Exploring boating and glassmaking history | Empire State Tour Day 2

By Colin Wood
Sep 9, 2025

Exploring the forests and mountains of New York’s Finger Lakes region from behind the wheel of your favorite car?

That’s what’s in store for the participants of our 2025 Empire State Tour taking place this week, September 7-12.

Today, September 9, we set off from our home base at the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel for the first stop of the day, the Finger Lakes Boating Museum.



As the name suggests, this collection covers the rich history of boating in the Finger Lakes region and is home to over 100 boats as well as a working boat restoration shop.



Participants then made their way to the Bully Hill Vineyards, our lunch spot for the day, for the chance to enjoy delicious food with a gorgeous lake view.



Then, it was on to the last stop of the day before heading back to the hotel, the Corning Museum of Glass.

 

Dedicated to the art, history and science of glassmaking, the Corning Museum of Glass complex spans some 10 acres and features over 50,000 glass objects from throughout human history.



During our visit, guests also had the opportunity to watch the glassmaking process in action at the museum’s amphitheater hot shop and several smaller glassmaking demonstration stations.



Before heading out, participants were free to choose their own adventure for the rest of the evening, whether that be heading back to the hotel, spending some extra time at Corning or something else entirely.



Stay tuned for daily updates from Empire State Tour.

 

An immersion in motorsports history | Empire State Tour Day 3

By Colin Wood
Sep 10, 2025

Exploring the forests and hilly terrain of New York’s Finger Lakes region from behind the wheel of your favorite car?

That’s what’s in store for the participants of our 2025 Empire State Tour, taking place this week, September 7-12.



Today, September 10, we started out towards our first stop of the day, Ithaca Falls.



After making our way past some notable sites along the way, like the Newfield covered bridge and SheQuaGa Falls, our tour guests were treated to a few laps around a little old race track you might have heard of: Watkins Glen International.



We then headed back into downtown Watkins Glen for lunch at Seneca Harbor Station before trekking out to the International Motor Racing Research Center.

 

Inside, participants were greeted by an extensive collection of motorsports history spanning decades and continents.



Before heading back to the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel for the night, we made a stop at the historic Seneca Lodge for drinks and dinners–and maybe even a few racing stories.



Stay tuned for daily updates from Empire State Tour,

 

A high-flying conclusion | Empire State Tour Day 4

By Colin Wood
Sep 11, 2025

Exploring the forests and hilly terrain of New York’s Finger Lakes region from behind the wheel of your favorite car?

That’s what’s in store for the participants of our 2025 Empire State Tour taking place this week, September 7-12.



For the final day of driving, September 11, we started by first visiting the majestic Taughannock Falls.



From the Taughannock Falls Overlook, guests were treated to stunning vistas of both the falls, the highest east of the Rocky Mountains at 215 feet tall.



After passing through the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and some quaint farmland, we made it to our lunch spot for the day, the Restaurant at Elderberry Pond.

 

Nestled near the center of Elderberry Pond's 100-acre farm, the restaurant features fresh seasonal fruits, vegetables and herbs picked there daily, as well as organic produce and grass-fed livestock from other local farms.



Before winding down the week’s adventures, we took participants to the Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Museum.



In addition to providing a look at how the Finger Lakes region nurtured early aviation, the museum also houses a fully functioning aircraft restoration shop.



Then, for the last time, we made our way back to the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel and met up for dinner–but not before celebrating everyone and their cars completing the Empire State Tour with a parking lot bar.

Thank you again to everyone who attended this year’s Empire State Tour, and we hope to see you all again on another one

 

2022 Porsche Boxster 25 J. D. Archer



2024 Porsche Boxster GTS 4.0 Vince Crognale


2022 Ford Hertz Shelby GT-H Mustang Keith Johnson...you joker, you.


1964 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Lonnie Schwartz, you look good in red.

 

Empire State Tour

Image Source: Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel
Our popular Empire State Tour is back for 2024 with a new home base in historic Watkins Glen, NY. We’ll be staying at the stunning Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel, positioned right on the shore of Seneca Lake and just a stone’s throw away from downtown.

Excursions will include laps on both the current and historic Watkin’s Glen racetracks, a trip to the fascinating Corning Glass Museum of Glass, challenging back roads to Canandaigua, and much more.

This tour will now be held Sept. 7-12, 2025, immediately following the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival weekend. Combined, this festival weekend and our Empire State Tour make for an easy bucket list vacation for anyone how loves vintage racing.