Area Group Tour Itineraries

Wining Dining Gaming Getaway

Great Getaways… In Mark Twain Country

Day 1: Wining, Dining and Gaming (One Day, One Night)

• Start off with a hearty breakfast at Anthony’s Restaurant, conveniently located at Holiday Inn Elmira Riverview, before your excursion along Seneca Lake and the Seneca Lake Wine Trail.
• Taste award winning New York State Wines at Lakewood Vineyards, one of 35 wineries along the trail!
• Enjoy lunch at Veraisons Restaurant located at Glenora Wine Cellars. Savor the sweet smell of the vineyards from your table on the terrace while you can taste the many regional delicacies the Finger Lakes has to offer.
• After lunch, continue your Finger Lakes’ wine sampling at GCP Discount Liquors & Wines, Inc. or stop by Horseheads Brewing, Inc. or Birdland Brewing, Co. to experience the region’s celebrated craft brewing firsthand!
• Return to the Holiday Inn Elmira Riverview for dinner from our special “Wine Dinner Menu,” specially prepared for your group.
• After dinner, take a short ride to Tioga Downs Casino for an evening of gaming, entertainment*, and an exclusive Sweet Shots dessert reception.

Day 2: Departure

• Enjoy a delicious breakfast at Anthony’s Restaurant before you depart on your next excursion.

Don’t have time to do it all? Why not stay another night! We would be happy to help you book another night and even pass along some additional recommendations. We look forward to having you stay with us on your next adventure to Mark Twain Country and the Finger Lakes region!

*Please check each destination prior to your visit for seasonal hours and if reservations are necessary.

Finger Lakes Adventures

Great Getaways… In Mark Twain Country

Day 1: Inside the Gaffer District

• Journey to the world renowned Corning Museum of Glass to watch a live hot glass show up close and shop in the museum’s unique Glass Market gift store, offering gifts from across the world!
• Explore the Corning’s historic Market Street, known for its unique shops and exquisite eateries.
• Return to the Holiday Inn Elmira Riverview to refresh before heading to Anthony’s Restaurant for a Wine Dinner, featuring Finger Lakes Wines and more.

Day 2: Twain & Gaming

• Begin your day with a hearty breakfast at Anthony’s Restaurant, conveniently located at the Holiday Inn Elmira Riverview.
• Explore Elmira’s rich Twain legacy with a lively step-on guide from Mark Twain Country Tours. You’ll be able to go inside the Twain Study at Elmira College and pay your respects to the author at Woodlawn Cemetery. You’ll also see the “largest concentration of Victorian-era homes in New York,” Civil War and Underground Railroad sites, and more!
• Tour the Chemung Valley History Museum to learn more of Mark Twain’s private life, along with other exhibits that include local immigrant life and Elmira’s role in the Civil War.
• Enjoy lunch at Hill Top Inn Restaurant, where you’ll dine overlooking the spectacular views of the Chemung River Valley that inspired Mark Twain while he penned his classics up the road, or at the ever-popular Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.
• Continue your adventure at The Christmas House, an unforgettable store located in a breathtaking Painted Lady Victorian mansion, or Cappy’s, a one-of-a-kind shopping experience with a focus on artisan and thematic merchandise!
• Return to the Holiday Inn Elmira Riverview to relax before heading out to Tioga Downs Casino for a private hors d’oeuvre reception, a wonderful all-you-care-to-eat dinner at the County Fair Buffet and a night of gaming and entertainment. Enjoy your Free Play and much more!

Day 3: Seneca Lake Wine Trail / Finger Lakes Beef Trail / Watkins Glen State Park

• Start with a hearty breakfast at Anthony’s Restaurant before you head to Watkins Glen and along Seneca Lake to the Seneca Lake Wine Trail.
• Make a stop at Watkins Glen State Park, known globally for its breathtaking views, including 19 waterfalls.
• Taste award winning New York State Wines at Lakewood Vineyards or Hazlitt’s 1852 Vineyards, before enjoying a leisurely lunch at the prestigious Red Newt Bistro, followed by wine tasting in the Red Newt Wine Cellars.
• Explore the Finger Lakes Beer Trail by visiting some of the 16 breweries along Seneca Lake or make a stop at Finger Lakes Distilling to tour the distillery and taste finely crafted spirits.
• Stop at Tioga Downs Casino for another night of gaming and entertainment, private group dinner, Sweet Shots Dessert Reception and much more! Free Play, Harness Racing, Live Entertainment – so much fun!

A Little Slice of History (Two Days, One Night)

•   Begin your visit with your arrival in Historic Downtown Owego, the heart of River Country. A step-on guide will welcome you to this quaint waterfront village, and take you over to the outstanding riverside Cellar Restaurant or historic Pumpelly House Estate for a delectable lunch, both facilities offering beautiful views of the Susquehanna River.
• After lunch, enjoy a brief walking tour of classic early American architecture and history of the homes of Owego, mingled with guided tours of both the Tioga County Historical Society Museum and the Pumpelly House Estate.
• If you stop at the Tioga County Historical Museum, they feature a wonderful collection of Civil War-era photography, as well as exhibits and programs highlighting local agriculture and industry, paintings, photographs, textiles, decorative arts, military, firemen’s items, prehistoric stone tools and more.
• After your visit to downtown, it’s a short bus ride to the riverside Owego Treadway Inn to get checked in and refreshed and ready for a night out.
• Then it’s off to Tioga Downs Casino for an hors d’oeuvre reception, a wonderful all-you-care-to-eat buffet and a night of gaming and entertainment*.
• In the morning, pack your things and enjoy the area’s best breakfast at the Owego Treadway Inn.
• Board the bus for your next stop which could be the Historic Bement-Billings Farmstead and the Newark Valley Depot Museum in Newark Valley. View the Farmstead’s authentic English Threshing Barn, see wonderful railroad memorabilia at the Depot Museum.
• Or head further west, because you’ll want to stop at the amazing Merrill Collection in Waverly, NY. You’ll be awestruck at this private collection of a variety of things including one of the largest and rarest license plate collections in the world, vintage automobiles, oil cans and even vintage bubble gum. It’s a “you’ve gotta see it to believe it” type of place.
• Next stop – the Rockwell Museum of Western Art in Corning, NY

Wine and Dine in the Finger Lakes (One Day, One Night)

Everyone enjoys great food and a tour of Finger Lakes Wineries

• After arriving in Owego, your guide will take you for a fabulous meal at your choice of the Cellar Restaurant or the historic Pumpelly House Estate.
• Then it is off to any of the sixteen wonderful wineries of Cayuga Lake, including 2008 Governor’s Cup award Winner, Swedish Hill Winery
• After a relaxing afternoon of winery visits, return to the Owego Treadway Inn for a quick refresh before heading to Tioga Downs Casino for a private hors d’oeuvre reception, a wonderful all-you-care-to-eat buffet and a night of gaming and entertainment*.

Shop and Then Drop (One Day, One Night)

• If shopping is what you like to do, then you’ve picked the right place. Historic Owego Marketplace offers a wonderful array of charming gift shops and unique boutiques featuring an eclectic selection sure to offer something for nearly every taste.
• After you’ve shopped ‘til you can’t shop anymore, it’s time for a break. Refresh at the Owego Treadway Inn, and then enjoy a relaxing dinner at the beautiful, riverfront Cellar Restaurant.
• After dinner, take a short ride to the Tioga Downs Casino for an evening of gaming and entertainment*, and the exclusive Sweet Shots dessert reception.
• Wake up the next morning to a wonderful breakfast at the Owego Treadway Inn. Since your trip is not yet done, that means more shopping. Just an hour heading west, stop and shop historic Downtown Corning’s Market Street Gaffer District. And just when you are sure you have shopped quite enough, wrap up your visit at the Corning Museum of Glass, where the exquisite gift shop features some amazing hand-crafted glass creations to put the perfect punctuation to your visit.

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