Lake-facing patios, west-shore tasting rooms, the dock at the right time of year. Bring a sweater after seven, even in July.
The only working vineyard on Skaneateles Lake — west-shore hillside, the broadest lake view of any tasting room in the region. Serious dry Riesling and Cabernet Franc, weekend live music on the summer pavilion, and one of the busiest wedding books on the Finger Lakes. Reserve weekend tastings; walk-ins get seated late.
Waterfront upscale casual on the village lakefront — the best six-o'clock table in town when the light drops. Seafood-heavy menu, a proper wine list, and a covered deck that runs May through October. Book a week ahead in season; the deck goes first, and the interior tables miss the sunset by half.
The waterfront room at the south end of the lake — long-running steak-and-seafood spot at Glen Haven Marina with a covered lakeside deck that most north-end guests never make it to. Open seasonally, roughly Memorial Day through Columbus Day. Boaters tie up at the marina and walk in.
Family-run cruise company operating the Judge Ben Wiles and Barbara S. Wiles out of the village dock. Sightseeing sails, lunch and dinner cruises, and the US Mail Boat run — the last operating waterborne mail route in the country, running July through Labor Day. Book the mail boat two weeks out.
The village lakefront — gazebo, concrete steps into the swimming area, and the event lawn where the summer band plays Friday nights in July. The Sunday-morning coffee bench everyone knows about. Public restrooms, no fee, dogs on leash. The whole reason Skaneateles feels like Skaneateles.