Finger Lakes Sites to Watch Out For

So, this site, among other things, focuses on the Finger Lakes. And today, I thought I would point to a few sites which both tell the history of the Finger Lakes and serve various tourism related roles regarding our little part of the lovely blue swirl of our planet earth.

But first: what do you know about the Finger Lakes? I admit I only know what I have learned by osmosis. Glacier lakes? Seneca is the deepest? Sounds of cannon mysteriously reverberating. Lake trout. Burned over district -- and related nineteenth century religious movements. The Seneca Falls aspects of the history of feminism. (On this last point, if you have no clue, see these sites: Women's Rights National Park and National Women's Hall of Fame.) Developed/not-so-developed lakes. So, I gave in to temptation and turned to wikipedia (even though I am ashamed) -- the Wikipedia article on the Finger Lakes was great for me in terms of an overview. A place to start. Some ideas. And if you have an urge to make sense of local geology, try clicking here for a New York State Geological Society perspective.

But here are a few other sites which I recommend checking out:

The Finger Lakes Wine Guide/Middle Finger Lakes Wine Guide: Yes, the middle finger. No, not that middle finger! Run by a B&B owner this site does wine and winery reviews as well as a few restaurant reviews. I suspect this is a newer site as there are not many restaurant reviews (thought these are only a secondary focus).

Finger Lakes Wine Country is a site which covers Chemung Cuonty, Steuben County, Schuyler County and Yates County. It offers information on lodging, restaurants, farmers markets, and all sorts of other interesting aspects of our area. Because of its focus on the four counties noted above, it includes, for example, the Corning Glass Museum.

Friends of the Finger Lakes Publishing focuses on books by Emerson Kees. It opens with a lovely map of the Finger Lakes and has buttons for some of the lakes themselves. Each of these offers some basic background written by Kees.

Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance is a site which is "the official regional website." As such, it covers what seems to be everything about our region -- from dining to shopping, with stops at various cultural possibilities. As a side note, they have a pseudo-blog where one can submit articles -- and bibliochef did one on local blogs a while ago!

Seneca Lake Winery Association: Focused on the many wineries around Seneca Lake, this site also lets you know about happenings along the trail. Check it out!

There are, of course, many more sites. But these will get you started. Have fun -- and recommend ones you think are crucial in the comments please?