Discover Ontario County: Nature, Gardens and Culture

Ontario County combines diverse nature experiences with gardens, history and cultural discoveries. Here you can enjoy hiking and cycling, viewpoints and waterfalls, visit historic sites or spend a day exploring museums, wine tastings and special activities. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home, the key consideration is therefore which combination should define your trip: activity in the landscape, culture, water-based experiences or as many different excursions as possible.

Trails, Viewpoints and Nature Experiences

Ontario County Park at Gannett Hill offers hiking and cycling trails, making it an option for planning an active day outdoors. The Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area provides a different perspective on the landscape. From a viewpoint along Honeoye Lake, you can enjoy views of the lake; in clear conditions, the view extends toward Rochester and Lake Ontario.

Shorter nature experiences can also be included in your travel plans. Grimes Glen is known for its waterfalls. The Stid Hill Wildlife Management Area covers 847 acres in Bristol and South Bristol in Ontario County and is used for wildlife-related recreation. Ontario Pathways allows hiking, cycling, walking, jogging and horseback riding. Other activities include birdwatching, geocaching, letterboxing and botanical walks; in winter, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are possible there.

The Cumming Nature Center offers activities and events year-round, as well as trails for hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. This allows you to take different seasons and interests into account when planning your trip without limiting your stay to just one type of excursion.

Gardens, Mansions and Regional Culture

One of the notable cultural and garden experiences is Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park. The 50-acre grounds include formal and informal gardens, a historic mansion, the Lord & Burnham greenhouse complex and views of Canandaigua Lake. The mansion was built in 1887 in the Queen Anne style. Sonnenberg also preserves a living collection of nine historic gardens. During the gardening season, visitors can take part in tasting tours at the Finger Lakes Wine Center.

The Ontario County Historical Society is housed in a Georgian Revival-style building. It contains collections, archives, exhibition spaces and galleries. The museum and research center is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The galleries feature an exhibition produced annually by the Ontario County Historical Society, quarterly exhibitions by the Ontario County Arts Council and the Open Hearth Kitchen exhibition.

The Seneca Art & Culture Center is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you would like to include culture in your trip, it is worth taking these opening hours, as well as the seasonal schedule for the tasting tours, into account when planning your day.

Active Days and Special Excursions

The Aerial Adventure Park at Bristol Mountain offers a self-guided treetop experience with bridges, rope bridges, zip lines and other obstacles in the canopy. Seven courses cover different levels of difficulty, from beginner to advanced. This allows you to take your preferred level of challenge into account when choosing this excursion.

For a combination of time by the water and a picnic, Deep Run Beach is available for picnicking and swimming from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Roseland Wake Park describes itself as the first and only cable wake park in the northeastern United States. Those wishing to include regional food and drink experiences in their plans can follow the 41-mile Canandaigua Lake Wine Trail, which features wineries, restaurants, gourmet shops and picnic areas.

Choosing the Right Accommodation

When looking for a holiday apartment in Ontario County, you can first determine your preferred travel dates. Nature trails, viewpoints and winter activities favor planning focused on activity and the landscape. Gardens, museums and historic buildings offer different highlights, while the Wine Trail, tasting tours and picnic areas complement the culinary side of the trip. This keeps your accommodation choice oriented toward your personal itinerary without requiring you to commit to just one type of experience.

For further orientation, you can also explore Victor, Canandaigua, Shortsville and Phelps. You can find more destinations under Livingston County, Albany, Montgomery County and Franklin.

To the main travel overview: New York.