Things to do in Ithaca NY – Tips from a Local

Add to that being right in the Best Wine Region of the U.S., and you’ve got yourself an awesome place to live and visit!

Even after all this time, I feel like I’ve still barely scratched the surface of what the area has to offer.

So let me recommend just a few highlights you won’t want to miss while you’re here. I suspect you’ll be charmed and will want to return for more in the future.

By the way, if you want to support Black businesses while you’re here, check out this post I wrote for our local tourism bureau.

Orientation and getting around

“Ithaca is Gorges” is the city’s famous slogan – and a good indicator of its topography: It’s very hilly here.

Downtown Ithaca sits in the valley, along with some neighborhoods such as Fall Creek, and access to Cayuga Lake. Route 79 crosses through east-west, while Route 13 snakes from north to south and has a long strip mall at the southern end of the town along it.

From below you’ll see Cornell rising up on East Hill and Ithaca College on South Hill. The hospital sits on the western side of the lake, towards Trumansburg.

Getting around Ithaca

In the flats, it’s easy enough to walk everywhere, or you can hop on one of the bright green LimeBikes parked throughout town. You’ll need to download the app. It’s $1 per 30 minutes of riding.

FREE first unlock if you use this link.

LimeBikes now also offers electric bikes, which make the trip up the hills so much more tolerable. Or if you’re planning to make a day of it, rent an ebike from BoxyBikes.

For a town its size, Ithaca also has a great bus system called TCAT. You can look up route maps and schedules here.

Where to find more information

For maps and brochures, head to one of the locations of the Ithaca Visitor Center, either in the Commons or near the lake.

I also just learned about the I Love NY app and can’t wait to try it out. Just looking around my neighborhood, its recommendations look promising.

To find out about Ithaca events, pick up a free copy of the Ithaca Times or check their website. The city has a hoppin’ cultural scene, with loads of live music, numerous theaters such as the Kitchen Theater and the State Theater, fantastic classical and jazz concerts by locals and performers brought in by the colleges, art galleries and an Art Trail, and more.

Finally, if you’re staying for longer, this book by realtor Laurel Guy is a great source of ideas for things to do in Ithaca. Even locals will find some surprising tidbits in there.

 

And now, without further ado, some favorite Ithaca activities:

Wander about the Commons and downtown

“Ithaca is growing up.” That’s what my husband says whenever we drive by another construction site for a hotel or apartment building. Andrew, who has lived here for several decades, remembers when few buildings were higher than a couple of stories. It’s a change, but for the most part, I think the modern touch suits Ithaca, which is managing to preserve just enough of its quaintness.

One example is the Ithaca Commons, a shop-lined pedestrian zone and the heart of downtown. Having undergone a somewhat lengthy renovation a few years ago, the Commons offer outdoor seating, public art, and a mix of historic and newly-erected buildings.

I think the space really comes alive during special events such as concerts or food festivals, which happen pretty frequently. Just about every weekend there seems to be some big to-do somewhere in town. Below is a list.

Ithaca Commons stores are pretty eclectic, from fashion boutiques to smoke shops. Some of my favorites: Sample some delicious oils and vinegars at F. Oliver’s, browse used books at Autumn Leaves, shop for gifts at 15 Steps, or let your kids play in the small ball pit at Jillian’s Drawers while you shop for gently used children’s items.

There’s plenty more good shopping near the Commons, including the micro-retail spaces of my new preferred hangout, Press Bay Alley.

When you get hungry, head over to “Restaurant Row” on Aurora Street, where a bunch of restaurants are clustered, including local favorites Just a Taste (tapas), Viva Taqueria (Ithaca-Mex), and Cent-Dix (fancy French).

Finally, explore more of downtown and some residential neighborhoods by following the ¾-mile-long Sagan Planet Walk. This 1:5 billion, scale model of the solar system will take you from the Sun station in the Commons all the way to Pluto at the Sciencenter children’s museum.

Enjoy Cayuga Lake

Ithaca sits at the southern end of Cayuga Lake, the longest (40 miles) of the 11 Finger Lakes. Views of its blue waters will pop up here and there, especially as you head up the hills. Off Rt 96b near Ithaca College there’s a pull-off parking lot, and from Cornell’s highest towers there are some fantastic outlooks (more on that below).

You can get up close and personal in Ithaca’s many parks. In Stewart Park – the original site of the Wharton Brothers movie studio during Ithaca’s silent movie heyday – sit under the large willow trees on a swinging bench or enjoy the playgrounds and grassy areas.

From there you can follow the flat Cayuga Waterfront Trail all the way around an inlet and over to Cass Park – another wonderful recreational space and site of the lovely Ithaca Children’s Garden – and Allan H. Treman Marine State Marine Park, where you can fish, if you’re so inclined.Kayak, canoe, and standup paddleboard rentals are available from Paddledockers and Paddle-N-More.

Hang out at the Ithaca Farmers Market

Also on the waterfront trail is the Ithaca Farmers Market, popular among locals and tourists alike. Mentioned by Travel+Leisure in its listing of America’s best farmers markets, it takes place from April through December, Saturdays and Sundays, at Steamboat Landing. (There are branches of the market in other locations throughout the week.)

Next to the fresh vegetables and fruits, pastured meat, honey, baked goods, eggs, and fresh flowers you’d expect from a market, vendors – all from within 30 miles of the pavilion – offer beautiful crafts such as pottery, wood, jewelry, and hand-made clothing.

Some years I’d come here every Saturday to pick up my vegetable CSA.

Come hungry, because you’ll want to grab a breakfast burrito, Cambodian curry, or a plate of macrobiotic fare, sit by the water, listen to live music, and watch the bustling scene.One-hour boat tours (May-October) leave right from the dock.

Hike the waterfalls

There are more than 100 waterfalls within 10 miles of downtown! So there’s no way you’re going to leave town without seeing at least a few of them.

Probably the most famous are those in the three nearby state parks: Taughannock  (a few miles up the lake; at 215 ft, the falls are higher than Niagara), Robert Treman (not to be confused with the Treman Marina), and Buttermilk Falls. All three offer beautiful hikes, and you can’t go wrong in choosing one of them. (Taughannock has a flat walk option.)Also well-known are the 150-ft Ithaca Falls, the final drop of Fall Creek toward Cayuga Lake. I feel you should know that elevated levels of lead from a former gun factory above have been found here in recent years, so you may want to take that into consideration if you’re traveling with pets or children.

I’d like to highlight a nice hike right in town, the Cascadilla Gorge Trail. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, it starts at Triangle Park on Linn Street and takes you up to the Cornell campus. You can climb the stone trails and staircases (0.3 miles and 400 ft of elevation change) in less than an hour, maybe 20-30 minutes if you’re in good shape.Within minutes you’ll get absorbed into the natural beauty of six waterfalls and the tall gorge walls.Hiking this path is one way I first fell in love with Ithaca and decided to come here for graduate school. Isn’t it amazing that this is how some people get to work or school every day?Once at the top, visit Cornell or have lunch at Collegetown Bagels and then walk back down via the gorge or street, or take the bus (number 10 stops at Linn Street).Check ithacatrails.org for lots of other great Ithaca-area hikes.

Explore Cornell University

Towering “far above Cayuga’s waters” (according to the alma mater) is Cornell University, the youngest member of the famous Ivy League. Founded in 1865 and comprising some 23,000 students and nearly 10,000 faculty and staff, the institution is an integral part of Ithaca’s history, economy, and identity.

Cornell deserves (and will eventually get) its own post, but here’s a selection of some of the sights you may want to visit on this green, sprawling campus.Cornell’s founding principle, “any person, any study,” means that you’ll come across world-class resources in just about any field you can imagine.Interested in psychology? Go look at the Wilder Brain Collection on the second floor of Uris Hall. Love star-gazing? The Fuertes Observatory is open every Friday evening from 8 pm to midnight. Like textiles? There are always exhibits of student and faculty work in the well-designed Human Ecology Building. Want milk? You got it – in Stocking Hall, which also houses the Cornell Dairy Bar and its yummy ice cream.There are libraries galore, but the “Harry Potter Library” (actually A.D. White Reading Room, within Uris Library), filled with three stories of books, walkways, and wrought iron, is particularly worth a stop.

All across the university, I love the contrast and sometimes fluid transitions between historic and modern architecture. And the fact that there’s the small Beebe Lake smack in the middle of campus, as well as the gorgeous Botanic Gardens with the award-winning, LEED Gold-certified Nevin Welcome Center.Remember the Cayuga lake views I mentioned earlier? One of my favorites is from the 5^th floor of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, which was designed by architect I.M. Pei. Entrance is free, and it’s stuffed to the gills with amazing collections.Another great vantage point is Jennie McGraw Tower, a classic symbol of Cornell. (It’s also the site of an infamous prank: In 1997 someone placed a pumpkin on the spire. To this day, it’s a mystery who it was and how they did it). If you time things right, you can witness a live performance of the Cornell Chimes.If you’d like to learn more about Cornell, consider an official campus walking tour.

 Visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Among Cornell’s many assets, the Lab of Ornithology is my favorite (so it’s getting its own section). Its lovely visitor center is an oasis of calm and houses the 3,000-square-foot Wall of Birds, a mural of 270 species, painted life-size by Jane Kim.

In addition there are different exhibits, a sound library, a book library, chairs and scopes for bird-watching, and a store for all things birds and birding. If you happen to be visiting on a Monday, you may catch a world expert speaking on a fascinating aspect of bird life as part of weekly seminar series.

You can borrow binoculars at the information desk and take an easy walk on the trails of the surrounding Sapsucker Woods. You’re bound to see several species of birds, and volunteers or staff will be happy to help you identify them.

 

Eat local Ithaca food

Ithaca is a foodie town! An often cited statistic tells us that the city has more restaurants per capita than New York City.

So, no visit is complete without sampling the culinary scene, which has you covered for just about any type of cuisine. Thai, Vietnamese, Italian, Ethiopian, Japanese, fancy steaks, bar food, bagels…

Most famous among them is the Moosewood, a collectively owned mecca of vegetarian food since 1973. Perhaps you’re already familiar with it through one of its 14 cookbooks.

Surrounded by farmland and wineries, many restaurants draw on the region’s bounty on their farm-to-table menus. Two of the producers to whom I’d like to give a special shout-out are the Piggery, a farm and butcher shop with amazing charcuterie, and Wide Awake Bakery, whose artisan breads – baked from regional Farmer Ground flour – you’ll find at stores across town (including at the Piggery).

If you have some time, explore a rew of the Finger Lakes culinary trails, including the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, the Finger Lakes Beer Trail, and the Finger Lakes Cheese Alliance. All of these have stops in or near Ithaca. And if along the road you spot a large production of BBQ chicken, it’s likely a classic Central New York fundraiser. Stop and try Cornell Chicken, an invention by Cornell professor Bob Baker. (Read all about Cornell Chicken’s story in this article by yours truly.)

Have an ice cream sundae

Finally, to put the cherry on top of your visit, have an ice cream. Because you’re in the birth place of the ice cream sundae. (Or at least in one of two places to lay claim to that distinction.)

This momentous invention is said to have occurred on a Sunday afternoon in 1892, when Reverend John M. Scott asked for some ice cream at a downtown pharmacy. The fountain clerk served him vanilla with cherry syrup and a cherry on top, and the tasty result was promptly named a “Cherry Sunday.”

I’d call that a good enough excuse to have some ice cream. Purity (my favorite flavor: Bulldog Crunch!), Sweet Melissa’s (Honey Comb!), and the Cornell Dairy Bar (Bavarian Raspberry Fudge!) are some of the favorite local establishments.

Bonus: Unearth some hidden gems

There are too many hidden gems in Ithaca to go into in this post, but here are some you may want to check out, depending on your interests:

• Namgyal Monastery is the North American Seat of the Personal Monastery of HH the Dalai Lama. It sits on a 28-acre campus three miles south of the city. The resident monks offer retreats, classes, and evening meditation sessions open to the public (M, W, F at 5.15 pm, free).
• Retrace the steps of famous astronomer Carl Sagan by visiting the Space Sciences Building at Cornell and getting a tour of the Spacecraft Planetary Imaging Facility (SPIF). He used to live at 900 Stewart Avenue.
• While we’re at it: See where Vladimir Nabakov lived when he wrote Lolita (802 E Seneca Street). (He also lived in several other residences around Ithaca.)
• A friend in the know tells me that Ithaca boasts many and good geocaches. (Talk about hidden, haha.)
• Murals: They’re all over the place, for example in the historic Clinton House (120 N Cayuga Street) or at the entrance of the Green Street parking garage.
• On a Sunday night, head to Annabel Taylor Hall at Cornell for a free folk music concert. It will be broadcast live as part of WVBR’s music show Bound for Glory, hosted since 1967 by Phil Shapiro.

Ithaca for kids

Traveling with kids? They’ll love these sights:

• Sciencenter
• Ithaca Children’s Garden
• Museum of the Earth
• Cayuga Nature Center
• Sagan Planet Walk
• Check Ithaca Family Fun for more ideas and kid-friendly events.

Very Ithaca Events

• Ithaca Chili Cook-Off (February)
• Dragon Day (March)
• Friends of the Library booksale (three consecutive weekends in May and October)
• Spring Writes literary festival (May)
• Ithaca Festival and parade (June)
• Porchfest (September)
• Apple Harvest Festival (September)
• Wizarding Weekend (October)
• Greater Ithaca Art Trail (October, plus some weekends year-round)
• Ithaca Ice Fest (December)

Have you visited some of these Ithaca tourist attractions? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Are you a local and want to add some things to do in Ithaca? Put them in the comments!

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