There’s lots to offer.

Watkins Glen if the kids can do a bit of walking/hiking. I remember going as a kid.

Ithaca: waterfalls, Sciencenter – and stop in at Cornell Orchards while you’re there for some fresh apples and cider for the car, grown by the ag students at Cornell U. Edited to add another recommendation for the Moosewood in Ithaca. Can’t believe I left this one off!

Auburn: Harriet Tubman Museum (a plus with a 9 year old in New York State – 4th graders study local history)

Corning, with the Museum of Glass – something different (and your kids get in free, as I recall)

Seneca Falls: for womens’ rights history

Canandagua: Sonnenberg Gardens (someplace I’ve never been and is on my personal wish list), and a giant corn maze.

Syracuse: Everson Museum, The MOST (kid-friendly science museum), Burnet Park Zoo (er – Rosamund Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park, Ste. Marie Among the Iroquois,

Rochester: Strong Museum (kid friendly) and Genesee Country Village (really in Mumford, but it’s out that way)

Letchworth State Park (the Grand Canyon of the East)

Montezuma Wildlife Refuge

If you’re into nature, I’d be remiss as the owner of a family pass if I didn’t mention Beaver Lake Nature Center west of Syracuse. It’s not huge, but would provide some nice kid-accessible trails with great nature experiences. (and the CanalWalk Cafe in downtown Baldwinsville near here on the canal mentioned below is a good place to eat – be sure to ask for the soup of the day)

The Erie Canal played an important part in the development of the region, and Syracuse has a nice museum. You could also check out the boat tours that run on the present-day version of the canal – the canal’s influence is all over the place in this area.

And if you’re here on Columbus Day Weekend and don’t mind a bit of traffic, check out the LaFayette Apple Fest.

Try the link below for clearer info on all this stuff. Sorry it’s all pretty random. Hope it helps! Enjoy your visit to our corner of the planet. Feel free to ask me more questions – I grew up in the Finger Lakes region and went to school in Ithaca. And be sure to have enough film – the foliage views are bound to be gorgeous.

http://www.fingerlakes.org/

Like stomping around? Go to the Cayuga Nature Center and climb into the tree house; go to Taughannock Falls State Park and walk the trails; walk the boardwalk (mosquito free this time of year) at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; there are gorge trails all over the Finger Lakes.

The Ithaca Farmers Market on Saturdays is a great place to eat/ shop/ listen to music. Moosewood Restaurant in the Commons is a famous vegetarian restaurant. There are other farm stands in the area where you can see cider getting pressed, pick out a pumpkin, or go for a hayride.

If you’re into museums, the Ithaca science museum and the women’s suffrage sites in Seneca Falls are cool. There is also a big wildlife sanctuary near Seneca Falls.

And if you like wine, each lake has a wine trail – I highly recommend Knapp Vineyards – try the Sangiovese!

I used to like going out to eat in Ithaca which is at the South end of Cayuga Lake – they have the Moosewood Restaurant which is a vegetarian collective and then on the Commons, there are different places to choose from including a Mexican place I used to love called Taqueria. I also love Treman state park in Ithaca as there is a waterfall area in which you may swim. There is certainly no shortage of places to walk around for eating/shopping AND being in nature in Ithaca with the gorges and all.

Also, I lived in Geneva for a number of years and liked spending a day on Seneca Lake – renting a boat at a marina on West Lake Road/Route 14 South and/or having lunch at Port’s (also on this same route). There is also a state park at the North end of the lake in the town where you can picnic, ride bikes, rollerblade or walk the path. Watkins Glen is at the South end of the lake and there are many wineries in between – though, with kids, I’m not sure if this would be interesting to them, though you are able to take tours of the vineyards and learn about the agricultural process and a few of the larger wineries have restaurants which are not so much about the wine as being able to sit outside and see the beautiful lakes with your family!

In the Syracuse area, the Erie Canal Museum is good and while not the Finger Lakes anymore, the Erie Canal Village in Rome, NY is great for kids and a really fun thing to see – I’m not sure how far east you’ll be traveling, but if you’re making your way across the state, it might be a fun place to stop with the kids.

I think between us all, you have a lot of great suggestions! I hope you have a great trip!

Depending on where you will be staying and when, here are my top picks:

City of Ithaca – shopping, great food and beautiful scenery. It’s unlike anyplace in NY. Very progressive city. It’s often called, “the free state of Ithaca.” There’s great hiking nearby too. Try Buttermilk Falls State Park
And the Cornell Lab of OrinthologyIthaca Falls

Watkins Glen – yes, there’s a race track, but I recall, as a little kid the same age as yours, the beautiful hiking trail up the glen. It’s spectacular. If you can, camp at the Watkins Glen campground. It’s fabulous.

Corning Glass Museum – Something for everyone and the kids can learn how glass is made. http://www.cmog.org/

Don’t forget wine tasting. The Finger Lakes is known for their Reislings and Chardonnays. Check out Fox Run, Dr. Frank, Bully Hill, Glenora and Lamerou Landing. Or, just pull off whenever you pass a winery. Because you will.

Other things going on in early October:

Cohocton’s Fall Foliage Festival, Cohocton, NY 14826
Date: 10/4/2007 – 10/5/2008
http://www.fallfoliagefestival.com/

Grape Pumpkin Festival, Hammondsport, NY 14840 Date: 10/6/2007
(607) 569-2989
A Fall family favorite with hayrides, music, grape stomping, seasonal foods, games, and vendors.
http://www.hammondsport.org/PumpkinFest.htm

La Fayette Apple Festival, LaFayette, NY 13084 Date: 10/6/2007 – 10/7/2007
(315) 677-3644
The Northeast’s extraordinary craft show will feature over 250 crafters, variety of foods, multi-exhibits, a country apple gift shop, apple fritters and cider. Rides and games add to the festivities. ...
http://www.lafayetteapplefest.org/

Have fun! You’re visiting at a spectacular time of year.