Burdett, NY
The East Shore, Just North Of Watkins Glen.
Seneca is the deepest of the Finger Lakes, and the cottage sits low on its eastern shoreline in the town of Hector, a few minutes north of Watkins Glen.
The east side is the quieter side. Route 414 runs the length of it with wineries, breweries and farm stands strung along the ridge above the water, and almost everything worth doing is either on that road or a short way off it.
Because the sun sets over the lake from this shore, the most reliable plan is the obvious one: go out in the morning, be back on the dock by seven.
Where exactly is the cottage?
On the east shore of Seneca Lake, just outside Burdett in Schuyler County — a few minutes north of Watkins Glen. We send the full address and driving directions with your booking confirmation rather than publishing them, which keeps the place quiet for whoever is staying.
On The Doorstep
Minutes away. You will pass these coming and going.
Hector Falls
Dog friendlyA tall falls right beside Route 414. You can pull over and look up at it without leaving the car, which is exactly as good as it sounds on the way home.
JR Dill Winery
Small-batch, all fruit from Seneca Lake. The nearest tasting room to the cottage, and a good first stop before you decide how ambitious the day is.
Grist Iron Brewing
Dog friendlySix-acre fenced dog parkA brewery deck on the high side of Route 414 looking down the lake. Sunset here and a short drive back is a reliable evening.
The Elf In The Oak
Farm-to-table breakfast in Burdett, with lake views from the outdoor tables. The answer to not having brought enough for the first morning.
Under Ten Minutes
Close enough to go twice.
Watkins Glen State Park
Dogs on the rim trails onlyNineteen waterfalls in a one-mile stretch of gorge, with the path running through tunnels and under two of the falls. The Gorge Trail is open roughly May to mid-October. Go early in summer.
Watkins Glen
The town at the foot of the lake — groceries, the pharmacy, the marina, dinner, and the racetrack that fills every room for a hundred miles on race weekends.
Two Goats Brewing
Dog friendlyA long porch, a view straight down the lake, and no pretension whatsoever. Dog-friendly, and busy for good reason.
The bistro that made people take Finger Lakes food seriously, attached to a serious Riesling producer. Book ahead — this is the one that fills.
Atwater Vineyards
Eighty acres on the east side, tastings with charcuterie boards, and a view that does a good deal of the work.
Hillick & Hobbs
A dry Riesling estate on steep slate slopes above the lake, founded by Paul Hobbs. Book the seated tasting, or the vineyard tour in season.
Groceries And Provisions
A full supermarket in Watkins Glen for a proper shop, and a mini-mart closer for whatever got forgotten. We leave coffee, oil, salt and pepper so the first morning is not a supply run.
Half An Hour Or So
An afternoon, comfortably.
Finger Lakes National Forest
Dog friendlyThousands of acres of trail, pasture and blueberry on the ridge between Seneca and Cayuga. The only national forest in New York State, and rarely crowded.
Montour Falls
A village built around a tall waterfall that drops straight into the end of Main Street. Genuinely odd, and genuinely worth the detour.
Worth The Drive
Make a day of it.
Ithaca
Proper restaurants, the Commons, two universities and more gorges. The move when the weather turns and you want a day with a roof.
World class, and the best wet-day answer in the region. Larger than it looks — allow most of a day.
Bringing The Dog?
Where they can walk, swim and sit with you, all checked at the source.
Getting Here
How Far Is It, Really.
Burdett sits on the east shore, a little north of Watkins Glen. Roughly, from where people come from:
Under An Hour
Close enough to come for the evening, though nobody ever does.
- Ithaca
- Corning
- Elmira
- Watkins Glen · About ten minutes
An Hour Or Two
Leave after lunch and the dock is still in sunlight when you arrive.
- Syracuse
- Rochester
- Binghamton
Half A Day
A proper drive, and the reason most people take three nights rather than two.
- Buffalo
- Philadelphia
- New York City
- Toronto · Plus the border
The Seasons
When To Come.
We are open April to November and closed for the winter. The months are genuinely different from one another, so it is worth choosing rather than defaulting to July.
- April And May
- The lake is too cold to swim and the shoreline is yours. Wineries are open and empty enough to talk to whoever is pouring. This is the quiet half of the year, and the cheapest.
- June
- The water turns swimmable somewhere in here, and the long evenings start. Everything is open and nothing is busy yet.
- July And August
- Peak, and it feels like it. The water is warm, the dock is the whole day, and the wine trail is at its liveliest. Book early — these weeks go first.
- September And October
- Harvest. Many people’s favorite: warm days, cold mornings, the hills turning, and the crowds gone by mid-September. If you want one recommendation from us, it is early October.
- November
- Bare, bright and very quiet. A fire, a book, and nobody on the water. The last month before we close.