7 Reasons to Stay in Trumansburg for an Epic Finger Lakes Vacation

[Updated April 1, 2023] When planning a Finger Lakes vacation, a decision must be made on which town to base your travels from. Because there are so many tempting options, that choice may present a challenge. I’d like to ease that challenge by suggesting that you stay in Trumansburg, NY, a village on Cayuga Lake that’s close to wineries, hiking trails, waterfalls, amazing restaurants, and more.

Deciding where to stay in the Finger Lakes is not an easy task. Each town has its own personality and allure. If you’re looking to stay a little off the beaten path but still close to the wineries, breweries, and outdoor activities that make this area amazing, consider Trumansburg, NY as your next home base in the Finger Lakes. Here are seven reasons why. 

1. Wineries and Breweries are Minutes Away

Because you’re in the Finger Lakes, things to do in Trumansburg, NY include wineries. The village is located on the west side of Cayuga Lake, close to many of the wineries that make up the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. Several breweries are also close by, which makes Trumansburg a super convenient home base for your Finger Lakes vacation.

Staying in Trumansburg means you can zip out for an afternoon of wine or beer tasting, then return to your inn or rental to freshen up and hit the wineries that are further away. 

The wineries near Trumansburg, NY—plus one cidery—that we love are:

• Frontenac Point Vineyard & Estate Winery – Wine flights and a covered deck that looks out onto a view of their vineyards and beyond that, Cayuga Lake. 9501 Route 89, Trumansburg. Ph: 607-387-9619 (5-minute drive from downtown Trumansburg)
• Americana Vineyards – Sample everything from dry Rieslings to sweet brandy and, on a summer night, dance under the stars to live local music. 4367 E. Covert Road, Interlaken. Ph: 607-387-6801 (5-minute drive from downtown Trumansburg)
• Bet the Farm Winery – A boutique winery under the helm of winemaker Nancy Tisch and her husband and General Manager Kit Kalfs. They offer wine and food flights inside the Big Blue Barn. 4204 Drums Corners Road, Trumansburg. Ph: 607-387-6548 (10-minute drive from downtown Trumansburg)
• Finger Lakes Cider House –The tasting room is located inside a beautifully restored barn with windows that look out onto an organic farm tilled by horse-driven plows. What’s not grown on the premises is obtained from neighboring farms, making certain their daily lunch menu and weekend brunch is made up entirely of local ingredients. A yurt is available for rent for those who would like to stay overnight on the property. 4017 Hickock Road, Interlaken. Ph: 607-351-3313 (10-minute drive from downtownTrumansburg)

Downtown Trumansburg is also only about 15 miles away from the many wineries and breweries—and spectacular sunsets—that can be found on Seneca Lake’s eastern shore.

2. The Tallest Waterfall in New York is in Trumansburg

Hiking or driving to Taughannock Falls is easily one of the best things to do in Trumansburg, NY. While it doesn’t quite reach the height of Kaaterskill Falls (231 feet), nor is it as massive in volume as Niagara Falls, Taughannock Falls, at 215 feet, is the tallest single-drop waterfall in the northeast. 

A must-see for nature-lovers, photographers, and waterfall chasers, the falls are accessible in a few different ways. Visitors who are short on time or unable to hike can drive up to the Overlook Visitor’s Center, park in the lot, and walk just a few steps to a viewing platform.

Hikers should follow the Taughannock Falls Gorge Trail, which follows Taughannock Creek and passes by Lower Falls before reaching the waterfall. The Gorge Trail is .95 miles and moderate in difficulty. For a view into the gorge from above, consider following the South Rim (1.2 miles) or North Rim (1.5 miles) Trails.

In addition to hiking, Taughannock Falls State Park offers a wide range of summer recreational activities, including swimming, fishing, and kayaking in Cayuga Lake. Paddle-N-More offers kayak, canoe, and paddleboard lessons and rentals at Taughannock Falls State Park. 

There’s a sandy beach and a large lawn dotted with picnic tables and grills. Campsites and cabin rentals are also available. The park is also a winter destination, with opportunities for ice-skating, sledding, and cross-country skiing. 

Parking for the Taughannock Falls trails is available just off the main road. If the smaller lot on the waterfall side of the road (underneath the sign for Inn at Taughannock) is full, park in the much larger lot across the street. Find more information here on fees and parking at Taughannock Falls State Park.

I loved staying at such a close distance to Taughannock Falls State Park because Matt and I were able to visit several times during the week. On our first visit, we viewed the falls from the Taughannock Falls Overlook, and then hiked the Gorge Trail the next day for a much closer look—here we were able to experience more fully the power of the falls, as it sent a cold wind our way and coated my glasses with waterdrops within seconds. 

Another evening, we stopped at Main Street Market for take-out and then found a picnic table in the park and ate dinner while we watched the sun set over the lake. 

If you’re Interested in a guided hike to Taughannock Falls or another waterfall, Experience The Finger Lakes offers a selection of natural history hikes and waterfalls tours. And if hiking through gorges and past waterfalls is your goal, there are plenty of additional options to do so in nearby Ithaca and Watkins Glen. Staying in Trumansburg makes reaching their trails convenient, too. 

3. Restaurants in Trumansburg are among the best in the Finger Lakes

If you are heading to Trumansburg anytime soon, please stop reading this right now and book at table at Hazelnut Kitchen in downtown Trumansburg!

Matt and I had an upbeat, fun experience from the moment we walked in for a weeknight dinner. In fact, the vibe was so positive that our server convinced me, a well-known picky eater, to order an item called “Let the Kitchen Decide,” described on the menu only as a “thoughtfully designed entrée by our chef.” 

Our server could tell me nothing about the ingredients I might expect to be a part of my dish; she would only say that the chef’s nightly creations were a beloved tradition that repeat diners had a lot of fun taking chances on. 

And it ended up being so much fun—over our appetizer of fried fiddlehead ferns, we speculated over what the dish could possibly be and watched every dish come out of the kitchen wondering if someone else had ordered the surprise meal, too. 

After much anticipation, my meal finally arrived and, after feeling extremely stuffed and satisfied, I came to the following conclusions: 

1. If the dish had been described on the menu, I wouldn’t have ordered it. 
2. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten in the Finger Lakes.

What the chef decided to create on the evening we dined at the Hazelnut Kitchen turned out to be braised short rib on a bed of cheesy spaetzle and orange marmalade and topped with pickled radish. 

I’m positive that had I read the description on the menu, I would have shied away from this unfamiliar combination of ingredients, as I often tend to do. I also realized that letting the kitchen decide on my meal made me a little more of an adventurous eater, even if only for an evening. 

Hazelnut Kitchen is open seasonally and reservations tend to go quickly, but luckily there are lots of additional options for cafes, breweries, and restaurants in Trumansburg. 

• Gimme Coffee – Start your day with a cup of freshly roasted coffee at this well-established community favorite coffee shop. 
• Creekside Café – Get your comfort food fix with creative dishes like a fried egg and hot pastrami sandwich, Cubano panini, or Creek burger bowl. 
• Garret’s Brewing Company – Beers on tap made in-house. Lots of seating in a relaxing, open space. 
• Little Venice – Pizza and other Italian-American staples, plus burgers, salads, and wraps served in a casual comfortable dining room. 
• Falls Restaurant and Tavern – A local favorite for breakfast but also offers an extensive choice of lunch and dinner items. 
• Trumansburg Main Street Market – Owners Kevin and Laura McKinzey aim to sell products and serve meals that reflect area businesses. Coffee, sandwiches, salads, and much more are available to order from the deli-style counter.
• Ice cream: Between Trimmers Ice Cream, Byrne Dairy, Not My Dad’s Soft Serve, and–just a little further up the road-Cayuga Lake Creamery, you will not want for a summertime ice cream cone in Trumansburg. 

4. Trumansburg Farmer’s Market brings the community together

Local bands and area farmers, artists, and business owners come together every Wednesday night from May through October to create a feeling of community and support at the Trumansburg Farmer’s Market. 

We went on the opening night of the season. People were browsing the vendor stalls or seated at picnic tables and benches, listening to the Bluegrass notes of The Notorious String Busters. Maybe because it was an unseasonably warm early May evening after a long pandemic winter, or maybe that’s just how it goes in Trumansburg, but everyone seemed genuinely happy to be there.

About 30 vendors are present each week, selling fresh produce, artisan cheese, homemade blueberry pie, and locally produced beer, wine, and cider. Food trucks are also on-site so if you leave hungry, it’s totally on you.

The Trumansburg Farmer’s Market website has a full list of vendors and weekly live music acts. The Farmer’s Market is FREE. Parking is available in a lot across the street from the market. 

Trumansburg Village Park
Corner of Route 227 & 96
Wednesdays 4-7, May-October

5. There Are A Lot of Great Places to Stay in Trumansburg, NY

Trumansburg has several unique choices for where to rest your head.

Matt and I had to mix in some work on our getaway. We wanted space to spread out plus access to a kitchen, so we booked four nights at this Airbnb, which served our needs perfectly. I loved hanging out in the wild garden in the backyard, our host, Don, was friendly and helpful, and we were just a 5-minute drive to downtown Trumansburg. 

• See Airbnb rentals in Trumansburg.
• See VRBO rentals in Trumansburg. 

Additional options for Trumansburg bed-and-breakfasts, inns, and rentals include: 

• The Inn at Gothic Eves – Treat yourself to a luxurious, newly renovated guest room, a gourmet breakfast, and an on-site spa. Located downtown and in walking distance to Trumansburg restaurants. Four-night minimum stay required June – October 2021. 112 E. Main Street, Trumansburg.
• Inn at Taughannock Falls – Located right next to the falls with a view of Cayuga Lake. Several upscale accommodation options are available, including a vintage room at their Victorian Inn and a private lake house. Be ready to splurge! 2030 Gorge Road, Trumansburg
• Classic Country Vacation Homes – Three separate vacation rentals are available. One is located next to Taughannock Falls State Park while the other two are a little further south. These are each large luxurious homes that can accommodate 10-13 people. 
• The Spotted Sandpiper Vacation Rentals– Cabins, houses, and yurts available to rent on a secluded lake front property, 3.5 miles from Taughannock Falls State Park.
• The Black Walnut Bed and Breakfast – Just a few minutes’ drive up the road and walking distance from Americana Winery. We stayed for a weekend here and loved it! 4278 E. Covert Road, Interlaken
• Don’t forget that camping at Taughannock Falls State Park is also an option!

6. You can learn about Trumansburg’s rich and complicated history

As is the case with countless small towns in New York, Trumansburg was founded on the blood of Indigenous people. Village founder Abner Treman was awarded the land here for his part in the Revolutionary War’s Sullivan-Clinton campaign, in which the Iroquois people were terrorized and killed for siding with the British. 

Abner and his family settled here in 1793 and proceeded to turn the village into a manufacturing hub that relied on waterpower from Trumansburg Creek. Factories produced goods like yarn, cabinets, chairs, mirrors, and silverware. Factory owners got rich and, throughout the years, built grand homes and other structures that still stand and that reflect various building trends. 

As a result, a walk around the village reveals an architectural timeline of sorts where you’ll see, for example, the following historical buildings: 

• Village Hall, at 56 E. Main Street, was built in the 1830s in the Federal style and was then renovated to Queen Anne style.
• The Masonic Temple, at 59 East Main Street, is Italianate in style and was built as a hotel in 1871.
• First Presbyterian Church of Ulysses is a Greek Revival built in 1850 and is located at 69 East Main Street. 
• United Methodist Church, at 80 East Main Street is a Gothic Revival structure that was completed in 1857.

Several buildings around town are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Check out a complete list of historic landmarks in Trumansburg, and set off on a walking tour of your own!

Another point of interest for history buffs is the Ulysses Historical Society Museum, which displays exhibits that highlight the history of Trumansburg and its surrounding hamlets. 

If you do stay in Trumansburg, be sure to check out the local events, which include a Grassroots Festival in July, the Trumansburg Fair in August, and Winterfest in December. 

7. It’s Easy to Take Lots of Road Trips from Trumansburg

Once you’ve checked everything off your list of things to do in Trumansburg, it’s time to strike out and explore more of the Finger Lakes. Luckily, Trumansburg is so conveniently located that it makes endless short road trips possible.

Ithaca is just 12 miles to the south. The college town is blessed with acclaimed restaurants, live music, and lots of scenic hiking trails and waterfalls. Heading 30 miles north of Trumansburg is Seneca Falls, a small town that includes a birdwatching preserve, a Women’s Hall of Fame, and museums and monuments to commemorate the 19th century women’s suffrage movement.

In Watkins Glen, you can hike through an otherworldly gorge or kayak on the lake, while Geneva is loaded with restaurants, breweries, and grand old historical homes. 

Whether you are spending a weekend, a week, or more, Trumansburg is pretty much the perfect setting for a Finger Lakes vacation.

How to Get to and Around Trumansburg

Take a train, bus, or plane to Ithaca, the closest major city. Then, TCAT, the public transportation service for Tompkins County, operates buses between Ithaca Commons and Trumansburg. There is also a bus route between Trumansburg and area state parks. 

TCAT makes it simple enough to travel from Ithaca to Trumansburg but beyond that, it would be challenging to get around without a car. Trumansburg is a rural destination and taxis or car services don’t operate extensively enough to make it convenient to explore the area. 

If you’re traveling without a car and wish to see the wineries, you may be able to book a limousine tour that will pick you up at your accommodation. For more information on limo tours, see transportation services on Cayuga Lake. 

As a final note, while the roads that travel between Trumansburg and other area attractions are incredibly scenic and idyllic, there is potentially a lot of driving involved if you choose the village as your home base. On the other hand, it is an ideal place to unwind and experience the Finger Lakes at its finest. 

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