Seneca Falls Awaits Senior Visitors

Seems like every time I open one of my travel magazines there is something going on in Seneca Falls, NY.  There just has to be something special there for senior citizens to discover.  I wanted to check out the town of 6,700 in Seneca County known as “The Gateway to the Finger Lakes.”

Bordered on the east by the magnificent 40 miles long Cayuga Lake, one of the largest of the Finger Lakes, Seneca Falls is the former realm of the Cayuga tribe. The Village of Seneca Falls was incorporated in 1831. The rapids of the Seneca River were viewed as an important commodity that could be used by settlers for “mill power”, allowing mills of all varieties to spring up.

Maybe it’s all the beautiful lakes that draw in senior visitors by the droves. Then again it just might be the fact that there are more than 70 wineries located in the Finger Lakes Region, making wine tours a popular visitor activity.

I discovered that the town was home to both the Women’s Rights National Historical Park and the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Women’s Rights Park consists of four historic properties that are landmarks of the Women’s Rights movement, with a visitor center providing exhibits and films that explain the history of this movement in America.

Vineyards and Birds Draw Senior Travelers

The Cayagua Lake Wine Trail attracts many oenophiles and offers a unique blend of award-winning wines, scenic waterfalls, and local gourmet eateries. The Wine Trail was the first wine trail to be established in New York.

For senior birders, established in 1938 in the scenic Finger Lakes region, is the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge with over 7,000 acres for the resting, feeding and nesting habitat of waterfowl and other migratory birds. Montezuma is situated right in the middle of one of the most active flight lanes in the Atlantic Flyway, so bring along your best birder-glasses.

Seneca Falls is believed by some to have been the inspiration for the fictional town of “Bedford Falls, N.Y.” portrayed in filmmaker Frank Capra’s classic 1946 film “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

An interesting canal walk can take you over a bridge on George Bailey Street that has a plaque honoring Seneca Falls as the inspiration for Frank Capra’s Bedford Falls.

Is this where George Bailey lived his wonderful life? Folks in this quaint upstate New York town like to think so.

Or more precisely, they say Bailey’s make-believe hometown of Bedford Falls, including the main street and the steel truss bridge, was heavily inspired by Seneca Falls.

 So senior travelers, make the Finger Lakes region of New York State your next getaway destination, and you won’t be disappointed. From the pristine lakes, gorgeous waterfalls, and magnificent parks to the charming villages, one-of-a-kind museums, and unique shopping opportunities, the Finger Lakes has something for everyone to enjoy in all four seasons of the year.

It’s a “wonderful town.”  jeb