Things to Do in Ithaca

About Ithaca

Ithaca hits your nose with wet shale and fresh coffee the second you drop off Route 13 into the downtown bowl. Water is everywhere. Cayuga Lake licks the foot of State Street. Fall Creek hisses over Ithaca Falls behind the library. The Commons still show flood marks from 2011. Cornell's clock tower slices the sky above Collegetown bagel shops that open at 6 AM for engineers who never sleep. Ithaca College kids climb South Hill past Farmers Market tents where a breakfast burrito costs about the same as a latte and the vendor will remember your order next Saturday. Gorges carve the city into micro-neighborhoods. Fall Creek keeps Victorian houses with stained-glass windows. Belle Sherman keeps actual front porches. Downtown shows trolley tracks through cracked asphalt and bars that smell like spilled IPA and ambition. Winter dumps 120 inches of lake-effect snow that turns Collegetown steps into sled runs. Hotel rates drop from summer splurge levels to budget-friendly overnight rates. This is no quaint college town. It is a small city where the mayor once ran a punk venue and the best Thai food rolls out of a truck behind a laundromat. Come for the waterfalls. Stay because a Cornell professor who makes their own hard cider has already adopted you.

Travel Tips

Transportation: TCAT buses cost pocket change and link downtown to both campuses. The 15 runs once an hour on weekends. Download the MyStop app to avoid 40-minute waits. Cornell's campus sits a 20-minute uphill walk from downtown. Ride the elevator in the Statler Hotel to the 8th floor for a free lift up the slope. Parking meters run about the price of a coffee per hour. They are free after 6 PM and on Sundays. The garage under the Commons validates for a couple hours when you buy anything. For Cayuga Lake, rent bikes at Ithaca Bike Rental on Cayuga Street. Daily rates cost roughly what you'd spend on dinner. You get gears that work, unlike the campus bike share.

Money: Most places take cards. Farmers Market stalls prefer cash. Hit the CFCU ATM on the Commons. No fees for most US cards. Collegetown Bagels charges extra for credit on small orders. That covers most breakfast sandwiches. Tip bartenders the standard amount. Unless you're at Dunbar's during trivia night. Then buy the MC a beer instead. Hotel rates swing wildly. Budget-friendly on random Tuesdays in February. Splurge-level during Cornell graduation. Book directly with hotels on Aurora Street. They will match online prices and throw in late checkout.

Cultural Respect: Cornell's campus is not a theme park. Professors will stride straight through your graduation photos. The pedestrian suspension bridge over Fall Creek is for crossing. Not for Instagram shoots when students are late for class. At the Farmers Market, ask before photographing Amish vendors. They will politely decline. Ithaca College students call themselves 'Bombers' after a 1930s football play. Do not ask if it is about the war. The Tibet Kitchen lunch buffet is run by actual Tibetan refugees. The momos are mid-range priced. Listening to their stories is free.

Food Safety: Food trucks are inspected more often than restaurants. Look for the green 'A' grade sticker. The famous Ithaca Bakery moved to Triphammer Road. The downtown location closed in 2020. Do not follow outdated Google Maps. Moosewood Restaurant invented vegetarian fine dining. Their entrees lean toward splurge territory. Hit the original location on Seneca Street instead. Cayuga Lake trout is safe to eat twice a week. The Farmers Market fish guy will tell you exactly which dock his catch came from. Tap water tastes like pennies from pipes under College Avenue. Order it with lemon to cut the mineral bite. Locals simply call it 'Ithaca style'.

When to Visit

April through October is your window. Outside that, you are either shoveling snow or dodging graduation crowds. May brings 15°C (59°F) days good for gorge hikes. Hotel prices spike during Cornell's commencement (mid-May). June warms to 24°C (75°F). The Farmers Market explodes with strawberries. Rooms drop to budget-friendly midweek rates. July hits 27°C (81°F) with afternoon thunderstorms. They clear the Commons but make Buttermilk Falls roar. August is locals' favorite. 26°C (79°F), empty campus, downtown patios. September returns to 22°C (72°F) with new students. Hotel rates climb back to mid-range. October's foliage peak means last-minute rooms at premium prices. Taughannock Falls surrounded by red maples is worth it. November through March is a different city. 0°C (32°F) highs, 120 inches of snow, budget-friendly hotel rates. The gorges freeze into blue cathedral ice. Collegetown bars fill with professors. January's Ice Festival draws crowds despite -6°C (21°F) temps. Hotel rates jump to weekend premium for the event. April mud season is real. 10°C (50°F) and every trail is a slip hazard. The first ramps appear at the Farmers Market. Everyone is giddy for spring.