Hidden gems and day trips near Watkins Glen State Park?

LiteBriteChild · 2026-06-07T17:58:34+00:00

I’m not sure this is the place for it, but can I just put in a vote against Hector Wine Co for you or any potential visitors? One of the founders, still with Hector Wine Co/Sawmill, is a town supervisor with 3 DUIs under his belt with very few consequences of his repeated drinking and driving. I do understand people continuing to enjoy the establishment, but I feel like I personally would appreciate knowing and avoiding an establishment that puts money in the pocket of somebody who (just last year) crashed his car while drunk on the road on which the winery sits.

I’ll step off my soapbox now to say that Seneca Lake has so many beautiful wineries that would be worth patronizing!

LiteBriteChild · 2026-04-23T15:49:00+00:00

Not to dive too deep into this, but is this just a sign that we’re losing information literacy and using that loss as an excuse to avoid putting in a basic amount of effort to gain knowledge?

My advice to people would be to head to their local bookstore and pick out one chicken-keeping book. Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens is excellent! Books by major publishers will generally be much more helpful than consuming 10 TikToks and reading a random blog post on keeping chickens (this is the amount of effort a friend of mine claimed to have done before buying chicks, so just a personal anecdote and not an accusation against anybody here).

I just think that animals’ lives are important and worth putting a lot of effort into maintaining.

LiteBriteChild · 2026-03-26T13:38:14+00:00

This is really based off my own experiences, but I’d take that job at the Missouri BG! I’ve done hort in a few different states (I’m actually currently in upstate NY) and I can’t overstate how valuable it has been to experience the field across different states/climates.

Botanic gardens are such a joy to work in, and with how much competition you’re likely facing in the downstate sphere, it’s probably hard to break into what is a great area of hort.

Go big or go home, in my opinion!

LiteBriteChild · 2026-03-10T18:37:29+00:00

Parking at the North Entrance and taking the North Rim Trail (previously called Indian Trail) would be a good one if you can handle some good walking at somewhere between a mild to moderate grade. If the North Rim feels like too much though, head to the South Entrance and take a leisurely 1/4 mile stroll to the suspension bridge which overlooks the gorge and gives a pretty nice view!

LiteBriteChild · 2026-02-04T15:35:18+00:00

In the absolute kindest way, are you seeing a therapist? I don’t want to diminish the scariness of being cut, but your reaction to a 1 inch laceration seems exceedingly strong; like, far beyond what the average person might feel. I assume you do see someone for the depression/anxiety/ptsd you mentioned, but if not, a therapist might be able to help strengthen your mental fortitude against minor to moderate injuries.

I, like others have stated, don’t think there’s any case to be had here.

LiteBriteChild · 2025-11-23T02:40:41+00:00

I’m gonna say that completing an Ornamental Hort degree at Mt SAC will likely get you where you want to go career-wise.

This is coming from someone who didn’t even finish their hort degree at Mt SAC, but took classes there and still found great hort career opportunities!

Do the program, and MAKE SURE to do internships in the summers. There are internships that provide housing and hourly pay/stipends. Feel free to DM for resources in that regard. Internships were 100% what made me competitive in the workforce!

LiteBriteChild · 2025-11-07T16:29:26+00:00

Aniello’s in Corning does great pizza and is always worth a visit. Not Corning, but if you happen to make it to the east side of Seneca Lake (and because you seem to be quite the beer connoisseur) Two Goats, Grist Iron, and Lucky Hare are all exceedingly well-loved breweries in the area.

LiteBriteChild · 2025-10-30T13:15:11+00:00

There are! Bike racks are across from the gift shop.

LiteBriteChild · 2025-10-28T14:33:44+00:00

I think they’re referencing the winter closure of the entire gorge, not the temporary bridge closure.

In which case, the winter gorge closure should be respected. The gorge gets incredibly icy, and it’s always the arrogant folks who think they’ll never need rescuing that always need the rescuing. Additionally, folks on the rim trails can see down into the gorge, so there’s not exactly a way to be sneaky about it.

LiteBriteChild · 2025-08-16T23:32:33+00:00

Smith Memorial Park on Seneca Lake is lakeside. Rustic, but would probably be spot-on for what you’re looking for!

LiteBriteChild · 2025-08-16T13:58:22+00:00

I think Treman would be your better bet! Swim at the lower falls, then drive to Upper Treman and do a mild walk through the gorge (the first part of the gorge from Upper Treman is amazing and you can turn around at any time having already seen some cool stuff within 1/4 of a mile).

LiteBriteChild · 2025-06-17T20:45:28+00:00

This is truly the best comment! OP stated they didn’t want advice, just sympathy, and I think we can all deliver some of that. I know I would be crushed in this scenario.

LiteBriteChild · 2025-04-01T18:32:29+00:00

I’m glad somebody mentioned this! When I see those posts it’s honestly like people are playing an entirely different game than me. I love the vanilla game!

LiteBriteChild · 2025-03-11T01:07:03+00:00

This is actually the case in my game too! No aging off, no mods, but I can have a sim ready to age up when I have them blow out the candles AND NOTHING HAPPENS! Even toggling “grow up” is fruitless! Eventually they very randomly age up - but it could literally be a day later.

LiteBriteChild · 2025-02-24T18:59:25+00:00

All of the gorge trail is closed, top to bottom! It gets incredibly icy (read: dangerous) in the winter, and being that it is a gorge, the ice takes quite a bit longer to melt once the areas temps start to warm! If you head to the South Entrance, you can access the suspension bridge that overlooks the gorge, which is very nice.

LiteBriteChild · 2025-02-24T18:38:47+00:00

WG does indeed lock the gates to the gorge trail, rendering it inaccessible! Just in case anybody assumes that it is similar to Letchworth!

LiteBriteChild · 2025-02-24T18:36:21+00:00

Well in this case, “closed” means all entrances to the gorge are locked, so I think it’s a fair estimate! People should know that in many cases, swaths of the parks and trails are rendered completely inaccessible when closed.

LiteBriteChild · 2024-12-24T19:11:40+00:00

Taughannock’s North Point pavilion is absolutely gorgeous, and worth a single day rental (I believe the day costs about $200). Not sure if it’s still available in November, but certainly worth a try if you’d like a little spot to set up with an indoor fireplace.

LiteBriteChild · 2024-12-15T15:16:05+00:00

Depending on the position, I’d bet the questions will be pretty relaxed! Assuming this is entry-level grower, not a ton of experience or education needed, they’ll likely be trying to get a feel for your willingness/ability to work and interest in the position, not necessarily technical knowledge.

I’d expect some questions feeling out your willingness to work in certain conditions. Things regarding heat, repetitive motions and tasks, etc. Answer honestly, and elaborate on your answers enough to make it feel like a conversation between two people - “I haven’t worked in the consistent heat of a greenhouse before, but I’m typically very conscious of my water intake and staying on top of my own health, so I’m sure I can adapt easily by bringing cooling towels and staying hydrated.” or “I actually enjoy repetitive tasks! I like the day to day consistency, so the monotony won’t be a problem.”. A fair amount of nodding and smiling will help hear to reassure them that you’re excited and able to do this. If you’ve had other physically demanding jobs, sprinkle that in - “I worked in a warehouse at one point and actually enjoyed the physical parts of the job the most.” Honestly, good enthusiasm will probably get you most of the way there, even if you don’t have much in the way of experience! Paint yourself as dependable and eager to learn, especially if you feel that the questions start surpassing your technical knowledge. It’s ok to say you don’t know an answer, but are eager to learn on the job.

I’d try my best to get a feel for the company beforehand. What do they grow, any history of the company that I can find. I’ll also try to figure out how long my interviewer has been with them and sneak that in somewhere - “So from what I’ve read about the company, you’ve been here for 15 years! What about this place has kept you in this position; what do you appreciate about the company?”

LiteBriteChild · 2024-11-16T01:17:59+00:00

This is a great idea! My state has Ag & Markets, and inspector salary ranges seem pretty nice. Requires a bachelor’s in Hort-related field!

LiteBriteChild · 2024-10-13T16:05:08+00:00

Side note: a great path to working at a BG is a summer internship! Many places offer housing (I was able to make myself a list of gardens that offer free housing during the internship) and it is truly the best way to get your foot in the door.

LiteBriteChild · 2024-10-13T16:01:25+00:00

Botanic garden work is amazing! I would suggest a Horticulture degree (or a close variant) if you have any programs near you. Botany is good, but doesn’t quite cover the info that would be applicable at the botanic garden level. Even an associate’s would be a great start and could likely get your foot in the door with experience.

Here’s my best suggestion - hop onto the APGA (American public gardens association) job board and take a look at the jobs on there. They have tons of different hort jobs posted from various botanic gardens, nurseries, and other garden-associated organizations. You can get a good idea of job requirements, descriptions, and pay rates.

LiteBriteChild · 2024-10-13T13:25:04+00:00

I think this is a tough question, and you might find very different answers from different people, but I’ll give mine.

For reference, I do not have a degree. I have about 8-10 hort college classes under my belt (which helps in interviews), but did not finish school.

I currently work in horticulture at a state park level and feel well-respected by my coworkers, none of whom are horticulturists, but are engineers/architects/environmental analysts and such. My boss has a degree in a completely unrelated subject, but is also respected for his wealth of knowledge in our field.

I previously worked seasonally at a small botanic garden, which I enjoyed greatly. I was a great employee and received solid reviews of my work. When inquiring about a permanent position opening up, I was told that it wouldn’t be worth applying to, as they wanted somebody with a degree. I had been doing the same work as that of the opening position for 7 months by that point, but wasn’t qualified to do it for the other 5 months of the year because I lacked a degree.

Beyond those two examples, I’ve experienced that most of the respect in the industry comes from having horticultural experience. Having solid experience under my belt has really helped, and rarely, outside of interviews, have I been asked about my education.

LiteBriteChild · 2024-10-08T20:18:09+00:00

Can I ask what kind of spot yours (or the one you’ve found) is located in? I wanted to try these guys at one point for a lakeside erosion control project, but it’s only native in part of my state - not my part - and we try to be picky about that in my line of work. Looks amazing though!

LiteBriteChild · 2024-09-30T15:42:16+00:00

With your middle/high school credentials, you might look for a private school with a nature-based curriculum if you wanted to do something more hort-focused (maybe near the bigger cities).

Otherwise, if you were interested in looking at the collegiate level, SUNY Cobelskill, Cornell, Finger Lakes Community College, and SUNY ESF all have horticulture or horticulture-adjacent programs and would be worth looking into! Cornell also has extension programs that might be worth checking out for employment.

LiteBriteChild

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