Ithaca

Discovering Ithaca

Ithaca sits at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, the longest of New York’s Finger Lakes, in a landscape that seems engineered to inspire awe. The city occupies a natural amphitheater — hills rise steeply on three sides, carved over millennia by streams that have cut deep, narrow gorges through layers of shale and limestone on their way to the lake. These gorges, and the waterfalls that thunder through them, are why people come to Ithaca. But the waterfalls are only the beginning. Cornell University’s hilltop campus, one of the most beautiful in America, crowns the eastern ridge. A farm-to-table food culture decades ahead of the national trend fills the downtown with restaurants that draw ingredients from the surrounding Finger Lakes countryside. And Cayuga Lake itself — 40 miles long, over 400 feet deep, lined with vineyards and state parks — provides the kind of waterfront access that most cities can only envy.

The famous bumper sticker reads “Ithaca is Gorges,” and the pun works because it is literally true. Within a 10-mile radius of downtown, more than 150 waterfalls cascade through rocky chasms that rival anything in the Appalachian range. Buttermilk Falls tumbles through a series of pools and cascades that climb 500 feet up a forested hillside. Robert H. Treman State Park’s Lucifer Falls drops 115 feet through a gorge so narrow the stone walls seem to close overhead. Taughannock Falls, just 10 minutes north of town, plunges 215 feet in a single unbroken column — taller than Niagara Falls — into a misty pool surrounded by 400-foot cliffs. And Ithaca Falls, a 150-foot-wide curtain of water in a natural rock amphitheater, sits a five-minute walk from the center of town.

This concentration of geological drama in such a small area is unusual, and it shapes every aspect of life here. The gorges provide the hiking. The creeks that feed them provide the swimming holes. The fertile valleys between them provide the farmland that supports the restaurants. And the hills above them provide the vantage points — from Cornell’s McGraw Tower, from the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, from a dozen overlooks along the gorge rims — that remind you, constantly, that Ithaca exists in a landscape of uncommon beauty.

But Ithaca is not just a natural wonder. It is a college town with real cultural depth. Cornell University, an Ivy League institution founded in 1865, enrolls roughly 25,000 students and employs thousands more, creating the kind of intellectual energy that sustains bookstores, galleries, performing arts venues, and restaurants far beyond what a city of 32,000 would normally support. Ithaca College, perched on South Hill, adds another 6,000 students and a nationally recognized music program. The result is a small city that punches dramatically above its weight — a place where you can hike a world-class gorge in the morning, browse a museum of Asian art designed by I.M. Pei in the afternoon, and eat a farm-to-table dinner prepared with ingredients grown within 30 miles of your plate in the evening.

The town’s progressive spirit is genuine and longstanding. Ithaca was one of the first American cities to pass a living wage ordinance. The cooperative movement runs deep — GreenStar Food Co-op, the Alternatives Federal Credit Union, and numerous worker-owned businesses reflect a community that takes collective action seriously. The bumper stickers that read “Ithaca is Gorges” share road space with ones declaring “10 Square Miles Surrounded by Reality,” and both capture something true. Ithaca exists slightly outside the mainstream in ways that are immediately felt and, for most visitors, immediately appreciated.

The Gorges and Waterfalls

Ithaca’s gorges are not a sideshow — they are the main event, a geological inheritance so dramatic that the entire city’s identity revolves around them. The gorges were carved during the last ice age, when glaciers retreating from the Finger Lakes left behind hanging valleys. The streams that once flowed gently into the ancient lake valley suddenly found themselves hundreds of feet above the new, deeper lake bed, and they have been cutting downward ever since — carving through millions of years of sedimentary rock to create the gorges visible today.

Buttermilk Falls State Park is the most accessible and arguably the most satisfying gorge experience in Ithaca. The park entrance sits on Route 13, just south of downtown, and the Gorge Trail begins immediately at the base of a wide, multi-tiered waterfall that cascades into a large swimming pool. The trail climbs alongside the creek through a series of falls, cascades, plunge pools, and overhanging rock formations over roughly 1.5 miles and 500 feet of elevation gain. The stone steps are well-maintained but wet and slippery — proper footwear is essential. At the top, the trail connects to Treman State Park via the Rim Trail, creating a point-to-point hiking option for ambitious visitors. The swimming area at the base of the falls, open in summer with lifeguards on duty, is one of the finest natural swimming spots in the state.

Robert H. Treman State Park, connected to Buttermilk by trail, contains Ithaca’s most photogenic waterfall. Lucifer Falls drops 115 feet through a narrow gorge surrounded by hemlocks, mosses, and ferns that give the scene an almost primeval quality. The view from the stone staircase trail that descends alongside the falls is the kind of image that appears on Ithaca postcards and Instagram feeds — and for good reason. The Lower Falls area has its own swimming hole and a separate gorge trail that is less strenuous than the upper section. Together, the two sections of the park offer 5-6 miles of gorge hiking through some of the most beautiful terrain in the Northeast.

Taughannock Falls State Park, 10 minutes north of Ithaca on the west shore of Cayuga Lake, presents a different spectacle entirely. Here, a single waterfall plunges 215 feet — three stories taller than Niagara Falls — into a plunge pool at the base of a 400-foot-high rock amphitheater. The Gorge Trail to the base of the falls is a flat, easy 0.75-mile walk along the creek bed, making it accessible to visitors of all fitness levels. The Rim Trail above offers dramatic views from the gorge edge. In winter, the falls partially freeze into spectacular ice formations. In late summer, reduced water flow reveals the full height of the cliff face. Every season offers a different perspective on one of the most impressive single-drop waterfalls east of the Rocky Mountains.

Ithaca Falls, tucked into a residential neighborhood just minutes from downtown, is the most accessible of them all. A short path from the Lake Street parking area leads to the base of a 150-foot-wide waterfall that fans across a curved rock face. There are no admission fees, no parking fees, and no long trails — just a massive waterfall in the middle of a small city, thundering away as students and tourists alike sit on the rocks and stare.

Cascadilla Gorge Trail connects the Cornell campus to downtown Ithaca through a narrow urban gorge, descending past a series of small waterfalls and pools over roughly half a mile. It is one of the most unusual commuter trails in America — students walk this gorge daily on their way to class, passing cascades and moss-covered rock walls that would be a destination attraction in most towns.

Cornell University and Campus Life

Cornell University occupies one of the most dramatically situated campuses in America. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, the university sits on a hill 400 feet above Cayuga Lake, its central campus bounded on two sides by deep gorges — Fall Creek Gorge to the north and Cascadilla Gorge to the south. The setting is extraordinary. From the Arts Quad, the oldest section of campus, you look across lawns and stone buildings toward Cayuga Lake shimmering in the distance. From the suspension bridge over Fall Creek Gorge, you look straight down into a 200-foot chasm with a waterfall at its base. No other Ivy League campus — arguably no other university campus in America — combines academic prestige with this kind of raw natural beauty.

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, designed by I.M. Pei and opened in 1973, is Cornell’s cultural crown jewel. The building itself is a sculptural concrete form that cantilevers dramatically over the hillside, and the fifth-floor gallery offers panoramic views of Cayuga Lake through floor-to-ceiling windows. The permanent collection spans 40,000 works — Asian art, European prints, contemporary American painting — and rotating exhibitions consistently bring museum-quality shows to this hilltop setting. Admission is free.

McGraw Tower, the 173-foot bell tower at the center of campus, houses the Cornell Chimes — a set of 21 bells played by student chimesmasters three times daily. The concerts, which range from classical pieces to popular songs, echo across campus and down into the valley. Climbing the 161 steps to the top (open during concerts) provides the finest view in Ithaca — Cayuga Lake stretching north toward the horizon, the city below, and the gorge-cut hills rolling away in every direction.

The Cornell Botanic Gardens (formerly Cornell Plantations) encompass over 4,000 acres of natural areas, botanical gardens, and arboreta across the campus and surrounding landscape. The F.R. Newman Arboretum, the Mundy Wildflower Garden, and the network of trails along Fall Creek and Cascadilla Creek offer walking routes that blur the line between campus and wilderness.

Collegetown, the dense commercial strip along College Avenue just south of campus, provides the quintessential college-town experience — pizza shops, coffee houses, used bookstores, Asian restaurants, and bars where graduate students and professors argue about everything from quantum physics to local politics. The energy here is infectious, particularly during the academic year, and the food options reflect Cornell’s remarkably international student body.

Cayuga Lake and the Waterfront

Cayuga Lake stretches 40 miles north from Ithaca’s doorstep, a deep, glacially carved body of water that provides recreation, scenery, and the microclimate that makes Finger Lakes winemaking possible. The lake’s thermal mass moderates temperatures along its shores, extending the growing season and protecting grapevines from the harsh upstate winters that would otherwise make viticulture impossible at this latitude.

The Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, established in 1983 as America’s first organized wine trail, includes over a dozen wineries along the lake’s eastern and western shores. The region specializes in cool-climate whites — Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Chardonnay — that have earned national recognition and critical praise. Dry Rieslings from producers like Sheldrake Point and Hosmer rival the best of the Mosel Valley. The tasting rooms are informal and welcoming, the prices are fair ($10-15 for a full tasting), and the lakeside settings are uniformly beautiful.

Stewart Park, on the Ithaca waterfront at the northern edge of town, provides free lake access with a swimming area, playground, restored 1920s carousel, and picnic facilities. On summer evenings, the park fills with families, students, and dog walkers enjoying the long views north across Cayuga Lake. The sunsets from here, with the lake reflecting the fading sky and the western hills silhouetted against the horizon, are consistently gorgeous.

The Cayuga Waterfront Trail runs along the lake’s southern shore and the inlet, connecting Stewart Park to the Ithaca Farmers Market, Cass Park, and several access points. It is flat, paved, and perfect for walking, running, or cycling with continuous water views. Kayak and paddleboard rentals are available at several points along the waterfront, and a half-day paddle along the lake’s shore — past overhanging willows, waterfront parks, and the occasional great blue heron — is one of Ithaca’s finest warm-weather experiences.

The Ithaca Farmers Market and Food Culture

The Ithaca Farmers Market at Steamboat Landing is not just a place to buy vegetables — it is a community institution, a weekend gathering ground, and one of the finest farmers markets in the American Northeast. Over 150 vendors set up under a covered pavilion on the Cayuga Lake inlet, selling everything from organic heirloom tomatoes and artisanal goat cheese to fresh-baked sourdough, Finger Lakes wines, locally distilled spirits, handmade pottery, and prepared foods representing cuisines from every continent. The setting — waterfront, with views across the inlet to boats and birds — elevates the experience beyond mere commerce. Live musicians perform throughout the morning. Children chase each other between stalls. The smell of wood-fired pizza mingles with Ethiopian coffee and Thai curry. It is Ithaca in concentrated form.

The market runs Saturdays from April through December (9 AM to 3 PM), with a smaller Sunday market and an indoor winter market. Arrive hungry, bring cash for smaller vendors, and plan to spend at least two hours.

Ithaca’s broader food culture is remarkably developed for a city of its size, driven by the convergence of productive Finger Lakes farmland, a university community with international tastes, and a progressive culture that embraced farm-to-table cooking long before the rest of America discovered the concept. Moosewood Restaurant, founded in 1973 as a worker-owned collective, helped define American vegetarian and whole-foods cooking through its bestselling cookbooks. The restaurant still operates on the ground floor of the Dewitt Mall, serving creative vegetarian and vegan cuisine with global influences. Eating at Moosewood is both a culinary experience and a pilgrimage to a landmark of the American food movement.

Beyond Moosewood, the downtown Ithaca Commons — a pedestrian mall running through the heart of the city — concentrates an impressive density of restaurants, cafes, and bars. Maxie’s Supper Club serves New Orleans-influenced comfort food with local ingredients. Just a Taste offers tapas and an outstanding wine bar focused on Finger Lakes producers. The Heights serves casual American fare with perhaps the best rooftop view in town. Collegetown Bagels, with multiple locations, fuels the city’s mornings with fresh-baked bagels and strong coffee in an atmosphere that perfectly captures Ithaca’s mix of academic intensity and laid-back charm.

Purity Ice Cream, a local institution since 1936, serves handmade ice cream in flavors ranging from classic vanilla to creative seasonal concoctions using local fruits and Finger Lakes ingredients. The line out the door on summer evenings is a reliable indicator of both the quality and the pace of Ithaca life.

Where to Eat in Ithaca

Moosewood Restaurant — The legendary vegetarian collective, still serving creative plant-based cuisine in the Dewitt Mall since 1973. The daily specials draw from global traditions — Indian curries, Mexican moles, Mediterranean mezze — all prepared with local ingredients. $18-30 per person.

Just a Taste — Wine bar and tapas on the Ithaca Commons with an exceptional Finger Lakes wine list. The small plates are creative and shareable, the atmosphere is warm, and the staff knows every local vintage. $25-45 per person.

Maxie’s Supper Club — New Orleans meets the Finger Lakes — jambalaya, po’boys, and blackened catfish made with local sourcing and genuine Louisiana technique. The craft cocktails are outstanding. $20-40 per person.

The Heights — Elevated casual dining with rooftop seating overlooking downtown. Burgers, salads, and American bistro dishes done well, with the best outdoor view in the city. $15-30 per person.

Hazelnut Kitchen — Farm-to-table bistro in Trumansburg, 20 minutes north. The menu changes daily based on what local farms deliver. Intimate, unpretentious, and genuinely excellent. Worth the drive. $30-50 per person.

Glenwood Pines — Lakeside roadhouse on Route 89 overlooking Cayuga Lake. Famous for burgers and fried fish in a setting that has barely changed in decades. Cash only, no frills, pure Finger Lakes character. $10-18 per person.

Where to Stay in Ithaca

Luxury: Inns of Aurora — Elegant restored 19th-century inn on the western shore of Cayuga Lake, 30 minutes north. World-class gardens, farm-to-table restaurant, lake views from every room. $350-500/night.

Mid-Range: La Tourelle Hotel & Spa — Boutique hillside property overlooking Buttermilk Falls with spa services, a wine bar, and trail access from the back door. The best balance of comfort and location. $180-280/night.

Campus: The Statler Hotel at Cornell — Run by hospitality students, with polished service and a campus setting steps from the Johnson Museum and gorge trails. $160-240/night.

Budget: Microtel Inn by Wyndham — Clean, simple, and affordable on the edge of town. No character, but a solid base for visitors spending all their time outdoors. $85-120/night.

Planning Your Visit

When to visit: The sweet spot is mid-May through late October. May and June bring peak waterfall flow from spring snowmelt and lush green gorges. July and August offer warm weather (75-85F), lake swimming, and the full farmers market schedule. September and early October deliver fall foliage that ranks among the most spectacular in the Northeast — the gorges draped in crimson, gold, and orange are genuinely staggering. The academic calendar (late August through mid-May) adds campus energy; summer is quieter but the weather is ideal for outdoor activities. Winter brings snow, cold (often below 20F), and limited gorge access, but also budget pricing, cross-country skiing at Greek Peak, and a cozy college-town atmosphere with excellent restaurants and warm bars.

Getting around: A car is strongly recommended for visiting gorges, state parks, and the wine trail. Downtown Ithaca and the Commons are fully walkable. Collegetown is walkable from campus. TCAT (Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit) buses connect the major areas including Cornell, downtown, and Ithaca College. Parking downtown is metered but reasonable ($1.50/hour), and state park parking runs $8-10 per vehicle.

Gorge safety: The gorge trails involve stone steps that are often wet and slippery. Wear sturdy shoes with good traction — sandals and flip-flops cause injuries every year. Stay on marked trails and behind fences. Flash flooding can occur during heavy rain, and gorge trails close periodically for safety. Check conditions before hiking, particularly after storms.