Seventy-five thousand sailors once marched here. Actually, closer to 750,000 — that's how many service members trained at Sampson, a sprawling WWII-era Navy base on the east shore of Seneca Lake that the state converted into one of its most interesting parks in the 1960s.
Sampson State Park covers 2,000 acres in Romulus, New York, about an hour from both Rochester and Syracuse. The land has had several lives: established as a naval training base in 1942, briefly a college for returning veterans, then an Air Force base during the Korean War before the military moved on. Some buildings were dismantled to let nature reclaim the grounds, but traces remain everywhere — including the Sampson Military Museum, with two U.S. Air Force aircraft parked out front for photos.
The main draw in summer is the sandy beach on Seneca Lake, the Finger Lakes' largest by volume and 38 miles long. The swimming area runs from late June to Labor Day. If you'd rather be on the water than in it, Seneca Lake Resorts rents pontoon boats by the half- or full-day for fishing and swimming.
On land, the park claims one of the only true lakeside hiking trails in the entire Finger Lakes region. The 3.5-mile Lake Trail is flat enough to bike (rentals at the park office), and it's at its best in spring bloom and fall colour. QR-code plaques along the way tell the base's story. Families get plenty too: a waterfront playground, courts for volleyball and basketball, mini golf and free movie nights at Seneca Lake Resort.
Wine is the other reason to linger. The park sits mid-way along the Seneca Wine Trail — New York's biggest and busiest — with small producers like Boundary Breaks, 15 minutes away, pouring Riesling and Cabernet Franc.
Overnight options suit almost any budget. From mid-May to mid-October the park offers 243 electric campsites from $17 a night and 10 lakefront cottages from $300 (two-night minimum). Seneca Lake Resorts has 39 cabins sleeping up to eight with kitchenettes, full bathrooms and air conditioning from $225. For something different, Yale Manor rents luxury yurts with a full living room for $230, and Belhurst Castle and Winery in Geneva — 20 minutes north — is a historic lakefront hotel with tastings and two restaurants.
Sampson works as a cheap base camp for the whole Finger Lakes region, and history-minded travellers get an extra layer: Seneca Falls, birthplace of the American women's rights movement, is just 20 minutes away. Few state parks let you swim, drink Riesling, and sleep where half a million airmen once trained.
