When August’s sun starts to broil and bake you and your movement slows down to a snails pace, there’s no better place to go in the Finger Lakes than to Hammondsport, NY (click here). Sharing the honor with Beaufort, NC as the coolest small towns in America, Hammondsport sits at the southern end of Keuka Lake, the so called “crooked lake” as it is shaped in a “Y” with Hammondsport at the southern end and Penn Yan at the northern tip of the eastern branch and Branchport at the northern tip of the western branch.
If your body is hot and sweaty, go to the little park near the Gazebo and take a swim and then relax on the grass while the sun evaporates all of the water from your skin. Keep repeating this process till you have sufficiently cooled down. The lake water is clean and cool and sure to refresh. Or if you are fortunate enough to have brought along your kayak or personal water craft, use the boat launch right there near the park. There’s a marina nearby to take care of all of your boating needs.
If a nice lunch is on your mind, head to the Crooked Lake Ice Cream Parlor on the Village Square. One of their sandwich specials is sure to kill your hunger pangs and for dessert, try one of their malted chocolate milk shakes made with vanilla ice cream. I’ve never seen Jeanette have such a big smile on her face in a long long time!
Take a look at all of the art entries around town. Stop by the little shops. You will be taken back by the charm of this old upstate New York village which has much history to share. But leave the history till fall. When it’s hot, just enjoy Hammondsport, NY – the Coolest Small Town in America!