First Time in… Corning?
Welcome to my first timer guides! Each month I’m sharing short, succinct posts for anyone who’s headed to a destination for the very first time. This round is all about Corning – the perfect base for a first time visit to the Finger Lakes region of New York.
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Corning Firsts
First Thing to Know About Corning…
I don’t know about you, but whenever I sit down to plan a visit to a region, I get overwhelmed quickly trying to figure out how to navigate. The Finger Lakes region is pretty massive, so trying to do all of it on your first visit means you’ll be spending a lot of time in the car and need at least a few weeks to maybe visit everywhere worth you’d want to go.
Instead, it’s better to focus on a smaller region and plan to drive no more than an hour in any direction for a day or half-day trip.
This is why I picked Corning. It’s not on one of the lakes, but it’s in such a great location for the region’s southern area. You can easily drive to both Hammondsport and Watkins Glen, and there’s a ton to do in the town itself.
First Piece of Packing Advice
Corning and the Finger Lakes experience all four seasons pretty solidly. Keep an eye on the weather, though, because it really does change year to year. Here are all the times I’ve stopped in:
- August 2023 – jeans and summery top weather
- September 2018 – sundress and sandals
- October 2022 – sweaters, boots, jeans
- October 2023 – so hot, I needed more water than normal during my half
- February 2019 – typical winter weather with snow and ice
First Hotel
Except for my first time, I’ve stayed at the Hilton Corning Inn Downtown on each visit. While it’s not a boutique hotel, it’s always been really nice, and you can’t beat it’s location. It’s only 10-15 minutes on foot from downtown Corning and 10 minutes on foot from the Corning Museum of Glass. Plus you can park right in front of the hotel for easy access.
The only thing I’d say is to skip breakfast and instead walk into town and eat there. Love the options at Poppleton Bakery.
First Order of Business Upon Arrival
Stretch your legs!
Chances are you’re driving to Corning, which means once you’ve gotten here, it’s time to park your car and go for a walk. There are honestly SO many places you could go.
If you’re staying at the Hilton, there’s a nice trail along Chemung River, and then you can cross over on one of the bridges and walk around town. For runners, plug in the Painted Post-Erwin Museum and follow for a 2 mile run through town and then along the Painted Post Trail.
First Photo Spot
Definitely from the Bridge Street Bridge. It’s so beautiful especially in the fall when the all the colors are out! I also love the view from the Rockwell Museum.
First Café
Big fan of the iced latte options at Soul Full Cup Coffeehouse. They have a nice little sitting area as well.
First Restaurant
The Quincy Exchange for sure.
They do one of my favorite things ever – no tipping. Instead they pay their servers well and take the burden off the customer. What a novel idea! They also make damn good food. Keep an eye on the seasonal menu options.
First Half-Day/Day Trip
Okay so you have two options because I’d recommend visiting both.
Watkins Glen. You really only need half a day if you want to walk along the trail, but you can also spend longer and enjoy Seneca Lake. I find the town itself to be busier than expected so if you want something more charming, go to…
Hammondsport. This is on the southern side of Keuka Lake and one of my favorite tiny towns ever. I probably say cute a lot, but this town is seriously SO CUTE. Like the main part is literally just a square and then you can walk right down to the lake and go for a swim or get groceries and sit on the dock. Go over to Champlin Beach, rent kayaks, and just laze about the water!
First Relaxing Activity
Book an appointment at AgeLess SPA.
First Museum
Corning Museum of Glass (CMoG).
Corning is known as Crystal City, after all. This museum is quite literally dedicated to all things glass from the artsy to the more practical. It’s seriously such a cool place; even if you’re not a big museum person, you’ll like it here.
First Souvenir
It’s gotta be something glass, right?
At CMoG, sign-up for a glassblowing experience and walk away with the cutest souvenir. When we went in the fall, we made pumpkins!
First Not-So-Secret Gem
Nearby Elmira.
It’s only about 20 minutes from Corning and is the final resting place of none other than Mark Twain. Visit his gravesite at Woodlawn Cemetery and then his study at Elmira College. They also have a really active public arts program and if you have time, you can walk around and see all the different murals. Before you go, grab a bite at Rye.
First Disappointment to Avoid
Like I mentioned, Corning isn’t actually on one of the lakes in the “Finger Lakes” and is very much a small city. Don’t come here if you’re hoping for a more rural lake escape (there are plenty of places all along the lakes for that!) But it’s such a cool base for further exploring, and the glass museum alone is worth coming.