Eco-Book Club and Hike at Cumming Nature Center — A Finger Lakes Day Trip Worth Making

There are book clubs. And then there is this. The Eco-Book Club at the Cumming Nature Center in Naples, NY meets on a trail — discuss an ecology-focused book while moving through one of the most quietly remarkable natural preserves in the Finger Lakes.

The Cumming Nature Center covers 900 acres of managed forest, wetlands, and trails maintained by the Rochester Museum and Science Center. It is the kind of place that rewards a slow visit — and pairing it with a book discussion gives you a reason to go slow.

Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2026 Time: TBD — contact the Nature Center to confirm Location: Cumming Nature Center, 6472 Gulick Rd, Naples, NY 14512 Cost: TBD Drive from Rochester: Approximately 1 hour south

Check the RMSC website for the current book selection, meeting time, and registration. Naples itself is worth a stop — the town sits at the southern tip of Canandaigua Lake and has its own small-town pace that pairs well with a day that starts on a trail.

If you have not been to the Cumming Nature Center before, this is as good a reason as any to make the drive. What would it feel like to read about an ecosystem and then walk through one the same afternoon?