Sampson State Park sits on land that the U.S. Navy built into its second-largest training base in the country in just 270 days after Pearl Harbor. Named for Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, a Palmyra native and Spanish-American War hero, the base opened in October 1942 and trained 411,429 recruits before the war ended. The Navy chose Seneca Lake specifically because the lake's depth and underground spring system keep it from freezing, making it viable year-round. After the war, the base briefly became Sampson State College, housing returning veterans on the GI Bill, then reopened as an Air Force basic training facility during the Korean War, training an additional 350,000 airmen before closing in 1956. New York State took ownership in 1960, and the park opened in 1963. Today, 38 miles of the original base road network run through the park as hiking and biking trails. The Sampson Military Museum, housed in the original base brig, is run entirely by volunteer veterans and holds artifacts, uniforms, class photo albums, and two naval guns recovered from WWII ships. The park includes 309 campsites, a sandy beach, and a marina with over 100 boat slips on Seneca Lake.
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Aurora Brewing Co
Food Drink
A Cayuga Lake brewery and restaurant in King Ferry with a deck overlooking the water, hay fields, and vineyards, plus outposts in Rochester and Syracuse.
Buttonwood Grove Winery
Food Drink
Estate lakeside tasting room with cabins on the property
Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery
Food Drink
A founding member, a gothic barn, and The Copper Oven pizza
Hosmer Winery
Food Drink
70-acre sustainable estate on the western shore
Lucas Vineyards
Wine
Lucas Vineyards is a winery located in Interlaken, Seneca County, featured on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail.
Sheldrake Point Winery
Food Drink
Gold Coast limestone soils, dock parking available
Thirsty Owl Wine Company
Food Drink
Walk-in and boat-accessible, with an on-site bistro
Seneca Shore Wine Cellars
Food Drink
The winery that sold its grapes to other Finger Lakes producers for 19 years before deciding to bottle the Gold Medal Riesling itself.
Anthony Road Wine Company
Food Drink
The Martini family's Penn Yan operation since 1989, where the Riesling and Gewurztraminer program is serious enough that reservations are strongly encouraged and group size caps at six.
Miles Wine Cellars
Food Drink
A west-shore winery on a quiet road above Himrod that earns the detour most Route 14 visitors never take.
Glenora Wine Cellars
Food Drink
Glenora Wine Cellars offers a picturesque venue for weddings with vineyard views, luxurious accommodations, and exceptional service.
Fulkerson Winery
Food Drink
A west shore Seneca Lake farm with roots going back to 1805, where seventh-generation winemaker Sayre Fulkerson also supplies grape juice to home winemakers across the country.
Toast Winery
Food Drink
A dry-vinifera operation on the east shore where the winemaking steps aside and the Seneca Lake AVA does the work.
Lakewood Vineyards
Food Drink
Three generations of Stamps have been farming the west side of Seneca Lake since 1952, opening the winery in 1989 and growing it to 80 acres without leaving the family.