Lake-facing patios, west-shore tasting rooms, the dock at the right time of year. Bring a sweater after seven, even in July.
Built in 1930 by a Pittsburgh industrialist at the tip of the point, the Casino was a big-band ballroom before it was a restaurant — the name predates any gambling and there's still none. The second-floor hall hosted vaudeville and dance orchestras through the 1940s; the ground floor is waterfront dining now, docks close enough to tie up for dinner. Go for the location and the history, not a tasting menu.
Lakeside Drive's newer room, done in an Old Hollywood key — patio seats facing the water, a menu that runs from short ribs to sushi rolls, a cocktail list longer than the wine list. It's the reservation to make when Guppy's is booked and you still want the water view. Go for sunset on the patio; the dining room reads better after dark.
Three generations of the same family running the Lookout Room and the second-floor Deck, both facing the lake from West Lake Road. Steak and seafood, a wine list that doesn't overreach, and a view down toward Bemus Point from the upstairs tables. It anchors the larger Webb's complex — candy shop, winery, resort — that's been a Mayville institution since the 1940s. Book the Deck for sunset.
Running the narrows between Bemus Point and Stow since 1811, first as a hand-pulled raft, then cable-and-steam power from 1902, then county-owned since 1942 — the Veterans Memorial Bridge ended its practical necessity in 1982, but it still runs summer weekends purely for the history. Friday 4–9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday noon–9 p.m., Memorial Day through Labor Day. Ten minutes across, donation only, up to nine cars. Ride it once for the crossing, not the destination.
One of four operating steamboats left in North America, running two-hour cruises from Mayville up to the Institution's bell tower and back, June through October. Lunch cruises, evening cocktail runs, and fall foliage trips all use the same coal-fired engine and the same open-air deck with the Anchor Bar on board. Book the evening cruise for the Institution's shoreline lit up rather than just narrated.