I was super-psyched to go to this festival but was disappointed after attending in the afternoon on…read moreSaturday, August 9th. So we started at the wine/beer area and paid $20 each for unlimited tastings in the wine & beer tents. "Designated Driver" tickets were still $5, which I thought was crazy as it's not like there was food or non-alcoholic drinks or even water inside for the DDs. They should be encouraging folks to have DDs, not charging them $5. With our $20 came a cute 6-bottle wine bag (similar to the ones Century gives out but with the festival logo on it), a nice magazine about food/wine in the FLX, a wine glass emblazoned with the festival's logo, and a beer glass with the festival's logo. Honestly I'd rather just have a plain wine glass at this point as I'm over having tons of logoed stuff in my kitchen cabinets. There was no water bottle in your bag or even cups of water inside the wine & beer tents. Instead they had signs saying that water was available inside the NYWCC for $2 per bottle (aka crazy). If you're having thousands of people paying $20 each to drink lots of alcohol on a very hot summer day you should at least give them some water. It doesn't have to be bottled water, simply having water stations in the tent would have sufficed. The wine tent was total chaos. The wineries that attended also weren't the best in the FLX, so that was also a bit disappointing. After seeing the setup I can see why they chose to not attend. The wineries that did attend often didn't bring their full range of wines to the festival, which I was bummed about but sort of understood. Everything tended to be quite sweet, while I know FLX produces some amazing dry & semi-dry wines. The wine pourers also weren't even that knowledgeable about their products or that willing to take the time to speak about them, which was a bummer for us. It seemed like the event was heavily geared towards massive alcohol intake without as much wine education. When we asked one winery about the grapes in a blend he was pouring he said he had no idea and said "who cares - it's wine" as if that was the only thing that mattered to us. Also, literally only one winery had water on the table to rinse out glasses, so there were lots of issues when switching between reds & whites and lots of drunk, hot, dehydrated people in the tent. The tent spaces given to wineries were also a problem. It seems like they could buy a single spot or a double spot. In all cases the tables were too small and then there were pretty large gaps between some of the tables. This led to weird clumping of people in hot bunches at tables and not a fun atmosphere for guests. There were a few standout wineries at the event including Raymor Estates, which had a very knowledgeable pourer, Damiani, which brought a larger range of wines besides the sweet ones, and to some extent Anthony Road, which had a pretty good selection. To be fair, there were hourly Wegmans-sponsored wine education events that I did want to attend, but couldn't convince all members of my group to do so. Attending one of those might have enhanced the experience for me. The beer tent, sponsored by Wegmans, was much better than the wine tent, and I'd give it 3 stars. The pourers seemed organized and there was even a central area with a few full pitchers of water for cleaning out your beer glass between tastings (or drinking the water if you might have gotten thirsty in the heat/dehydrated by the alcohol). My husband was pleased with the breweries that were represented and the beers they poured. He wished there were more, but was overall happy. The beer tent also needed a larger space as it was SO PACKED and hot the whole time, you could barely move. Still, it gave that tent a fun vibe that the wine tent was lacking from our perspective. Overall we probably wouldn't go back as we definitely didn't think it was worth $20 and were frustrated by the chaotic atmosphere in the wine tent, didn't appreciate the small range of wines available, and were annoyed by the lack of water. If higher quality wineries attend next year I might consider going back.

I absolutely loved Sonnenberg! The conservatory and gardens…read morewere beyond amazing. I really enjoyed walking through and taking in all of the beauty. They even have a section in the greenhouse with plants for sale. The mansion is of course just as great to walk through and take a little escape back in time. So many beautiful things and views. They do have a little cafe and gift shop/winery on the grounds. I highly recommend coming here if you get the chance!

It's a nice peaceful attraction to stroll the gardens and check out the mansion. There were binders…read moreof photos in the mansion to see what different rooms used to look like. Rooms were set up well with interesting garments and objects. You can look at some pretty closely. Some parts of the property remain dilapidated, like the pool. Some of the gardens weren't available for viewing. For example, we didn't see anything in the pansy garden area.

We went to the ChristKindl market today for the first time. My dad is a veteran and they asked if…read morewe had any veterans in our group. When we said yes, they said he got free entry. It was such a nice surprise and made my dad feel good. The bus shuttles from Sonnenberg Gardens were fantastic. The website claims they run every 30 minutes but basically they are running nonstop and we didn't have to wait either to or from the market. There were tons of food trucks. Potato- licious (something like that) had baked potatoes and sausages, hot cider, kettle corn, spiced nuts chocolates, donuts, a pasta food truck, grilled cheese, macaroni food truck, strudel that also had savory pastries (I wasn't a fan of their sausage pastry due to being extremely greasy), a truck with Philly cheese steaks that my parents were really impressed with, a kebab truck, a beer/wine tent and probably others that I'm forgetting. My husband and I ate at the potato truck. They had $5 zweigles hot dogs or sausages, hot cocoa, baked potatoes in a variety of ways: Buffalo chicken, thanksgiving with turkey & gravy, poutine, veggie & cheese...etc. there were picnic tables under a tent and restroom situation was a few portapotties and multiple trailers that had girls/guys facilities. The market consisted of 3 tents and had some great vendors. There was something for everyone. It was comfortable temperatures in the vendors tents because of heat getting pumped in. (With the picnic tables in the shade, it was pretty chilly there.) It was nice to see all of the decorations in Granger house. They were so nicely done and you could vote on your favorites or not and just walk through and enjoy them. We spent about 3 hours here including lunch and dessert. It was a nice morning/early afternoon!

This review is for the Festival of Trees at the Granger Homestead…read more This mansion dates back to the early 1800s, with a massive front door that greets you as you enter. The Festival of Trees runs from mid-November through mid-December at the mansion, and helps you imagine what it would be like to live during the grandeur that was Christmas-time at the Granger Homestead. Each room boasts numerous trees, each unique in their own right. Every tree is available for purchase through the silent auction. This is one of Granger's largest fundraisers, along with the Christkindl Market that happens in early November. During the 2015 Festival, one room hosted a tree that was made entirely out of books, while another was the skirt for cinderella's ball gown (personal favorite). The entire mansion is decorated for the season, and the dining room is set up for the Granger family to enjoy their holiday feast. There is a station where children can write letters to Santa, surrounded by the characters from Who-ville. The beautiful and grand setting is worth the $5 admission price for adults ($4 for seniors, $1 for kids over 5, 5 and under are free), and you may end up taking home a fully-dressed tree.

Really disappointed that my first visit there to see the movement was not a great one…read more No one checked my bag what if someone had a weapon or something, I heard several people say their bag wasn't checked. The staff was not welcoming or friendly. I've worked several venues in different states and currently work for some and we definitely don't make patrons feel like I felt. Truly disappointed. Could be a great venue but the management needs to work on learning how to make patrons feel more welcomed and teach their staff more on customer service. The VIP area was really not very good for the cost. I've worked hundreds of shows and our VIP areas are much more cleaner and have their own restrooms and friendlier staff.

no real vegan/vegetarian options! very generic american food menu (bbq, burgers, pizza) all of…read morewhich are overpriced. bar drinks also use recipe 21 as the well liquor - yikes. at the very least, this place needs to hire a new, more creative catering service if it wants to be resuscitated. so sad to have had to watch this venue with the tons of potential wane in popularity & quality. the two stars are for the property - garden, goats, and open concept layout with many seating options. i hope the owners wake up & realize how important quality food & drink is to bring people back!

Lesley is a very talented and patient instructor. She will teach anybody at any level. She does…read moredifferent mediums and makes it fun.

From the owner: Paint n' Sips. I bring the party to you! All materials, instruction and a great sense of HUMOR…read more Up to 35 people. $30 pp. Go to www.pinterest.com/lbrogan2/paint-night-ideas/ to choose your painting. BYOB. No space? No problem, bring the party to my studio for $25 pp. Still BYOB

Finger Lakes Ballet Academy is a great dance school. The instructors are wonderful, personable and…read morenurturing to their students from primary school age to high schoolers. They teach a wide range of dance styles, from ballet to hiphop. The school year's end recital is exceptionally well produced and is a joy to watch.

Awesome festival is hosted each summer by the association. It lasts four days. Free admission to…read morekids under 12 and vets, $10 for regular admission, discount for seniors. Tons of activities for kids and adults. Free corn on the cob (steamed using steam power)! Tractor pulls, and all sorts of shows.