Planning your visit
Visiting the Finger Lakes With Children
Two of our own daughters grew up in this tasting room. They created one of the experiences we still serve. So when a family arrives looking slightly apologetic about the children, we know exactly how the afternoon is going to go, and it is fine.
Can you visit wineries with children?
At many, including ours, yes. What makes it work is the shape of the day rather than the venue: something for them in the morning, a short stop at the winery, and somewhere outdoors afterwards. Long seated tastings are where it goes wrong.
The lake helps enormously. A morning at the water, a walk, or the museum in Hammondsport uses the energy that would otherwise be spent on the tasting room floor.
What is there for children around Keuka Lake?
The lake itself, the state park on the west branch, and the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, which is about early aviation and motorcycles. Between them they fill a day without anyone needing to be entertained.
We wrote about the museum separately in our Hammondsport guide, and about the state park and how it pairs with an afternoon here in another.
How the day usually works
- Morning outdoors: the lake, the park, or a flat walk.
- Lunch in the village rather than at a winery.
- One winery stop in the afternoon, not three.
- Something to sit on outside. Terraces work better than tasting rooms with children.
What do you offer for families?
Le Petit Gourmand, an experience our daughters created, built for families rather than added as an afterthought. Children are always accompanied. It sits alongside our guided tasting and our wine and macaron pairing on the same list.
The terrace looks over the lake and there is room to move. Dogs are welcome too, indoors as well as outside, which for a lot of families removes the other half of the problem. See the details on our experiences page.
Our daughters made Le Petit Gourmand because they grew up here and knew exactly what was missing for a child in a tasting room.
On the east shore of Keuka, with a terrace over the water and room to move.
Are children allowed at your winery?
Yes, and always accompanied. We offer Le Petit Gourmand, an experience our daughters created for families.
What is there for kids in Hammondsport?
The lake and the shoreline, and the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, which covers early aviation and motorcycles.
Is one winery stop enough with children?
In our experience, yes. Families who plan one stop and something outdoors around it have a far better day than families who plan three.
Written by
The Domaine LeSeurre Team
Céline & Sébastien LeSeurre and the team at Domaine LeSeurre — a family winery on Keuka Lake, in Hammondsport, New York. French roots, Finger Lakes soul.
