Travel Log: Watkins Glen

This is not like the New York you've read about. Set in the central region of the state, Watkins Glen is spacious with lake access -- not the high-rises and gridlocked traffic of the city.

And that's the way the locals like it.

Neighboring Seneca Lake and centralizing its social network around the body of water, Watkins Glen comes off as a small town that focuses on outdoor play. That could be true.

But what is often overlooked is the region's taste for wine. Much like NASCAR's California stop in Sonoma, a trip to the road course in Watkins Glen takes visitors to the East Coast version of wine country.

Combine the two experiences and it is one of the surprisingly memorable stops on the yearlong journey.

Seneca Sailing Adventures -- Watkins Glen is located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, so the natural place to be is on the lake. In a sailboat, no less. The entire region is loaded with sights to see, but Seneca Lake may be the best vantage point from which to see nature. Guests can choose private cruises or the advertised "cruise and snooze" to spend the night on the boat.
• For more information, click here

AMP88GUARD -- If you visit enough wineries and get enough free taste samples, you really won't care what else there is to do there.

And this from Shelley in Ithaca ...
I often wonder when it is time for NASCAR to move into Sonoma, most everything you hear about is the vineyards. However, when you go to the other side of the country for another road course, you hear nothing. I live 10 miles from Watkins Glen International. Surrounded on every side of me are some of the most beautiful and best wineries in the country. Below, I have attached only a couple of different links for the amount of wineries that we have here in the Finger Lakes Region of Central New York.

It would be nice if someone mentioned our wineries here, too. It's a little odd that both road-course tracks are surrounded by so many wineries, don't you think? Or is that why there is a road course? The bulldozers couldn't keep it in a neat circle? Just some food for thought.

Join the Watkins Glen International Crew

Thursday: Cloudy with a high of 79 degrees, low of 59
Friday: Cloudy with a high of 77 degrees, low of 57
Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a high of 74 degrees, low of 57
Sunday: Cloudy with a high of 76 degrees, low of 57
Complete Forecast

More
• Let NASCAR.COM help book your last-minute travel.
• Directions and aerial map of Watkins Glen, N.Y.

After the trip to New York, it's back to the countryside and the Irish Hills of Michigan. This time we tour the state. Share your personal favorites here.