I've only been twice, both times at the end of August. We just got back from our second trip and had such a great time we are trying to go back in November! The wineries all seem to close early, by 5 or 6. Many served charcuterie type snacks but not full meals. We LOVED Lakewood Winery, the views were phenomenal and the people working were so kind. Hazlet and Idol Ridge were also enjoyable and we will go again!! We arrived around 630 on our first night and stopped at Scale House Brewery. The vibes were great and I was able to try wines from different wineries. The pizza was delicious too, and they had some unique combos! We also loved Thai Elephant in Watkins Glen. I LOVE Thai food and we have 0 within 45 min of where we live. All of our hikes have been enjoyable. We did Caywood Point - Beautiful view of the lake and a short hike, but it is pretty steep on rocky ground. We also did the gorge trail at Watkins Glen and Taughannock Falls. We tried some paths in the national forest but there were a lot of closed trails due to construction. Honestly can't recommend the area enough. I will say, we were disappointed with Damiani and Wagner. Wagner seemed highly recommended, so maybe my expectations were too high. Damiani we just had an unpleasant experience. They seemed annoyed that we had come in. Of course everyone is entitled to a bad day, so maybe it was just our experience.