You may have seen the bumper sticker saying “Ithaca is Gorges” and wondered if they really meant “gorgeous.” Actually, both words aptly describe this city, home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, and the surrounding area, which boasts over 150 waterfalls within 10 miles in gorges as deep as 450 feet.
Only about two-and-a-half hours from Buffalo, Ithaca sits at the southern end of Cayuga Lake, the longest of the eleven Finger Lakes in Central New York. Whether you’re into hiking and the outdoors, have kids you need to entertain and educate, or are looking for a leave-the-kids-at-home destination for a romantic weekend getaway, Ithaca definitely has it all.
MUSEUMS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
We visited Ithaca the last week in September and our first stop was the Museum of the Earth (1259 Trumansburg Rd., Ithaca; www.museumoftheearth.org), which both children and adults will enjoy. “MOTE,” as it is known by locals, is 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. There are many activity sheets for kids found throughout, with activities, scavenger hunts, coloring pages, and printed booklets “authored” by Cecil the dinosaur, which explain various areas of the museum in detail, such as the coral reef exhibit or the many types of rocks which make up the Earth.
1 of 4
2 of 4
3 of 4
4 of 4
A 44-foot-long Right Whale skeleton hangs from the ceiling of the Museum’s upper level, and the Hyde Park Mastodon, one of the most complete and well-preserved skeletons of its kind ever found, resides on the lower level. Excavated in the Hudson Valley in 2000, the Hyde Park Mastodon, an ancient relative of modern day elephants, is about 11,500 years old.
If your kids love dinosaurs, MOTE has plenty to offer. In the Dino Zone, they can check out Steggy the Stegosaurus and Amelia the Quetzalcoatlus, a pterosaur — one of the largest known flying animals of all time — who “soars” above the exhibit. A Sauropod nest, complete with two giant eggs, is large enough for kids to play in. MOTE’s Triassic/Jurassic World invites you to explore the early reign of dinosaurs, including one of New York State’s only dinosaur fossils.
Steggy was originally built for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. He was later installed at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., where he was on view for decades. In 2014, Steggy was transferred to MOTE but had to be cut into three pieces in order to remove it from the Smithsonian. You can see a time-lapse video of how Steggy was reassembled and restored at https://www.museumoftheearth.org/exhibit/steggy-the-stegosaurus.
When it comes to fossils of all types and varieties, MOTE has the largest and most diverse collection I have ever seen on display. There’s even a Fossil Lab where kids can sort through tubs of shale from local quarries which abound in Devonian fossils. Look closely and you’ll find tiny trilobites and brachiopods on stones you can take home to add to your collection.
Since MOTE is devoted to the origins and evolution of life on Earth, it also has exhibits related to the Ice Age, coral reefs, glaciers, and our changing climate. Their current special exhibition,“Daring to Dig: Women in American Paleontology,” could become the inspiration for young girls to think about entering this intriguing field which combines science, history, animals, and plants.
An asset to touring Ithaca attractions is that most described here were within a few minutes of each other; maximum was a 20-minute trip from our downtown hotel. The only thing that might slow you down is the congested traffic pattern on downtown streets, made worse at certain times when thousands of college students, and possibly their parents, are on the move. A server in one of the restaurants we enjoyed (more on that later on) told us that residents mark their calendars for days like student move-in at the colleges or homecoming — those are days they actually plan not to leave their homes!
Ithaca’s Sciencenter (601 1st Street, Ithaca; www.sciencenter.org) was only a 6-minute trip from our downtown hotel. As soon as we saw the outdoor structure known as the “Science Playground,” we knew this museum was going to be awesome, and we weren’t disappointed. Their mission is “Explore, Connect, Create” and they fulfill it beautifully in two floors of exhibits and activities that both kids and adults will find fun and educational.
Designed for small hands, little bodies, and inquisitive minds, “Curiosity Corner,” located on the first floor, is a vibrant, safe environment, welcoming the youngest guests, ages 4 and under, by encouraging hands-on exploration and play. It includes an infant area, water table, air station, activity table, an area with wooden and foam building blocks, a “Lite Brite” style wall panel complete with giant lite pegs of different colors, an outdoor Curiosity Playground, and more.
There’s also a “Pet Vet” section here modeled after a real veterinarian’s office and with input from faculty and students at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Children can role play as veterinarians, examining real X-rays of animals, weighing plastic animals on scales, working together to help their animals mend a broken leg, and cleaning stuffed animals in the grooming station.
The Sciencenter also includes live creatures. On our visit, the Saltonstall Animal Room, also on the first floor, housed a coral reef fish tank, an Asian Forest Scorpion, a Bearded Dragon lizard, an Angolan Python, and Giant Peppered Roaches (we can hear you saying “Eeeewww” right now, but the kids will love’em!). On a much less “icky” note, there is also a Tidepool Touch Tank with a waterfall at one end. During our visit, horseshoe crabs were quite active. (Note that the Touch Tank is available for use at limited times and dependent on volunteer availability.)
We accessed the second floor via a set of musical stairs. The music changes each time you travel the staircase or depending on where you step! (An elevator is also available.)
Energy and weather exhibits occupy a large section of the second floor. I was able to “change the weather” by turning a dial and saw myself on a screen surrounded by falling snow! An “Invisible Harp” allows you to make music with light, waving your hand back and forth in what looks like an empty space. You can play a tune on the “Slap Organ,” which is comprised of plastic pipes with open ends; slap them with a rubber “flip flop” and write your own song.
You won’t want to miss the two-story whimsical machine called “Quantum’s Last Leap,” which features a variety of colored balls seeming to move randomly through various mechanisms, activating levers, bells, and chimes. Its designer, George Rhoads, placed 300 of his machines in countries around the world, many actually being built by engineers at an Ithaca, NY company.
Heading outdoors at the Sciencenter, you’ll find the Science Playground (wheelchair accessible), which includes a 14-foot high geometric rope climbing structure at its center. Surrounding it are areas for making music — super-sized bongo drums, cymbals, gongs, washboards, xylophone, and steel drums — blowing giant bubbles, playing in sand, a “whisper dish,” and an “echo tube.” You can try pulling one of several ropes to work a giant lever, which in turn moves a ski-lift-type chair up and down — good for giving your kids or spouse a jiggly ride and some giggles! And, because it’s Ithaca, there’s a mini waterfall, too.
Also outdoors, and in operation from April through November (or until inclement weather sets in), the Sciencenter’s 18-hole Mini-Golf Course has science-themed obstacles like the pendulum wave where you try putting through swinging weights, a “living house” with plants on its roof, a path of red alarm bells, a xylophone, a windmill, a salamander crossing, a “black hole,” and more. The course is wheelchair accessible with ADA approved clubs. There is a fee for mini-golf in addition to Sciencenter admission
CONNECTING KIDS WITH NATURE
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
Ithaca Children’s Garden (121 Turtle Lane, Ithaca; www.ithacachildrensgarden.org) occupies the southern part of Cass Park along the shore of Cayuga Lake. This award-winning, 3-acre public children’s garden is designed for kids, enjoyed by all, and driven by a mission to connect children to nature to create a more beautiful, resilient, and just world.
The Garden employs a “playwork” philosophy and practice that embraces the values of independence, mastery, belonging, and generosity to foster positive youth development. It is free and open sunrise to sunset, every day of the year.
The Kitchen Garden includes a sheltered activity space as well as a real vegetable garden, where children can pick vegetables in season. Birds, butterflies, and other elements of nature are highlighted. There’s even a “Hands-On-Nature Anarchy Zone” where kids can build forts, climb trees, play with water, sand, and clay, dig for worms, and just get muddy, wet, and dirty! Oh, and you must meet the garden’s most famous resident, Gaia the Turtle!
There are huts and tiny houses, some with murals on their sides, for kids to play in and around, and a kid-sized bird’s nest. Benches — some made of wood and others of colorfully painted metal — provide places to rest and take in the sights and smells of the garden.
On the day we visited, we saw quite a few moms with strollers enjoying the fresh air, while the Garden staff was getting ready for an afterschool program, which they said takes place outdoors even through the winter.
Be sure to check out this video to learn more about the Ithaca Children’s Garden by visiting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmlPQKd4NcQ&t=3s
WATERFALLS EVERYWHERE
If your family enjoys the outdoors with hiking, kayaking, boating or just beautiful views, you absolutely have to visit some of the waterfalls and state parks in and around Ithaca.
Cascadilla Falls
Running through a corridor right through the city, just below the Cornell University campus, is Cascadilla Gorge. It’s often used by students as a shortcut between the campus and downtown Ithaca. There are multiple waterfalls here with six sizeable ones. Arched stone bridges add to the character of the cascades. The entire trail is about a mile and a half, one way. The stone walkway is uneven and there are a lot of steps made of rock, which are also uneven in surface and depth. The flatter sections of the trail do not have any railing at all. While this area is unique and very scenic, it is not a place for young children or strollers. Sturdy footwear is recommended.
The trail begins in a small community park at the corner of Court and Linn Streets. Parking is on the street at metered ParkMobile spaces. While a bit difficult to find, it was well worth it. Cascadilla’s deep, narrow glen has a natural serenity and unique beauty that belies the fact that the area surrounding it is 100 percent developed.
Buttermilk Falls
Two state parks are home to the most well-known falls. Buttermilk Falls State Park (112 E. Buttermilk Falls Rd., Ithaca) is very close to downtown Ithaca. Buttermilk Falls takes its name from the foaming “cascade” formed by Buttermilk Creek as it flows down the steep valley’s side toward Cayuga Lake. The upper park has a small lake, hiking trails through woodlands and along the gorge and rim, picnic areas, and playing fields. There was a $9 admission fee per car to get into this state park, but we were told that our receipt would get us into any other state park on the same day.
Taughannock Falls
Taughannock Falls State Park (1740 Taughannock Blvd., Trumansburg, NY) is about 20 minutes from downtown Ithaca, and it is the “granddaddy” of area falls, plunging 215 feet, the tallest single drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains, and three stories taller than Niagara Falls. The gorge walls rise to 450 feet.
To view the falls at its base, you need to walk the gorge trail, which is 3/4 of a mile in length, one way. It is not steep and can be traversed with a stroller or wheelchair. Parking in the Gorge lot was free, not necessarily because of our receipt from Buttermilk Falls — but because the parking lot booth was unmanned. I think the parks system must figure most people go to the easiest falls to access — Buttermilk — first, so they feel no need to staff the booth at Taughannock after Labor Day!
If you do not want to hike to the base of Taughannock, head down the road a bit further and you will see a small sign for “Falls Overlook.” You can park up there and look down at the falls, no hiking involved.
Our last Ithaca adventure before heading home was a Discover Cayuga Lake Boat Tour (departing from Allan H. Treman State Park Marina, 805 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca; www.discovercayugalake.org) aboard the M/V Teal. A 90-minute narrated tour explained both the history of Cayuga Lake’s formation and the development along its shores over the last few centuries.
Forty miles long, stretching from Ithaca north to Seneca Falls, Cayuga Lake is 3 1/2 miles wide and 435 feet in depth at its deepest point.
Land grants made to those who served in the Revolutionary War were the basis for the growth of 25 towns in the area.
As you motor along on the water, you can see all the beautiful houses that are hidden below the cliffs when you travel by car. Many of the houses have tramways or very long staircases of more than 150 steps to get them down from the road to their house on the lakeshore.
We passed the Comstock Adventure Center, a Girl Scout camp named after naturalist Anna Botsford Comstock, the first female professor at Cornell University.
The Teal also took us past the Cargill Salt Mine, the deepest salt mine in the Western hemisphere, mining 1 to 2 million tons of salt per year, serving 90% of the roads in the Northeast.
Discover Cayuga Lake Boat Tours schedules Fall Foliage Cruises, Hands-on Eco-Cruises, Sunset Cruises, Night Sky Cruises, Special Event Cruises, Private Charters, and also acts as a Floating Classroom for experiential learning, which fulfills its mission as a non-profit of “tourism with a mission.”
TASTY STOPS
We visited the Lively Run Dairy (8978 County Rd. 142, Interlaken, NY; www.livelyrun.com), which wasn’t far from Taughannock Falls, to do a cheese tasting and feed their goats. Open May 1 to October 31, Wednesday to Sunday, you can learn how cheese is made, enjoy a cheese board tasting on their porch or under their tent (feel free to bring your own wine, cider, or beer). Tastings don’t require a reservation unless your group has more than 6 persons. From May to July, you can make a reservation on their website to bottle feed the baby goats. Adult goats can be fed from a bag of corn purchased in the farm store, which also sells their handmade, award-winning cheeses, from both goats and cows, as well as condiments, bread, crackers, charcuterie, and a variety of cold drinks. On Saturday and Sunday mornings in season, you can participate in one-hour Goat Yoga sessions (reservations required).
U-Pick farms are always a popular family destination. Indian Creek Farm (1408 Trumansburg Rd., Ithaca; www.indiancreekithaca.com) is open daily June through November and bills themselves as “Ithaca’s Orchard Playground.” Depending upon the season, they have apples, pumpkins, pears, strawberries, garlic, brussels sprouts, grapes, peaches, flowers, and a variety of vegetables. Their farm map shows picnic sites and a play area. On our visit in late September we enjoyed freshly made mini-donuts and apple cider slushies.
WHERE WE STAYED
Our host for our road trip was The Hotel Ithaca (222 S. Cayuga St., Ithaca; www.thehotelithaca.com), located only a block from the popular downtown pedestrian mall The Commons. Its central location makes for convenient access to all attractions. Its easily accessible free parking lot is a big plus in what can be a sometimes very congested downtown Ithaca. The Hotel Ithaca, a newly remodeled, upscale boutique hotel is owned by Hart Hotels (the same company which owns the Chautauqua Harbor, Watkins Glen Harbor, and Thousand Island Harbor hotels, which we visited on our Empire State Road Trip in the fall of 2019) and boasts a total of 170 guest rooms in North and South towers. It’s richly appointed restaurant, The Social Pub and Grill, served us delicious breakfasts each day. (Due to COVID, the pub is not currently serving lunch and dinner.) The hotel has a huge indoor heated pool with a glass ceiling, but it was closed for repairs during our stay.
Some rooms in the North Tower have a large outdoor patio, big enough to accommodate a family celebration.
If a romantic getaway is on your mind, book their King Fireplace Suite. With their super spacious design and the cozy feeling created by the fireplace, you are assured a tranquil and peaceful stay. These rooms are equipped with their “Signature Bed,” spa-inspired granite and glass-enclosed shower, a wine fridge, microwave, refrigerator, robes, and Wi-fi.
DEFINITELY A TOWN FOR FOODIES
Ithaca is definitely a health conscious, farm-to-table town, which means there is a restaurant for every preference or dietary need. We didn’t have children with us on this trip, so most of our meals were in more adult-oriented restaurants. But here are two we experienced that we think would work for families and still personify the unique flavor of Ithaca.
Red’s Place (107 N. Aurora St., Ithaca; www.redsplaceithaca.com) is a casual gastropub committed to serving the freshest and most local ingredients. Their diverse menu of flatbreads, artisan sandwiches, burgers, salads and plates to share, also includes gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, and diabetic menu items plus a kid’s menu (ages 8 & under) which includes cheese flatbread, zoo animal pasta, cheddar cheese quesadillas, peanut butter & jelly sliders, all with choice of a side (steak fries, salad, tater tots, sweet potato waffle fries, steamed veggies, cold corn & black bean salad, or apple slices) and a drink (water, lemonade, orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, milk, chocolate milk, and soda).
Collegetown Bagels (3 locations; www.collegetownbagels.com) is more than just bagels. Open from 6:30am to 6:30pm, they serve breakfast all day and their menu includes breakfast sandwiches and wraps, grilled paninis and melts, and specialty sandwiches, with a choice of gluten free breads and bagels. The location we visited had individually wrapped giant cookies in several tempting varieties as well as ice cream.
Restaurants more suitable to an adult night out or romantic dinner include the following:
Coltivare (235 S. Cayuga St., Ithaca; www.coltivareithaca.com) is located directly across the street from The Hotel Ithaca and is the locally sourced restaurant of Tompkins Cortland Community College. You’ll see The Culinary Lab at the back of the dining room. The décor is trendy and upscale and the food is absolutely delicious. The menu is always changing. Check out this video about the Coltivare Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr708Gj9yfA
Mahogany Grill (112 N. Aurora St., www.mahoganygrill.com) opened its doors nearly two decades ago and is a busy steakhouse with a varied menu just off The Commons in the area known as “Restaurant Row.”
The Boatyard Grill (525 Old Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca; www.boatyardgrill.com) is Ithaca’s premier waterfront restaurant. Located on an inlet island next to a working marina, it’s just one mile from The Commons. Our “Sizzling Cookie” dessert drew the most response out of all our road trip Facebook posts! A chocolate chip cookie wedge on a hot cast iron skillet is topped with ice cream and then drizzled with caramel at your table to make it sizzle… scrumptious! This is a very busy place that does not accept reservations, but you can call ahead to shorten your wait time.
BEFORE YOU GO
We made our trip in late September when COVID regulations were still in force even though the daily positivity rate in Tompkins County was only .2% — we attribute that very low number to the fact that students at both Cornell University and Ithaca College are required to be vaccinated. At the time, masks were still required for everyone indoors at both museums. Attendance at the museums was low and hand sanitizer or hand washing stations were everywhere. Before you go, check all websites for the latest restrictions, if any, and to verify schedules. By the time you read this, the surge of visitors seeking the beauty of the changing colors of fall foliage in this very scenic area should be over, so you may be able to squeeze in a visit before the snow flies. If not, put an Ithaca road trip on your “to do” list for spring!
Michele Miller is the founder, editor, and publisher of WNY Family, which began as an 8-page newsletter created on a typewriter during her children’s nap times many years ago.