Day 1 — A travel day (New Jersey to Skaneateles, NY)
For Memorial Day weekend, we decided to head up to the Finger Lakes for a concert at Beak & Skiff Orchards in upstate New York. After a 5 hour (more like 6 hour) drive from Jersey, we got to our hotel, and hopped in an Uber (which are hard to find) to get to the concert venue. I think having a concert in an apple orchard is such a cool and smart idea. We were able to try so many different hard ciders, the jam and strawberry flavors were my favorite. The concert was outdoors and everyone was either laying on the grass or sitting in a chair enjoying the live music. The weather was perfect and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. The music itself wasn’t my all time favorite but vibing to live music, outdoors, was extremely fun.
After listening to most of the music, we schemed our way into getting a couple of fresh cider donuts and dipped back to our hotel. A very long, but fantastic day.
Day 2 — Skaneateles, NY & Syracuse, NY
This day was meant for EXPLORING. We did so much this day and it was all so amazing. We started off by exploring the town we were staying in called Skaneateles, located on Skaneateles Lake (one of the cleanest lakes in the United States). We found a free parking lot and walked through town to get to Clover’s, a very yummy diner. After a night of drinking, the food really hit, and it was also very affordable. Post-brunch we walked around the lake and wondered how the water was SO clear and blue. I don’t think I’ve seen water that clear in the US.
After exploring the town, the next stop on our itinerary was the Skanonh Center in Syracuse, NY. It is a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Heritage Center focused on telling the story of the native peoples of central New York. The museum covers a lot of traditions, history and how the Haudenosaunee people are continuing to preserve their culture. I learned so much about the Thanksgiving Address, the Longhouse and the importance of Onondaga Lake to the Oneida people. A lot of the history was extremely sad and brutal due to how white colonialists treated the native people over hundreds of years. I feel very grateful to the Haudenosaunee people for continuing to practice their culture and teach others about it through peaceful words and concepts. This museum made me feel very calm and reminded me how beautiful this planet is.
After the museum, we decided to go to the Limp Lizard for some tasty barbecue. We had to fuel up for our next stop, the Museum of Intrigue. This is essentially an “escape room” except you aren’t locked in a single room. They allow you to walk around a bunch of exhibits to find clues that relate to your mystery. We had to find clues and solve puzzles to unlock the clues and bring them back to our home base. I was so nervous going into this experience because I thought I would be bad. However, I ended up getting REALLY into the experience and it was so much more fun than I expected. It did get a bit tiring at the end because there were only two of us, but it was so rewarding to figure out the mystery.
After a fun day in Syracuse, we headed back to Skaneateles for dinner. Most of the restaurants were pretty packed so we decided to get some pizza from a deli in the center of town. We sat on a bench in front of the lake and enjoyed the sunset.
We spent the night in the hotel, eating our pizza and watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which I haven’t re-watched in a while.
Day 3 — A travel day (Skaneateles, NY to New Jersey)
For our last day, we wanted to do some chill nature activities, and get some coffee at a barn. I found this cool place called Milk House Roastery, a couple of miles from Skaneateles. It is a “coffee shop” that is operated out of a barn and it is locally owned and run. The woman who runs it grew up in the area and roasts her own beans and prepares a couple of different coffees for the day. We were able to chat with her about her process and she told us about how the area is full of artists and showed us around her barn. It was such a cool experience and the coffee was excellent! I highly recommend stopping by this place if you are in the area.
After a lot of caffeine, we headed out to go on a small hike at the High Vista Nature Preserve. It was really nice and green and it felt good to be outside for a little bit before a long drive. Thankfully, the drive back was really speedy and enjoyable. Last, but not least, we had to stop for some ice cream before we headed out. This region has so many cows, LIKE SO MANY. They were everywhere and so cute. Moo.
Some reflections
I really, really loved this trip. I feel like we were able to do a wide range of activities and I really want to go back in the future. There is so much to do in the Finger Lakes area and I think we barely scraped the surface. For someone who lives in New York City, being surrounded by nature feels very grounding. I think the Skanonh Center was my favorite part of the trip. It felt very full circle after reading Braiding Sweetgrass a while ago (Robin Wall Kimmerer is from the Syracuse area). Recently, I feel like I’ve been getting caught in the weeds of my own life and focusing on things that are very small. This trip was a reminder for me that there is a larger picture and that I can practice gratitude for the Earth and that will bring me what I need in the long run. If you are thinking of making a trip out to the Finger Lakes, I would say to full send it!
