Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen is a village in Schuyler County located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. The village, originally called Saulbria, then Jefferson, was renamed after Dr. Samuel Watkins, the founder, for his contributions to the community. The name Watkins Glen was adopted in 1926.
Watkins Glen is home to 60+ wineries, craft breweries and the region’s first distillery. Other attractions include Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen State Park and 44 waterfalls throughout the county. Watkins Glen State Park covers over 700 acres, with the upper section of the park as open woodlands and the gorge and Glen Creek as the centerpiece. Glen Creek features 19 waterfalls as it descends through the 400 foot narrow gorge. It is the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks as it has been said to leave visitors spellbound. In 2015 Watkins Glen State Park won third place in USA Today Readers’ Choice Poll for Best State Park in the United States. Watkins Glen is also famous for Watkins Glen International, one of the premier automobile road racing tracks in the United States.
First held in 1948, the Watkins Glen Sports Car Grand Prix was a 6.6 mile course on public streets that passed through the center of the village. As the first post-WWII road race in the United States, it marked the revival of American road racing. In 1956, the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course opened as a permanent racing facility, and has hosted nearly every type of road racing. Marked with a checkered flag for the start-finish line, the original course is still intact on the village’s main street.
For More Information:
1009 N Franklin St
Watkins Glen,
NY 14891
Phone: (607) 535-4511
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