The Inns of Aurora occupy seven historic houses in the village of Aurora, founded in 1789 and now a National Historic District, above Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes. Since 2001 they have been restored by Pleasant T. Rowland, the creator of American Girl: the Aurora Inn of 1833, E.B. Morgan House of 1858, Wallcourt Hall of 1909 and, opened in early 2026, the Farmhouse, an 1835 building restored by Hart Howerton. The spa, on a farm-inspired hilltop campus, takes its cue from Ayurveda and is hung with modern art chosen by Rowland. It has 10 treatment rooms, six of them with fireplaces, four outdoor hydrotherapy pools, an indoor hot pool and a cold plunge, and treatments use Biologique Recherche; a Director of Serenity designs Ayurvedic rituals and custom tea blends, and Farmhouse guests have rituals of their own in a private treatment room. The estate covers 350 acres with a 3.5-mile nature trail, and dining runs from 1833 Kitchen & Bar to Fargo Bar & Grill and the Aurora Cooks demonstration kitchen. In 2025 it became the first Finger Lakes hotel to earn a MICHELIN Key, which it kept in 2026.
- Nearest airport
- Ithaca Tompkins International (ITH), 22 Miles / 35 Kilometres
- Rooms
- 66 rooms across seven historic houses; no children under 12, except in Orchard Cottage
Insider tip Taste along the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, whose 16 wineries include Thirsty Owl and Lucas Vineyards.
Why I choose it An Ayurveda-inspired spa in a restored lakeside village, with the first MICHELIN Key in the Finger Lakes.