Rice Cottage,Cayuga Lake,NY,rustic,historic,stone beach, fish, birds,sustainable
Lakeside Cottage , historic 1890s era, west side of Cayuga Lake. Boat house, dock, stone swimming beach, covered porches. Two bedrooms, living room, full kitchen, wood stove, grill, three refrigerators. Gravel driveway to cottage level. Fabulous lake views, sunrise, sunset over the lake, privacy, hemlock and mixed hardwood forest, great fishing and birding. Search Rice Heritage for web site. Cottage of naturalist Anna Botsford Comstock. Walk to Taughannock State Park where you might see nesting Peregrine Falcons in season! The space We are on the Finger Lakes Wine Trail, 1/2 mile from Taughannock State Park, 20 minutes to Ithaca, 4 miles to adorable Trumansburg. Cottage is rustic, no television, but robust fiber internet connection. Lots of games and puzzles. Covered porches provide outdoor seating and dining. Heat is wood stove, or portable electric heaters supported by newly upgraded electric service. We provide wood. Bathroom has stall shower, bathroom is NOT handicapped accessible. This is a family summer cottage, furnished simply, with lots of history. Setting is magnificent and access to lake is immediate, view is spectacular, atmosphere is rustic, private, and you will feel close to the undeveloped natural lakeside habitat. Great Blue Herons, Ospreys, Mergansers, Loons during migration, and keep an eye out for Bald Eagles. Guest access Boat house with changing rooms and hammock. See our website: RiceHeritageCottage for interior pictures. Parking for 8 cars at cottage level, some parking available above cottage as well. Gravel driveway leads cars to cottage level; not as steep as many lakefront cottages! Stairs or path lead to lake level and boathouse. Stone beach is expansive, with plenty of room for picnic tables, stone campfire circle, boathouse, large concrete dock, (good for fishing or sunbathing) Other things to note We love animals BUT NOT at the cottage, sorry, absolutely no pets. NO Smoking . This is a seasonal cottage. The heat source is the wood stove in the kitchen, and electric heaters, one per room. We will be happy to show you how to manage the wood stove to take the chill off in fall or early spring. Please consider the weather when you book and make a reservation; it may be cold and you will have to rely on the wood stove and electric heaters to heat the cottage. The cottage is an older uninsulated summer cottage which can be used in the fall and spring with the addition of wood stove heat, which can make the cottage quite warm and cozy, but will need to be started and tended. Electric heaters can warm rooms more quickly. Water in the cottage is from a beach well, which tests clean but we bring in drinking water anyway. The nearest grocery store is the Shursave in Trumansburg, about 10 min drive. They package their own tasty breakfast sausage! Trumansburg Farmers Market is on Wednesday evening, 4-7 pm for great local food (and music) including the famous Wide Awake Bread. The cottage was built to be comfortable in summer before air conditioning existed. There is an ice house from back when ice boats delivered a slab of ice to each cottage. We have refrigerators, but the ice house is still a cool place to keep beverages. We have elected not to install air conditioning because there is a cool evening breeze that comes down the hill each night and refreshes warmth that accumulated during the day. We get by with screens in the windows and fans and hope you will also find that comfortable and more sustainable.
Add dates for prices
Have a question?
AI iconBetaBeta
Get instant answers with AI powered search of property information and reviews.
Similar properties
Charming newly remodeled house five minutes away from Cornell.
East Ithaca
Charming newly remodeled house five minutes away from Cornell.
The host requires you to complete the following before checking out:
Please leave the beds that were used unmade.
Please wash your dishes.
Please store all leftovers in the refrigerator.
Failure to complete these may result in a negative review from the host.
Important information
You need to know
Property # 4011326vb
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip
Host has not indicated whether there is a smoke detector on the property
About the area
Trumansburg
Trumansburg is home to this cottage. Hangar Theatre and Kitchen Theater are cultural highlights, and travellers looking to shop may want to visit Ithaca Farmers Market and Ithaca Commons. Looking to enjoy an event or a game while in town? See what's happening at Newman Arena or Robert J. Kane Sports Complex.
Taughannock Falls State Park - 1 min walk - 0.1 km
Ithaca Commons - 23 min drive - 22.4 km
Buttermilk Falls State Park - 24 min drive - 24.1 km
Ithaca College - 26 min drive - 23.5 km
Cornell University - 30 min drive - 25.2 km
Getting around
Ithaca, NY (ITH-Tompkins Regional) - 27 min drive
Restaurants
Dunkin' - 27 min drive
Salt Point Brewing Co. - 26 min drive
Trimmers Ice Cream - 9 min drive
Falls Restaurant & Tavern - 7 min drive
Garrett's Brewing Company - 8 min drive
Frequently asked questions
Is Rice Cottage,Cayuga Lake,NY,rustic,historic,stone beach, fish, birds,sustainable pet-friendly?
No, pets are not allowed at this property.
How much does it cost to stay at Rice Cottage,Cayuga Lake,NY,rustic,historic,stone beach, fish, birds,sustainable?
As of 17 May, 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Rice Cottage,Cayuga Lake,NY,rustic,historic,stone beach, fish, birds,sustainable on 18 May, 2026 start from S$288, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
What time is check-in at Rice Cottage,Cayuga Lake,NY,rustic,historic,stone beach, fish, birds,sustainable?
Check-in begins at 3:00 PM.
What time is check-out at Rice Cottage,Cayuga Lake,NY,rustic,historic,stone beach, fish, birds,sustainable?
Checkout is at 11:00 AM.
Where is Rice Cottage,Cayuga Lake,NY,rustic,historic,stone beach, fish, birds,sustainable located?
Situated in Trumansburg, this cottage is within a 5-minute walk of Cayuga Lake and Taughannock Falls State Park. Cayuga Nature Center and Americana Vineyards are also within 6 miles (10 km).
Reviews
10
Exceptional
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
The location of this rustic cottage was prime! We loved the lake front access and wrap-around porch.Perfect size for two adult couples (if there were kids, they could stay in living room beds).Property manager was quick to respond and helpful - even leaving drinking water and putting out fresh flowers.We’d definitely stay again!
Lindsay M.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 20 May, 2025
Thank you for the review and we’d love to have you return!
Our group of 4 loved staying at Rice Cottage. We like quirky or unique properties so this was perfect for us. The wood stove kept us plenty warm at night. Other than a quick dip in the lake for the braver members of our group, we couldn't take full advantage of the lake access. Having the view, though, was wonderful. The mattresses on the larger beds seem to be the newer "foam" type and I don't always do well with those. However, we all slept very well! Ithaca was only a short drive and we enjoyed some great hikes during our stay. I loved the personalized greeting and the local apples that Christianne left for us. We would definitely return!
Jennifer M.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 1 Nov, 2024
So glad you enjoyed your stay! You are hardy to swim in the lake at the end of October! But we’ve had a stretch of warm weather so you got to experience fall foliage and ‘refreshing’ lake waters!
About the host
Hosted by Christianne White
The extended Rice Family invites you to share the family cottage in May/June and Sept/Oct. Sold to James E Rice by Anna Botsford Comstock the nature writer, illustrator, and first female professor at Cornell, the cottage is simple, historic, private, surrounded by hemlock forest, and right on the shore of Cayuga Lake, with a sloping stone beach and solid concrete dock, with two story covered boathouse for more lake-gazing. You’ll have the sound of the waves and the cool breeze at night coming down the hill through the hemlocks. (but no air conditioning). You’ll have electric heaters in every room (but use them one at a time). You’ll have a wood stove to take the chill off or keep you warm all night, if you know how to feed it! Full kitchen, three refrigerators, large tables for entertaining, big porches, front bedroom facing east for morning sun. Lots of birds including kingfishers, cormorants, loons, ducks, eagles, osprey, and herons. Great place for quiet solitude or convening with friends. Excellent fishing.
Why they chose this property
Cayuga Lake is one of the Finger Lakes in central New York, with vineyards, restaurants, boating, fishing, campfires, swimming, and simply relaxing by the water.