America’s Best Small Spa and Wellness Town Is a Lakeside Gem in Upstate New York

Aurora, New York, is so small it doesn’t have a stoplight, but this waterside village in the heart of the Finger Lakes has an outsized reputation, thanks to its fabulous hotels and a new wellness center.

When it comes to small towns with big reputations, lakeside Aurora, New York, is top of the class. The 724-person village, hugging the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, is probably best known as the headquarters of MacKenzie-Childs, the homewares retailer that still paints its distinctive serveware by hand in the blissful quiet of this stretch of Cayuga County. But it’s also becoming a destination for wellness thanks to the Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa, a collection of six small lodgings and one stunning hilltop retreat that T+L readers recently voted among the very best resorts in New York state. Throw in the fact that this stretch of the Finger Lakes is filled with gorge hikes, tap rooms, farm stands, and low-key beaches, and Aurora starts to look like not only the best small town for wellness, but for just about anybody’s idea of what the chilled-out good life should be.

"The village feels removed from the busy pace of our everyday lives," says Alex Schloop, creative director of Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa. "I find it to be a deeply restorative place — one that our guests are drawn to return to time and time again."

If it all sounds too good to be true, you may be right: signs on the way out of town read “You imagined it.”

""The village feels removed from the busy pace of our everyday lives.""

Alex Schloop, Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa creative director

The Best Times to Visit

Aurora is a four-season town, with quintessential summer sunshine in June and July and plenty of chill and snow in the winter months. Autumn in this part of New York is particularly enchanting, thanks to rolling hills and a spectacle of changing leaves; springtime can be rainy and muddy — but also full of spring flowers and the first farm-fresh produce.

Things to Do

Cayuga Lake

About 39 miles long and just over 3 miles at its widest, Cayuga is one of the largest Finger Lakes. The name comes from the Cayuga Nation, the original Indigenous inhabitants of these lands and one constituency of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Like many of New York's 11 Finger Lakes, Cayuga is a focal point for recreation — swimming, paddling, power boating, sailing — and there are numerous public access points to the water within Aurora, including Aurora Village Park and Long Point State Park.

Heart & Hands Wine Company

Located just north of the village of Aurora, in the town of Union Springs, this small-scale winery from husband and wife duo Tom and Susan Higgins specializes in thoughtfully made (and often estate-grown) bottlings, with a focus on chardonnay, pinot noir, and riesling. The winery recently launched a new UTV tour through its vineyards that, naturally, also includes a tasting.

The Spa

The destination wellness retreat of Inns of Aurora is a game-changer for this lakeside village. “The philosophy behind the Spa has always been to intentionally provide guests with an environment that delivers optimal well-being and long-lasting healing from within,” said Sue Edinger, the chief operating officer of Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa, in a statement shared with T+L. Find more on its treatments, programs, and distinctive approach below.

Where to Stay

Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa

The hospitality project that helped put Aurora on the map, the Inns are today a collection of six distinct lodgings, all designed with impeccable taste by owner Pleasant Rowland, an alumna of Aurora’s own Wells College, and her team. The 10-room Aurora Inn is the centerpiece of the resort, which is spread restored buildings across the village; other similarly sized lodges, such as Wallcourt Hall and Zabriskie House, round out the portfolio. The newest, Orchard Cottage, opened in May 2023, as a stand-alone two-bedroom that, unlike the rest of the Inns, welcomes both kids and pets.

Where to Eat and Drink

Aurora Brewing Company

A quirky farmhouse spot just south of Aurora, in King Ferry, New York, it has a huge selection of supremely ambitious brews, including classics like cream ale and West Coast IPA alongside outré picks like a watermelon sea salt gose and a sour ale flavored with molasses and nutmeg. They’ve also recently stepped up their food game and have a long menu of goes-great-with-beer eats like wood-fired pizzas and smoked chicken wing dip.

Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa

The outfit operates a few dining venues, the most formal of which is 1833 Kitchen & Bar, which offers prix fixe dinners and decadent brunches. Its Fargo Bar & Grill has the feel of a down-home dive, but delivers top-notch service and huge platters of pub grub. The Village Market has quick, on-the-go bites as well as snacky indulgences.

Salt of the Earth

This small little project, operating out of a storefront in Union Springs, is one part restaurant, one part culinary lab, and one part community supper club. The best way to keep up with their one-off wine-tasting dinners, special events, and seasonal takeout menus is on the socials.

Where to Shop

Main Street

Aurora’s main drag has an array of cute little shops, with an ever-changing array of antiques, ephemera, and sundries.

MacKenzie-Childs

The homewares brand has built a loyal following thanks to its whimsical, eye-catching aesthetic and a made-in-America ethos. Shop smaller items like tea kettles and cake stands as well as monumental furnishings and outdoor decor at the company’s sprawling HQ just north of the village, where MacKenzi-Childs also hosts occasional events including an annual “barn sale.”

How to Get There

Rural Aurora is a bit of a drive from just about everywhere: it’s about 250 miles from New York City and Philadelphia, about 350 miles from Boston, and roughly 370 from Washington, D.C.

The nearest big-ticket commercial airports are in Rochester and Syracuse, New York; both are served by numerous brand-name airlines. Rochester and Syracuse are each about an hour's drive from Aurora, which would still require travelers to rent a car. It’s also possible to fly Delta or United into Ithaca, New York, which has service from the New York City area. Ithaca also has an FBO for private-jet flights and is about a 35-minute drive from Aurora.

Spa + Wellness

You’re here for The Spa, as Inns of Aurora refers to its ambitious stand-alone wellness retreat that’s open to guests of the resort as well as day visitors who book in advance. On a ridge, with views of Cayuga Lake, it’s an expansive facility that runs year-round, with an extensive array of treatments and programs that includes things like massage, skincare, bodywork, hydrotherapy, and Reiki. In 2023, the Spa achieved Well Certification at the Gold level for its holistic approach to not only building operations but also community and staff engagement; it’s the only spa in the United States that’s achieved that lofty mark.

For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.