Ithaca: Hiking, Dining & Exploring the Finger Lakes

Robert H. Treman State Park is a 1,110-acre state park in Tompkins County and an area of spectacular wild beauty. The park is home to the rugged Enfield Glen gorge, which features craggy gorges, 12 cascading waterfalls, and over nine miles of winding hiking trails. Attractions in the park include the 115-foot Lucifer Falls and Devil's Kitchen, the Historic Gristmill, a campground for RVs and tents, and a stream-fed pool beneath a waterfall that is ideal for swimming. Robert H. Treman State Park features six hiking trails with densely wooded sections and rocky gorges, including a three-mile section of the Finger Lakes Trail.

Address: 105 Enfield Falls Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850, Phone: 607-273-3440

Buttermilk Falls State Park is an 811-acre park named after the foaming waterfall formed by Buttermilk Creek as it flows towards Cayuga Lake. Located southwest of Ithaca, Buttermilk Falls State Park features a small lake and several cascading waterfalls as Buttermilk Creek descends the steep valley side, as well as several hiking trails along the gorge and through the woodlands.

The upper section of the park has playing fields and picnic areas, and the lower part of the part has a campground, playing fields, and a natural pool for swimming. Beyond the lower area of the park is the Larch Meadows wetland area and nature trail.

Address: 106 E Buttermilk Falls Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850, Phone: 607-273-5761

Cayuga Lake is the longest and second deepest of the Finger Lakes, spanning 40 miles in length and 3.5 miles in width. Carved by glaciers during the Ice Age, Cayuga Lake approximately 435 ft deep at its deepest point and reaches 53 feet below sea level, making it one of the deepest lakes in North America. Cayuga Lake can be explored via the Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway, which was established to protect and preserve the lake, its surrounding landscapes, and ecosystems.

Cayuga Lake offers a wealth of outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, fishing, bird-watching, picnicking, wine-tasting, and more.

Cornell University is a handsome Ivy League school in Ithaca and one of the town’s top attractions. Sprawled over 300 acres on a hill above the city, the university was founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White and is organized into seven undergraduate colleges and seven graduate divisions. The university is home to the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, which boasts an impressive collection of over 30,000 works of art, including prints, photographs, and Asian Art. Other attractions at the university include the McGraw Tower, which is known for its traditional Cornell Chimes; and the Newman Arboretum, which specializes in trees and shrubs endemic to New York State.

Address: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, Phone: 607-254-4636

The Cornell Botanic Gardens is a botanical garden next to the Cornell University campus that features 25 acres of cultivated botanical gardens, an arboretum, and pristine natural areas organized into 40 different nature areas around Cornell and Ithaca.

The Botanic Gardens also maintains four gardens on Cornell's central campus and also feature to the F.R. Newman Arboretum, which spans 150 acres. The Cornell Botanic Gardens specializes in trees and shrubs that are endemic to New York State, and notable features of the garden include a themed herb garden, a decorative arts flower garden, and a heritage vegetable garden.

Address: 124 Comstock Knoll Dr, Ithaca, NY 14850

Attractions for Couples

Ithaca is home to over 150 waterfalls that flow in and around the town, funneling water through spectacular gorges carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago. The waterfalls can be seen at various places around town, including the Ithaca Commons and Cornell University, as well as just outside the city in some of the surrounding towns of Tompkins County.

One of the most famous cascades is the Ithaca Falls, which stands at 100 feet tall and can be seen from downstream along the bridge over Fall Creek on Lake Street. The falls can also be reached by hiking the Ithaca Falls hiking trail.

Address: 399 Lake St, 14850 Ithaca, NY, Phone: 607-272-1313

Ithaca Farmers Market is an open-air farmers market that is hosted on the weekends in a large, airy, waterfront pavilion on the shores of Cayuga Lake that sells a wide range of farm-fresh, organic produce, and fresh flowers.

The market is a favorite with locals and visitors alike, who flock to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, pretty blooms, local wines, and arts and crafts, as well as enjoy a wealth of international cuisine from Mexican breakfast burritos to spicy Sri Lankan fare. The market is also held in several locations around town, but the weekend markets draw the biggest crowds and offer live entertainment and music.

Address: Ithaca Farmers Market, Steamboat Landing 3rd St off Rte 13, 14850 Ithaca, NY, Phone: 607-273-7109

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a unit of Cornell University that studies birds and other wildlife.

Based in the Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary, the center is devoted to interpreting and conserving biological diversity around the globe through bird-focused research. The lab publishes several books, the Living Bird magazine, and manages numerous citizen-science projects and websites, including the award-winning All About Birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is home to the Macaulay Sound Library, the world’s largest natural sound archive.

Address: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, 14850-1923 Ithaca, NY, Phone: 800-843-2473

Recommended Activities for Families

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art is based at Cornell University in an award-winning, architecturally significant I. M. Pei-designed building and houses nearly 40,000 works of art. Open year-round and boasting spectacular views of Cayuga Lake, the museum is famous for its distinctive concrete façade and two windows from Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin D. Martin House.

The museum’s permanent collection features artworks by notable artists like Édouard Manet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Albrecht Dürer, Henri Matisse, as well as members of the Hudson River School, Andy Warhol, and Georgia O'Keeffe. The museum hosts course-related exhibitions, thematic tours for local school student field trips, and faculty-conducted gallery tours.

Address: Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, 114 Central Ave, Ithaca, NY 14853, Phone: 607-255-6464

The Sciencenter is a hands-on museum that encourages children of all ages to explore the realms of science and technology through interactive exhibits and educational programs.

The two-story museum features over 250 exhibitions that include hands-on scientific stations about air, pressure, motion, and water, such as an air station, a water table, and an activity table for toddlers. Fun musical stairs connect the floors of the museum, and the institution also features a seasonal outdoor science playground, the free outdoor walking tour of the solar system called the Sagan Planet Walk, an 18-hole mini-golf course, and a gift shop.

Address: Sciencenter , 601 1st St, 14850-3507 Ithaca, NY, Phone: 607-272-0600