Introduction to Seneca Falls

10 miles E of Geneva; 48 miles E of Syracuse; 42 miles N of Ithaca

Perched on the falls of the Seneca River and a section of the legendary Erie Canal, and cradled between the two largest of the Finger Lakes, Seneca Falls was such a quintessential American small town that Frank Capra apparently used it as the model for Bedford Falls in his classic movie It's a Wonderful Life. Yet the town is more significantly known for its rabble-rousing past. In the mid-19th century, Seneca Falls was home to political activists who fought for women's suffrage and civil rights for African Americans. The town is considered the birthplace of women's rights, and some women enamored of that history have moved to Seneca Falls to make it their home.

Cayuga Lake is the longest of the Finger Lakes, 42 miles from end to end.