Fun stuff to do along a very specific route in NY

August 9, 2024 8:32 PM

As part of an upcoming road trip, Mr. Blah and I will be driving two routes through upstate New York: Albany-Ithaca-Niagara Falls and then a few days later Niagara-Corning-Albany. Do you have any recommendations of stuff to do/see in those areas? Parameters inside.

-- We're already going to be dining at the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca.
-- We'll be going to the Corning Museum of Glass.
-- We don't need Niagara Falls recs; got those handled.
-- Not interested in anything wine related.
-- We won't be doing full-on hiking but we love to stroll. Nothing that would require more than sneakers, please.

posted by BlahLaLa to Travel & Transportation (26 answers total)

As far as Ithaca goes: Taughannock Falls State Park is just up the west side of Lake Cayuga from Ithaca, gorgeous (yes, I know the pun), and accessible via a flat trail that's about 2 miles out and back. At the time I was there, my mid-60s father did the walk with me easily.

You could also do worse than to walk down the gorge between Cornell's central campus and Collegetown; there's stone steps. Note that it's a pretty steep hill to climb so you might want to park at the bottom and take public transit or an uber up. Can vouch for doing that in sneakers many times.

If both of those are too much walking, there's always Buttermilk Falls, which you can literally see from the parking lot, if memory serves. It's not as impressive or tall or anything, but it's at least a little bit pretty.

If your time in Ithaca overlaps with the Farmer's Market's days open, it's worth going just to check out, even if you don't plan to buy anything.

If you can stretch to Elmira while passing through Corning and have even a passing interest in aviation+history, the National Soaring Museum is probably worth a visit.
posted by Alterscape at 8:52 PM on August 9

hey fun - Corning contingent reporting for duty! I used to work at the glass museum! I am glad it’s on your itinerary. having seen the good the bad and the ugly from behind the scenes, it really is 99% good. hope you love it!

just a couple miles up the road from the museum are a couple nice easy hike/stroll trails - Spencer Crest and Houghton Preserve. both are sneaker friendly and light cardio (Spencer crest can have some inclines and declines if you opt for certain routes, check the map at the parking lot / visit center)

if you like western American and Native American art, the Rockwell is great too! the combo ticket is easy to buy at CMOG

food wise, Anniellos pizza is a pretty good NY slice, the cellar is bougie tapas, those are my two favorite recommendations. lots of good places though.

if you like antiques there are a couple cute shops on market street. Good ice cream too - Old World is (shockingly ha) traditional and Dippity Doo Dah is more contemporary flavors.

The walk between the museum and Wegmans, along the river levee, is quite nice at sunset.

The walk between the museum and market street is nice pretty much any time!
posted by seemoorglass at 9:10 PM on August 9

On the Albany-Ithaca aspect, you could check out Cooperstown or Howe Caverns.
posted by jgirl at 9:21 PM on August 9

I sent you a MeMail.
posted by jgirl at 9:27 PM on August 9

Farm Sanctuary is a must-visit and so is hiking in Watkins Glen State Park.
posted by mezzanayne at 9:53 PM on August 9

Cooperstown. Baseball Hall of Fame.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:04 PM on August 9

Ithacan here: I 100% agree on Taughannock. It is a very easy walk, and if the weather is warm you can take off your sneakers and enjoy walking barefoot along the stream at the bottom. If time gets away from you though, there is a falls overlook that you can drive to to see the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi. The summer hasn’t been especially dry, so the falls should be running well. From Taughannock, walking through downtown Trumansburg would be charming, as would getting ice cream at Cayuga Creamery, which is just a few minutes farther up Rt. 89. (That is our usual itinerary with visitors.)

If you are spending more than an afternoon and like museums, I’d recommend the Johnson at Cornell, especially the views from the top floor (it’s free but parking is not). From there you can walk along the ridge of the hillside and have a lovely view of the prettiest part of Cornell’s campus. A less-well-known spot that is often really interesting is whatever exhibit is being shown in the rare and manuscript collections, located in Uris Library, walkable from the museum. (Go through the main doors, straight back, and down the circular stairs. There should be signs.)

(I believe Aug. 24th is move in weekend for Ithaca College and Cornell, so be aware that the town will be a zoo for a few days around there.)

One quick note on CMoG: they have reciprocity with some other museum memberships, so if you have one at home, it might be worth checking if you can get in there. I’d also encourage you to try one of the glassmaking opportunities there. The folks who run them are knowledgeable and interesting to talk to, and they can ship your final product to you (it usually takes several hours of annealing at the end.) It’s one of my very favorite museums for the way it combines art and science and history.
posted by tchemgrrl at 4:27 AM on August 10

The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester is awesome and not just for kids. Play your way through the history of video games or get nostalgic about your favorite childhood toys and games.
posted by evilmomlady at 4:54 AM on August 10

390 from Corning goes right by Letchworth State Park
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:56 AM on August 10

Corning native here: Yes to everything seemoorglass says, especially Aniello's for pizza and subs. Hand and Foot is also a fun selection, run by a guy I went to school with. Note that the walk from the glass museum to Market Street can be done via two bridges, and I recommend the pedestrian bridge! And I'll add, if you are in the mood for a milkshake or a chili dog, stop at Jim's Texas Hots. Card Carrying Books is a queer-woman-owned bookstore
posted by knile at 5:18 AM on August 10

The Rockwell Museum in Corning has a lot of paintings of the American West and stuff like that, I think is either free or discounted admission in conjunction with the glass museum. It’s in a nice old building near where all the restaurants/shopping places are.


Any of the hiking places mentioned above are ones I also endorse.
posted by Whale Oil at 5:32 AM on August 10

Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, NY is worth a stop. There's a museum about the history of the Seneca and a reconstructed longhouse on the grounds. The grounds are also nice to stroll around if you want to stretch your legs.
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:04 AM on August 10

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge 🦅

My husband and I have gone many times (once on our honeymoon), and it's a magical place any time of year. Also super easy to do a quick tour by car along some slow creep roads through it. You WILL see wildlife. I saw a snow owl there once just driving by!
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:36 AM on August 10

Albany's Empire State Plaza is interesting architecturally and art-wise. You can wander around outside, go to the observation deck on top of Corning Tower, check out the art in the corridor underneath, and stop in at the State Museum while you're there.
posted by metasarah at 6:39 AM on August 10

I really enjoyed the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in North Tonawanda, NY, just southeast east of Niagara Falls. It probably takes an hour, and Tonawanda was a cute little town I wouldn't have minded checking out a bit more.
posted by snowymorninblues at 7:35 AM on August 10

Native from nearby Owego, NY here.

Consider visiting nearby Watkins Glen State Park. The walk through the gorge is definitely worth it. It's unlike anywhere else I've been.

If you're traveling rte. 17 or rte. 96, Owego is a great place to stop for lunch, gas, or just walking through downtown. There are many charming shops in the downtown core, and some lovely old homes line the Susquehanna river there. It's an excellent alternative to a fast food lunch near the highway.
posted by cleverevans at 8:07 AM on August 10

Schoharie and Otsego counties and the Mohawk Valley are rich in Revolutionary War history. The Fort Plain Museum and Fort Stanwix National Monument are places I really want to visit.
posted by jgirl at 8:21 AM on August 10

So many good suggestions here! The Rockwell museum, Watkins Glen and Montezuma are all great. Plus the Corning downtown is super cute. Upstate NY is beautiful.
posted by bluesky43 at 8:34 AM on August 10

In Albany, the local specialities are tiny hot dogs (various locations), fudge fantasy cookies (grocery store), and salt potatoes (I've only had this home cooked, but maybe you'll see it on a menu). Stewart's gas stations are a local institution ala Wawa. Get a slightly unusual ice cream flavor or a year round store brand egg nog or a buttered Kaiser roll. The New York State Museum has cool stuff. I've never been to the Schuyler Mansion, but maybe it's interesting if you're into Hamilton. Lark Street is the walkable downtown area with shops, and there are some beautiful brownstones around Washington Park. Nearby Troy also has some cool old architecture and the start of the Erie Canal. I can't bring myself to call Five Rivers "interesting", but if you wanna walk around some wetlands, it's there.
posted by umwelt at 11:15 AM on August 10

Albany: The Pine Bush Preserve

Albany Museum of History and Art

Corning Tower mentioned above

The Warehouse district for a drink and dinner-- Nine Pin Cider is there, Fidens Brewing, The Old English Pub, Tampopo Ramen, Druthers Brewing and food.

Mini hot dogs with meat sauce at Gus's (Watervliet) or Jacks Drive In (Wynantskill).

Washington Park. Say hi to Moses!

The Iron Gate for brunch-- goooooo early. If you can't get in there, go to the Cafe Madison (also busy, though)

Tour the Capital.

Tour the State Ed Building.

Troy is a great idea because there are sections (like in Albany) that look relatively untouched from the Gilded Age. In fact, they film scenes from The Guided Age television show there. My sister worked in the NYS capital in Albany and part of Succession was filmed in her office-- like, at her desk.

Also in Troy is DiFazio's Pizza, which is outstanding. Hard to get into, BYOB, you will sit outside as there is no dining space inside. There is an outpost of DiFazio's downtown in the Albany Distilling Company, which has a SMALL tasing room, so plan ahead. Albany Distilling is not too far from the warehouse district, but not walkable.

City Beer Hall is in the old telephone building-- you get a free tiny pizza with every drink.

I'll see if I can think of more but if you memail me specific things you are looking for, I can also help with that. I am from Albany.
posted by oflinkey at 12:22 PM on August 10

Looks like you're going to bypass those of us down here along 17/86, alas! But Five Kids Bakehouse in Gilbertsville is between Albany and Ithaca, so if you love bakeries, check it out if the timing is right (absolutely check their hours and consider double-checking on Instagram/Facebook the day of). Absolutely stellar pastries in a teeny tiny little town dominated by a couple of large Tudor revival buildings. They've expanded recently so you can have an actual breakfast or lunch if you like.

Seconding the Ithaca Farmer's Market. It isn't huge but it's very nice (and covered, which is nice since it rains a lot in this region) and it backs up against an inlet of (from? to?) Cayuga Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. And at least some of the time you can take a little boat tour of the lake.
posted by wintersweet at 1:24 PM on August 10

There's a 6-story tall treehouse at Cayuga Nature Center, a few miles north of Ithaca. It's an easy 5 minute walk from the parking lot. Note that the nature center building itself is closed permanently, but the woods and trails are open.
posted by skwm at 5:57 PM on August 10

There's a Literary Walking Tour of Ithaca - I haven't been there in almost 40 years, but back then the lower part of Ithaca (the campus is higher up) reminded me of the residential neighborhood in Kubrick's Lolita.
posted by morspin at 6:35 PM on August 10

Depending on your interests, there are tons of things to do and see in Buffalo, almost right next to Niagara Falls. If you'd like, I can offer some suggestions.
posted by Scout405 at 8:52 PM on August 10

This keeps bouncing around in my head - ignore if unwanted advice -

If you DO end up having the choice for a route that goes along one of the finger lakes, I would consider stopping at one of the wineries that has non-wine offerings. I don’t drink wine, but if I’m going that way I never regret stopping for the valley and lake views.

Ex. Bully Hill on Keuka Lake has gorgeous vistas, a restaurant and truly delicious grape juice made on site! For a non wine itinerary, I’ve never had an issue just walking in and grabbing a bite and/or some juice. They don’t really give you the hard sell for a tasting or tour or whatever.

I will admit I roll my eyes though when I go past the gift shops and see the truly stunning number of corny wine sayings and tchochkes… but that’s just me being crotchety bc I don’t believe drinking wine is a personality trait the way some seem to lol

Totally understood if for any reason you want to avoid the whole wine-adjacent setting! Just wanted to throw this out there in case the lake views would otherwise call to you and it’s already on your way
posted by seemoorglass at 7:29 AM on August 11

Oh, I just realized: you might be interested in this AskMe that I posted a couple of years ago, about fun places to stop when driving through upstate NY.
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:52 AM on August 11