially in the summer, there is always a Festival to attend. There are festivals for everyone’s liking from beer and wine, to food, to crafts, to yoga, and everything in between.

One of my favorite festivals of the summer is the Canandaigua Lakefront Art Show. I have been going to the show since I was pretty young and always enjoy the variety of artists, sculptors, jewelers and other people who are selling things or promoting a business. Art festivals and shows are places where you can buy crafts, artwork, tools, jewelry and decorations from local artists and therefore support local small businesses.

Another festival that I really enjoy is the Riesling Festival. The Riesling Festival is held at the New York Wine and Culinary Center and on the Canandaigua City Pier. This year was the first year that I attended the event as this was the first year that I was of drinking age for the event. We got to have unlimited samples of many different wines from plenty of different wineries. There was also a craft beer tasting tent to try a variety of different beers and ciders from local breweries. We even got to stomp grapes! There were also a variety of food trucks on the pier where we sat and ate lunch before going back for more wine. Inside the building was also free cheese tasting.

A big popular wine festival that I have not had the chance to go to but know many people who have and who thoroughly  enjoy going, is the Finger Lakes Wine Festival. The festival is held in Watkins Glen at Watkins Glen International Speedway.

The Lilac Festival is held in May and features local vendors, music, and food. It is a beautiful sight to see with hundreds of blooming lilac bushes in all different colors.

 

A picture of a lilac at the Lilac Festival

 

Xerox Rochester international Jazz Festival is held yearly in June or July.  The Jazz Fest as it is known to locals is a very popular summer event. Jazz artists from local to well known perform at the event.

Finger Lakes Cheese Festival  The Finger Lakes cheese festival is just what it sounds like, a festival featuring cheese.

Ganondagon Native American Dance and Music Festival embraces and showcases the traditions of the Native Americans that lived in the Finger Lakes region. Ganondagon is a center that is open year round and offers many events and activities.

The Grassroots Festival is a festival of music and dance and many consider it to be Woodstock-like. It is held in Trumansburg and focuses on traditional and contemporary roots music.

The Sauerkraut Festival is held in Phelps, a city that was once the Sauerkraut capital of the world. In celebration they have a festival every year with more Sauerkraut than anyone could ever dream of.

had actually never heard of the Finger Lakes Yoga Festival Finger Lakes Yoga Festival until starting research for this blog post. The festival focuses on family, simplicity, nature and fun. There are yoga workshops and other activities to practice having a peaceful mind.

The Garlic Festival is a great festival for all the garlic lovers out there.

The NYS Festival of balloons features dozens and dozens of hot air balloons and is a great sight to see even if you are afraid of riding in one.

The Letchworth Arts and Crafts Show and Sale is held at Letchworth State Park every year. It draws many local, regional and national artists, artisans, and performing artists. It is one of the top 50 art festivals in the USA.

For more festivals, check out http://fingerlakestravelny.com/festivals/

I am sure that you will find one you would love to go to! Until then, enjoy FLX Living!

Letchworth State Park

If you are looking for someplace to visit for a day away from the lake, Letchworth State Park http://nysparks.com/parks/79/details.aspx is a great place to go especially if you are visiting Conesus Lake or Hemlock, Canadice or Honeoye Lake as it is not too terribly far from any of these lakes. The closest Finger Lake to it is Conesus Lake. The park is located about 35 miles southwest of Rochester Castile, New York.  It has been voted Best in the Nation in 2015 and is often referred to as “The Grand Canyon of the East”. This canyon is created by the Genesee River that cuts down through the park. It is a very popular destination for wedding, engagement, family, and senior photos as it does have some very neat views and provides great backdrops for photographs. It is especially popular in the fall as leaves begin to change and colors really start to pop against the gray rock, blue sky, and rushing waterfalls.

There are many picnic areas and pavilions throughout the park. Some pavilions have real fireplaces with picnic tables to host parties, events, or just a day out with friends or family.  Many of the picnic tables outside the pavilions throughout the park are actually made of stone which is something that I found to be very cool.

Believe it or not, I live a little over an hour from Letchworth but had never been there until just recently. I was home for a long weekend and fall break from college and decided to take a trip over to Letchworth with my mom on a Saturday afternoon. As we got on the road we realized we didn’t have anything for lunch and should probably stop to get something. As we drove through Mount Morris we decided to stop for some lunch. We ended up going to a little pub right on Main Street called Charred.  It was much better than anticipated and provided us with fuel before a long day of hiking and adventuring.

We came into the park at the park entrance and drove down Park Road stopping at different vistas and lookout points. The park does charge an admittance fee of $10, but it is well worth the views.  I will tell you that you do usually have to pull off to the side or in one of the parking lots to actually be able to see the Gorge. I had been to the Grand Canyon just 10 months earlier and I am not sure if they should have told me it was like the Grand Canyon of the East. I do see their similarities but I would recommend going to the Letchworth before going to the Grand Canyon as the Grand Canyon is just that much bigger. Letchworth is much greener than the Grand Canyon and being that we visited in the fall, much more colorful as well as the leaves started changing. There is a bit of a hike down about 100 or so stairs to see the smaller waterfall, but the main waterfall does not require much walking and is very accessible to anyone.  I was able to get some good photographs even though leaves weren’t quite at peak for the area. I do definitely recommend going in the fall as the leaves do make it that much more beautiful.