Finger Lakes Region
Corning
City Tour/Sightseeing
Corning
Sometimes called “The City that Glass Built” because Corning Glass has been headquartered there since 1868, Corning is a great city where just about everything related to glass from cookware to fiber optic cable was invented. The town is still thriving with great restaurants, things to do and of course, the Corning Museum of Glass which is a must see during your visit there. But this town isn’t just the museum, check out all of your options for you Corning Daycation!
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Lodging
Breakfast - If you want to have a delicious breakfast that runs the entire gamut of breakfast choices including croissants, bagels, crepes, omelettes, and many other tasty options, then Poppleton Bakery and Cafe is your place! You definitely won’t be disappointed by the food here. Another option for your morning victuals is Jelly Beans Restaurant, a couple of miles away in Painted Post. They have all of the breakfast options that you could ever want and the food is quite tasty.
Morning Itinerary
Corning Museum of Glass - Corning
This is a must see museum during any visit to Corning. Even if you have been there in the past, they have new exhibitions and shows that change constantly. Glass blowing demonstrations, huge stained glass exhibits, and a room full of Tiffany’s creations - everything here is spectacular and fascinating as well. Now 1/3 of their revenue is from fiber optic cable and less is from the glassware like it was years ago, but the company has continued to innovate and that is why they have been so successful for the last 150 years. The museum has so many things to see, it will take you the entire morning to see everything.
Lunch - A fantastic lunch option in town is Hand + Foot restaurant. With everything from Asian foods to street meat sandwiches, this is a great place for a tasty meal to let you fuel up before your afternoon adventures! Another great option for the three S’s of lunch cuisine - Subs, Salads, and Sandwiches is Old World Cafe and Ice Cream. Ok, you can get other lunch options like gyros, paninis, and of course the perfect lunchtime dessert - Ice Cream.
Afternoon Itinerary
Rockwell Museum - Corning
As an affiliate of the Smithsonian, the Rockwell Museum is a great museum that focuses on American art, paintings, and sculptures. There are a lot of western paintings and sculptures that present a historical picture of our country’s past through art. There are frequent changes to the collections that are featured here, so you will always see something new each time you visit.
Walk Through Downtown - Corning
Many small towns have the main street in the middle of town that has interesting shops and activities, but Market Street in Corning takes that up a notch. Art and glass galleries, fine dining restaurants, and a central square with a 40 foot high clocktower with a 1400 pound bell are just a few of the things to do.
National Soaring Museum/Glider Ride - Elmira
Flying in an engineless plane at 4000 feet may sound scary to some people, but don’t worry - you will come out of the journey without a scratch and have a sense of serenity from seeing the beauty of the landscape below with no sounds except the wind. If you are scared of heights or just not into flying around with no engine, the museum itself is interesting and it shows you how Elmira became the home of soaring and held many Soaring Contests at Harris Hill.
Dinner
A stroll down Market Street in Corning will provide you with over 20 options for great food. Our favorite is The Quincy Exchange with fantastic seafood options and great entrees as well. The Caviar Deviled Egg was decadent, yet very tasty. They also have 4 course wine pairing meals on Sundays that are exquisite. A few blocks down on Market Street is another great restaurant called Three Birds. This is a wonderful fine dining restaurant with a casual ambience. With a variety of great appetizers and entrees that include great fish, steak, and vegetarian options you can’t go wrong here. Last, but certainly not least, The Cellar has Modern Fusion cuisine that has every thing from Pork Belly Ramen to Lamb Lollipops to steak with Waygu Tallow French Fries. And for the wine drinkers out there, they have a great selection of wines that run the gamut of great New York State Wines to a 2011 Dom Perignon that will set you back around the same amount you would pay for a nice kitchen table! There are many other options for victuals in this town so having a great meal here is definitely going to happen.
Evening Itinerary
Wine and Design - Corning
Don’t be afraid of this nighttime activity, even if you have no artistic ability whatsoever, you will still have fun. You don’t have to be channeling your inner Van Gogh to enjoy this, in fact you can paint on a glass, furniture, a wall, or canvas if you so choose. AND - you are drinking wine while you do it, so how can it not be fun? Wine by Design is a great way to have some night time enjoyment even if you have never held a paintbrush in your life!