The Town That Earns Its Bumper Sticker
“Ithaca is Gorges” appears on so many bumper stickers that it risks becoming background noise. But the pun holds up. Within a 10-mile radius of downtown Ithaca, more than 150 waterfalls cut through layers of shale and limestone. Taughannock Falls drops 215 feet — 33 feet taller than Niagara. Cascadilla Gorge runs directly from the Cornell campus into the center of town. Buttermilk Falls State Park stacks a chain of cascades along a single creek. This is not gentle scenery. The landscape here is dramatic, vertical, and constantly moving.
Two Universities, One Town
Cornell University sits on East Hill above Cayuga Lake, its campus spanning 2,300 acres with a mix of Gothic, Collegiate, and modern architecture. The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, designed by I.M. Pei, holds over 35,000 works and offers a fifth-floor view of the lake that is reason enough to visit. The Cornell Botanic Gardens maintain 3,600 acres of natural areas and cultivated gardens, all free and open to the public.
Ithaca College occupies South Hill with its own 757-acre campus. Together, the two schools bring roughly 28,000 students and thousands of faculty and staff into a town of about 32,000 residents. The result is a density of bookstores, theaters, lecture series, ethnic restaurants, and live music venues that has no parallel in the Finger Lakes — or in most of upstate New York.
The Commons and Downtown
The Ithaca Commons is a pedestrian mall stretching two blocks along State Street in the center of town. After a major renovation completed in 2015, the Commons features heated sidewalks (yes, they melt snow), a performance pavilion, public art installations, and a mix of independent shops and restaurants. Chain stores are rare here — the storefronts belong to places like Buffalo Street Books, an independent bookstore run as a cooperative, and Autumn Leaves Used Books, which stocks over 70,000 volumes in a multi-floor warren.
Surrounding the Commons, downtown Ithaca spreads across several walkable blocks. The State Theatre of Ithaca (1928) shows films and hosts live performances in a restored art deco interior. The Hangar Theatre, located in a converted municipal airport hangar at the edge of Cass Park, produces a professional summer season of plays and musicals.
Food and Drink
Moosewood Restaurant has operated on the edge of the Commons since 1973, producing vegetarian and vegan cooking that spawned a series of bestselling cookbooks — the original “Moosewood Cookbook” by Mollie Katzen has sold over five million copies. The restaurant rotates its kitchen management among a collective of owner-cooks, and the menu changes daily.
Beyond Moosewood, Ithaca’s food scene reflects its population. Mehak India serves a lunch buffet that draws long lines. Thai Cuisine on Aurora Street has held its ground for decades. Just a Taste wine and tapas bar pours an international selection alongside small plates in a narrow, lively room. For breakfast, the Ithaca Bakery on Meadow Street produces baked goods on a scale — over 100 varieties of bread and pastries daily — that feels more like a small factory than a cafe, and locals treat it as a second living room.
Operating at Steamboat Landing on the Cayuga Lake waterfront, the Ithaca Farmers Market runs Saturdays (April through December) and select Sundays. Over 150 vendors sell produce, baked goods, prepared foods, crafts, and plants. The market occupies a covered pavilion directly on the water, and on a Saturday morning in August, it draws thousands of people. Arrive before 10 a.m. if you want parking without frustration.
The Gorges: Where to Go
- Taughannock Falls State Park: Eight miles north of town on Route 89. The main gorge trail is flat, three-quarters of a mile each way, and ends at the base of the 215-foot falls. A rim trail above offers views from both sides. Free to walk in; $7 vehicle fee for the beach and picnic area in summer.
- Robert H. Treman State Park: Five miles south of town. Contains Lucifer Falls (115 feet) and a stone staircase trail through old-growth hemlocks. The upper park has a swimming area fed by a natural creek pool.
- Buttermilk Falls State Park: Just south of downtown off Route 13. A steep trail climbs alongside the falls, and a natural pool at the base is swimmable in summer.
- Cascadilla Gorge: Runs from the Cornell campus to downtown Ithaca. A stone path descends through a narrow gorge past multiple cascades. Open seasonally (typically May through November).
- Six Mile Creek: A less-visited gorge south of town with a natural swimming hole popular with locals in July and August.
Practical Details
Ithaca sits at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, the longest of the Finger Lakes at 38.2 miles. It is approximately 60 miles south of Syracuse via Route 81, 90 miles southeast of Rochester, and about 4.5 hours northwest of New York City. Parking downtown can be tight, especially during Cornell events — the Green Street garage near the Commons is the most reliable option. TCAT (Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit) runs bus service throughout the area, including routes to Cornell and Ithaca College.
Summer and fall are peak seasons, but Ithaca operates year-round thanks to its university calendar. Winter brings gorge closures (ice hazard), but also a quieter town with open restaurants and no crowds.
Locals Know
Skip the main gorge trail at Taughannock on a summer Saturday — it will be packed. Instead, take the South Rim Trail, which starts from the upper parking area off Jacksonville Road and delivers a view straight down into the gorge with a fraction of the foot traffic. And for the best single view of Cayuga Lake, drive to the top of Libe Slope on the Cornell campus at sunset.