About Us

Experience! The Finger Lakes is owned and operated by Laura and Alan Falk of Ithaca, NY. 

Alan and Laura have lived and experienced the Finger Lakes for over 25 years.  After 20 years working "straight-jobs" - Alan as a software engineer, and Laura, first as a manager in a software company, and then as a nutrition researcher at Cornell University - we began to yearn  for the "next big adventure".

Our epiphany came in 2006 on a 3-week RV trip in Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks.  We used a wonderful touring company to help plan our trip, and one morning while studying our custom  itinerary, we looked at each other and said, "We can do this!  We live in a wonderful tourist destination, and while there is so much to do, there is nobody in the area that helps pull it all together for our visitors"!

Six-months later, Experience! The Finger Lakes, LLC was founded.  We consider ourselves concierge to the region - providing our guests maximum enjoyment with minimal effort.

Our overall mission is to have you Experience! the Finger Lakes as we do; being in awe of its natural beauty, its cultural abundance, its recreational opportunities, and its historical significance. Our goal is to have every guest understand why those of us who live here stay here, and those who visit come back again and again. Let us share our experience with you ...Explore...Engage...Experience!

 

 

Laura & Alan with sons Gabriel and Jackson experiencing Red Newt Bistro on Mother's Day, 2011

 

Meet the Other Members of the Experience! The Finger Lakes® Team:

	Terry has been a guide for Experience! The Finger Lakes since the beginning.  She is a retired Director of the Cornell Veterinarian Library, avid world traveler, god mother to Laura and Alan's kids, Gabriel and Jackson, and all-round awesome person.
	Caren enters her second year as a guide for Experience! The Finger Lakes, but we believe she was born doing it!  Caren is a second-grade teacher in Ithaca, a huge Finger Lakes wine fan, and is our official bachelorette tour expert!
	Paul joins the Experience! The Finger Lakes team this year.  Paul owns and operates Keyrow Tours, a company specializing in intimate, personalized tours of Italy, and started his company the same year we started ours.  It's a match made in heaven, and we are thrilled to have him guiding with us.
	Kari, is our newest member of the Experience! The Finger Lakes team, and we are very excited to have her.  She comes with winery experience and an education background, and like Caren, is a second-grade teacher when not touring the Finger Lakes.

 

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 SCIENCE SHOWS WHY YOU SHOULD TOUR WITH EXPERIENCE! THE FINGER LAKES:  Research out of Cornell say that when it comes to getting the most value for your dollar, experiences matter more than possessions! A study by psychology professor Thomas Gilovich shows that happiness from an experience (such as a an Experience! The Finger Lakes tour) lasts longer than from an object like a big screen TV. So everybody, maximize your happiness!!  Turn the tv off and start experiencing!!!