Traveling is becoming more expensive for people, especially families, and the need for a Real ID in order to fly in the country is also putting a strain on traveling. This is causing more people to plan shorter trips closer to home, and one of the locally great options for New Yorkers, or anyone close by, is Seneca County located in Upstate New York in between two of the Finger Lakes! There are plenty of affordable options for staying and a number of great free or cheap things to do as a couple or a family with young children!
🏨Staying in Seneca County
Whether you're looking for a budget, an experience, or something fancy, Seneca County offers countless different options for staying overnight one or two nights. If you have children and want to keep them entertained, the Hampton Inn offers an indoor pool and is conveniently close to easy fast food places like McDonald's or Burger King for the little ones. If you're not feeling fast food and want a healthier or homecooked option, you can visit downtown Waterloo and try out La Fiesta Brava for some delicious authentic Mexican or downtown Seneca Falls where they offer a variety of cuisines like Parker's on Fall or Flint & Stave.
Couples in search of something a little more adult friendly can find a great room at The Gould Hotel in the center of Seneca Falls and they can enjoy adult beverages and great food at Fall Street Brewing, or take the short drive to downtown Waterloo where Starr's Restaurant offers high end amazing dishes and a full bar of unique drinks to choose from.
The Hampton Inn indoor pool
The Gould Hotel
Fall Street Brewing
🛍️Shopping on a Budget
Shopping on a budget can be a challenge, but there are a few places in Seneca County where you can score some great deals! Whether you're looking for authentic Amish goods like candy, sweets and treats, or produce and other groceries, Sauders is a great place to visit! They have almost anything you can imagine, from sheds, to birdhouses, to furniture, to fresh meat, produce, and a fully functioning restaurant right inside the store! They offer an expansive book section with a special focus on children's books and literature, and they have great unique gifts for those that couldn't make the trip like soaps, lotions, candles, wind chimes, and so much more. The prices are great and the product is great quality if shopping is on your list of things to do in Seneca County on your quick trip!
Another great place that offers plenty of low cost options is L.C. New York, right around the corner from Sauders nestled in between Seneca Falls and Waterloo. They're a liquidation store that offers name brands at low cost prices, and a lot of great seasonal finds. If part of your quick trip includes visiting and swimming in any of our amazing Finger Lakes, they have tons of children's swimming toys! They also offer name brand children's toys, clothing for the family, home goods, and holiday decor!
Also located in Seneca County are the Finger Lakes Premium Outlets, which offer a number of name brand and locally owned stores. Whether you're in the market for Nike, Adidas, Clark's, or want to check out local vendors offering great discounts, the outdoor mall offers a number of different stores to choose from and has a food court on the property as well. For those that love designer brands, they have a Coach Outlet, Michael Kors, and Kate Spade.
Sauders
Sauders Candy
LC New York
LC New York seasonal water toys
Finger Lakes Premium Outlets
Finger Lakes Premium Outlets
🚺Free Museums
One of the great things about Seneca County is how rich it is with arts, history and culture. Not only is it rich with education, but many of the museums and exhibits they offer are free or reasonably priced. If it's women's history you're curious about, you can start at the Women's Rights National Historical Park, a national park that offers a tour and presentation inside the very church where the movement for women's rights was born! Not only can you check out the Wesleyan Chapel, but they offer a museum exhibit on the second story of their main building with really cool displays like toys from over the years, history on some of the biggest figures in the movement, and information on history like cultural moments, jobs, and other things that impacted the women's rights movement over the last 100+ years. They also have a Wall of Sentiments in a park between the church and main building, that has running water during the summer months.
The Women's Hall of Fame is another great place to visit when going to museums in Seneca County. They offer exhibits showcasing the many women who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, as well as traveling exhibits like art from local artists and a really cute gift shop that offers unique items for everyone.
The Ludivico Sculpture Trail runs along the Erie Canal in downtown Seneca Falls and has a number of historical statues and sculptures that offer a great background on a number of historical happenings in the area. This is a completely free experience and involves the outdoors and easy hiking for the family, away from traffic. It is close to many great shops in Downtown Seneca Falls with unique gifts and delicious food.
Nearby and also along the canal is the Seneca Falls Tourism Center, which has an exhibit featuring the Erie Canal and the Seneca Museum of Waterways Industry. They have multiple exhibits showcasing the history in Seneca County, including the knitting mill, one of the biggest industries and employers in Seneca County, Goulds Pumps, one of the other biggest industries in the county, and plenty of maps and historical dioramas of the entire town, some from before they flooded some of the streets to create an entire lake!
Waterloo offers a lot of great (and free) museums and exhibits as well. The Memorial Day Museum showcases the history of the birth of Memorial Day, which happened right here in Waterloo! The first ever Memorial Day was held on May 5, 1866 and was repeated every year annually. On March 7, 1966, the State of New York recognized Waterloo as the birthplace of Memorial Day. The description from the Town of Waterloo website reads, "The Memorial Day History Room features extensive exhibits on the major players of the Memorial Day concept, these being Henry C. Welles, Gen. John B. Murray and, of course, the venerable Gen. John A. Logan. The exhibit also highlights the 1966 Centennial in Waterloo that led to the recognition of Waterloo as the birthplace of Memorial Day. Also on display, an exhibit of historic images, poetry and prose that were generated throughout the 19th century to commemorate Memorial Day, then known as Decoration Day."
National Women's Hall of Fame
Wesleyan Chapel in the Women's Rights National Historical Park
Women's Rights National Historical Park
National Memorial Day Museum
National Memorial Day Museum
🌳Outdoor Activities
There are some really great places when the weather is nice to hang out with the family in Seneca County. We offer a number of state parks and many of them offer all kinds of amenities. The Seneca Lake State Park is in Seneca County and sits right up against the City of Geneva, which is home to the beautiful Finger Lakes Welcome Center. Seneca Lake State Park offers boat launches for anyone that's visiting with a boat, plenty of shoreline for comfortable walks or jogs, a marina, a beach, and a number of age appropriate playgrounds. There are a ton of picnic tables with barbeque spots, a concession stand near the beach that offers swimming, and a spray park for children to enjoy!
Cayuga Lake State Park offers overnight camping, fishing, and has swimming and playgrounds for children. Their playground is pirate ship themed, making it so much more interesting for kids and parents playing together. They also offer boat launches for anyone bringing a boat!
Seneca Lake Resorts is a private entity located inside of Sampson State Park, and offers rental cabins and seasonal RV camping. They host live music, food trucks, and a lot of great events locally on the weekends and during holidays like the Fourth of July. In their Vista they offer a full service bar that they open and operate during their fun events. They have playgrounds, a marina, a beach to swim at, an arcade, a pizza place, and their newest attraction: a Finger Lakes themed mini-golf course! They offer refreshments like Dip 'n Dots and soda, right at the entryway of their mini-golf course. They also operate the marinas for Sampson State Park and Seneca Lake State Park. Sampson State Park itself offers overnight camping, separate from Seneca Lake Resorts.
The Cayuga-Seneca Canal Trail is a great option for anyone that likes solitude and nature.
The trail begins on Route 96A in Waterloo and runs 4.5 miles along the canal before ending on Fayette Street in Waterloo. You can go biking, skiing, fishing, walking, or running along this trail.
Here is more information from their website: "The roadbed it uses was constructed by the Seneca County Railway from 1896 to 1897. The railroad opened to Waterloo on October 24, 1897, and in 1898 all the way along the canal into Seneca Falls, ending near where the Ovid Street Bridge is today. In 1903 the railway was merged into the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Passenger trains served the line until September 1914. Freight train service continued on this roadbed into the early 1970s (some reports say 1969, but sporadic service remained past then). By 1975 the tracks were removed, awaiting this new era for the old roadbed, which witnessed the passing of the lives of many fine people of Seneca County & beyond.
The current stretch of trail kicks off near Lock 4 in Waterloo and heads southwest towards Lake Seneca. The heavily wooded corridor follows the canal through the picturesque pastoral landscape and tranquil wetlands, allowing users to experience the natural beauty of the area at a leisurely pace. The trail surface is flat, smooth limestone dust, making it ideal for a variety of uses, including walking, jogging, biking, and wheelchair use. After passing through the Bishop Preserve, a tunnel under 96A provides a direct connection to Seneca Lake State Park. Follow the trail along the lakefront and access the park's numerous amenities."
If parks and swimming aren't what you're looking for and you just want some wildlife and solitude, Deer Haven Park and Montezuma Wildlife Refuge are two really great options! Deer Haven Park showcases their rare white deer that you can catch a glimpse of on your tour, but what adds to its layers of uniqueness is that it's set up on an abandoned military base that is rumored to have once stored some of the most dangerous ammunitions during World War II. You can see the overgrown igloos that once stored their weapons, the abandoned train tracks that have since been grown over, and a few bunkers built into the grounds to keep anyone caught outside during an attack safe. Besides the white deer, there's a beaver dam to view as well as a couple of eagle's nests that appear throughout each season. You can opt for a bus tour or their self-guided vehicle tour for a lower price. Montezuma Wildlife Rescue offers waterfront and trails for you to walk on or in some cases drive along to check out the birds and other wildlife that's protected and thriving within the park.
Seneca Lake State Park marina
Seneca Lake State Park shoreline
Cayuga Lake kayakers
Sampson State Park shoreline
Seneca Lake Resorts rental cabin
Deer Haven Park military storage
White deer spotted at Deer Haven Park
Montezuma Wildlife Refuge
Montezuma Wildlife Refuge entry
