The entire Finger Lake area is great for exploring.  Realistically we are talking about a whole series of day trips here, not just one. 

The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning is New York’s third largest tourist attraction, after New York City and Niagara Falls.  Don't overlook charming Market Street in downtown Corning.  Map

Ithaca is one of our favorite places to visit.  Here is a  map with major attractions pinpointed (if you don’t mind the B&B advertisment).  Our idea of a perfect Saturday road trip looks something like this:

• Get a good map and drive to Ithaca on a road we have never taken before, which isn’t difficult given the number of country roads in the area.  Map 
• Follow signs for parking at the Commons, Ithaca's downtown pedestrian mall. Map
• Split up at the Commons for an hour or two, with one of us visiting the best fabric store in the region (Homespun Boutique) and the other checking out the many bookstores. 
• If one of us feels like stretching our legs, hike the steep path up rocky Cascadilla Creek to the Cornell campus and back. Map  
• Meet at The Bookery II in the DeWitt Building, an old school building a block away from the Commons that has been turned into an urban mall.  Map
• Get a reservation to be first in the door at the famous Moosewood Restaurant, also in the DeWitt Building, when it opens in the late afternoon. 
• Listen to Prairie Home Companion on the way home (Public Radio, 6 to 8 pm).  The news from Lake Wobegon fits perfectly with a drive through the Finger Lakes.

Letchworth State Park, with its huge gorge and three waterfalls, is especially beautiful during autumn leaf season.  It is located just southwest of Mount Morris.  Map

Sonnenberg Gardens, at 151 Charlotte Street in Canandaigua, is an elegant mansion with extensive gardens.  You could extend a visit here by driving around Canandaigua Lake, which would take a couple of hours or so.  For the best views, bring a detailed map and stick closely to the shore.  It is better to drive around the lake in a clockwise direction because it is hard to find the right road out of town if you go the other way.

Windmill Farm Market, south of Penn Yann in Yates County is open on Saturdays from 8 until 4:30, except in winter.  This “village” comes to life for only a few hours per week.  You can visit not only the usual variety of craft and food shops here, but also a chiropractor, a tombstone vendor, and several other types of shops that you just don’t expect to see in the middle of a farm field.  Map

Self-guided winery tours (map) are popular, with wine trails available on several of the Finger Lakes, including Canandaigua, Keuka, Cayuga, and Seneca.

Women’s Rights National Historic Park in Seneca Falls marks a spot of historic significance, the place where a world-wide revolution began that is still underway.  Women and a few male supporters gathered here in 1848 to begin an organized struggle for gender equality.  Map of downtown  Area Map