Location: Ithaca
Top Things to do in Ithaca
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10 Budget-friendly Things to do in Ithaca That You Shouldn't Miss
"Ithaca is gorges" can be read on proud t-shirts across New York State, and there is definitely truth in advertising. Sitting on the shores of Cayuga Lake, the largest of the Finger Lakes, the hilly town of Ithaca is surrounded by dense forests, towering waterfalls, and many gorges. The natural beauty has a distinctly academic feel, as local universities have filled the woods with museums and education centers like The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which features a 220 acre wildlife sanctuary.
Restaurants in Ithaca
1. Ithaca is Foodies Culinary Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 69 reviews
Enjoy local cuisine on a guided walking tour of Ithaca's unique restaurants. During a three-hour culinary adventure, satisfy your appetite for inventive and delicious food while getting a taste for our town's history, culture, and architecture.
2. Experience! The Finger Lakes
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 624 reviews
USA Today 10Best Wine Tour Company in the US. Tripadvisor Traveler's Choice Winner for over 10 years. Experience! The Finger Lakes is the premier tour company in the Finger Lakes. We specialize in premium guided tours unlike anything else available in the region. Our experiences include wine tours, gorge and waterfall tours, and cultural tours of the area. We also offer Boat Tours and Food Tours out of Ithaca NY. Owned by a certified sommelier, our wine tours are fully-immersive, exclusive experiences where guests meet owners and winemakers at some of the best producers in the region. Private vineyard and cellar tours, reserve wines, and sommelier-curated food and wine pairings are designed into each tour. On-line booking available 24/7 on our website.
3. Ports of New York Winery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 92 reviews
TASTING $6 or WINERY TOURS AND TASTING $9 • Closed: Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (W,Th, F), Christmas Day and New Year's Day
Reviewed By debrabV8926PH
Off the beaten path, but well worth the visit. Friendly hosts to tell about their family history and great wine!
4. Sciencenter
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 152 reviews
The Sciencenter inspires excitement for science through interactive exhibits and programs that engage, educate and empower. The hands-on museum offers visitors of all ages more than 250 exhibits, educational programs, a gift shop, an outdoor science park and a seasonal miniature golf course. Look, touch, listen & discover at the Sciencenter. The Sciencenter is open Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm and Sunday 12 pm - 5 pm. Open Mondays in July and August and holiday Mondays. The Sciencenter is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.
Reviewed By CayugaCarolyn - Ithaca, United States
My grandchildren love this place. There are so many things to do and learn. The area for toddlers and preschoolers keeps the little ones busy, and the older ones (up to age 9 or 10) can explore hands-on exhibits that are really fun.
5. Cayuga Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 384 reviews
One of the largest of New York's Finger Lakes, this area is used for swimming, boating, fishing and other outdoor recreational activities.
Reviewed By L8945JQdavidd - Philadelphia, United States
Spend an afternoon at Sheldrake and Luca Vineyards on lake Cayuga. Beautiful drive and beautiful scenery
6. Six Mile Creek Vineyard
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 125 reviews
Reviewed By youngblood87 - Toms River, United States
Wines were great and staff was excellent. Very friendly and knowledgeable, genuinely enthusiastic about the wine making and tasting. Beautiful view and set up, dog friendly as well like most wineries in the Finger Lakes. This was an unplanned stop but we ended up buying three bottles, highly recommended if anybody is staying in area or just passing through like we did.
7. Cinemapolis movie theater
8. Cornell University
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 712 reviews
Reviewed By wanderlucky7
Visited and toured because my daughter is starting graduate school in the fall. What a spectacular campus!!! If you are driving through and want to see beautiful buildings, pretty views this is the place. Wow, make sure you see the Arts Quad!
9. Museum of the Earth
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 167 reviews
The Museum of the Earth was established in 2003 to provide visitors with a unique opportunity to explore our world through a mix of natural history displays, interactive science features, and art exhibitions. The museum's 8,000-square-foot permanent exhibition takes visitors on a journey through 4.5 billion years of history, from the Earth's origin to the present day. Through hands-on, visual exhibitions and outreach, the Museum of the Earth encourages critical thinking about life on Earth in the past and today, and how our species is affecting the natural world.
Reviewed By BillK455 - Spencerport, United States
Been wanting to go here for a few years and finally made it happen. We arrived early and I liked the design of the building as well as some of the outside art. We walked in to see a skeleton of a North Atlantic Right Whale which was amazing. We checked out the gift shop which had some nice items ad then walked downstairs and started with the current exhibit on bees. I thought it was a nice exhibit but I was here for dinosaurs. The lay out of the fossils and dinosaurs displays was really done well and I really enjoyed the diversity of fossils on display. If you love paleontology, this is a must do museum that everyone should enjoy. Lot of nice photo ops with the Stegosaurus model and Mastodon skeleton among others. Make the trip
10. Cornell Botanic Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 350 reviews
Cornell Botanic Gardens inspires people - through the cultivation of 150 acres of specialty gardens, conservation of plants and 3400 acres of natural areas, and the education of lifelong learners - to understand, appreciate, and nurture plants and the cultures they sustain. The botanic gardens are located at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and are open year-round, dawn to dusk, free of charge. The Nevin Welcome Center and Gift Shop is open Mon, Tues, Wed, Thu, and Sun 9:00 - 5:00 p.m. Fri - Sat 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Reviewed By jinxminx888 - Takoma Park, United States
This is one of the reasons it's worth spending a day on the Cornell campus. There's no conservatory associated with the gardens, but there is one on campus in the agriculture program. The gardens are beautiful. We didn't go to the arboretum or the wildflower garden. Usually I would be all over a wildflower garden but this is basically a forested spring one, and we were there in August. Also, we looked at all the steps down, and thought about all the steps back up - we'd already done some hiking in the area and we weren't feeling it. If it was spring I probably would have gone for it. The lilies were a standout - they had a lot of really tall ones that smelled amazing. The gardens outside the visitor center are pretty compact and then you can strike out on the trails through the arboretum and wildflower garden. There are a lot of stairs, it didn't seem very wheelchair accessible. There are little nooks with benches, shade and sun. There was also a new sculpture by UK blacksmith artist Jenny Pickford in steel and glass which was pretty special. It had just been installed a month or two before so I felt pretty lucky about that. The gift shop was nice - a little pricey but we bought some good gifts there. Honestly I wish we had more time and better hiking legs.
