A clear blue lake alongside a main street filled with unique shops and restaurants combine for a one-of-a-kind, relaxing experience. The village of Skaneateles sits at the north end of the eastern Finger Lake by the same name. Its tree-lined streets with flower pots tended by the local garden club and well-kept historic homes bring you back to a time with a slower, easier pace of life.
This year the Sherwood Inn in Skaneateles will celebrate 200 years of entertaining travelers coming and going along historic Route 20. The Sherwood was built by Isaac Sherwood in 1807, back when Route 20 was just a dirt trail for stagecoaches. The Inn has been restored to all its original beauty (with all the modern conveniences) and boasts 24 unique rooms (some with fireplace and Jacuzzi), a tavern complete with a wood-burning fireplace, an elegant dining room, as well as two porches to dine and enjoy the lake view. The Sherwood is just one of over 30 lodging possibilities in the Skaneateles area. There are bed and breakfasts, a hotel, a four-star inn and spa, and the more conventional roadside motels.
Be sure to get out on Skaneateles Lake when you come to visit. It is one of the cleanest lakes in the world. It’s so clean, in fact, that it is the unfiltered drinking water source for the city of Syracuse. You can rent a boat, kayak, sail, canoe or let Mid-Lakes Navigation do the driving aboard the Judge Ben Wiles. Mid-Lakes offers lunch, dinner and sightseeing cruises, and you can even help deliver mail to lakeside cottages during the months of July and August. Several local companies also do fishing charters.
Skaneateles is sure to be your “stress free zone” this summer!
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Population: Village – 2660, Town – 7323
Established: 1833
Landmarks: The Gazebo in Clift Park is the site of summertime concerts; the Krebs restaurant – four generations serving a traditional seven course meal, The Pier, a 500-foot-long jetty to walk right out onto the lake; and Doug’s Fish Fry are all world renowned!
What’s in a name? Skaneateles pronounced “skan-ee-at-less” is an Iroquois word meaning “long lake.”
Home to: Welch Allyn, an innovator of medical equipment; Tim Green, announcer for FOX sports and former SU and Atlanta Falcons football player; John D. Barrow Art Gallery; the teasel industry in the 1800s
Recognition: Chosen vacation spot of President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton, Skaneateles Lake is one of the cleanest lakes in the world
Events in Skaneateles:
Concerts in the Park – Every Friday night in July and August
The Curbstone Festival – 3rd weekend in July
Skaneateles Antique and Classic Boat Show – last weekend in July
The Skaneateles Festival – Chamber Music by the Lake in August
Skanraces – swimming, biking and running – Labor Day weekend
Dickens Christmas – every weekend from Thanksgiving to Christmas
Website: www.skaneateles.com
by Susan Dove
