27 Things to Do in Syracuse, NY (2026)
Armory Square, the lakes, a Cortland day trip and the rainy days.
Updated November 2026. 27 things to do in Syracuse, NY, grouped so you can do three or four in one day: downtown and Armory Square, around the city, the parks and lakes, a day trip to Cortland, and the festivals that fill the summer. Plenty are free.
The short answer: if you are visiting Syracuse, New York for the first time, the top attractions are the Erie Canal Museum and the MOST, lunch at Salt City Market, the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, a walk at Green Lakes, and a night making something with Right Mind Syracuse.
27 things to do in Syracuse, NY, by area
Updated November 2026. Prices are shown only where the place publishes them; check before you go.
Grouped by where they are, so you can do three or four in a day instead of driving across Onondaga County for each. If you are choosing between hotels, staying in downtown Syracuse puts nine of these within walking distance. Indoor picks for winter and rainy days are tagged, and the workshops marked KraftStories can be booked here.
Downtown and Armory Square
The walkable core of downtown Syracuse: museums, a food hall and the big theatre, most within fifteen minutes on foot of Armory Square.
Wander Armory Square
FreeDowntown's old brick warehouse district, now full of restaurants, bars, coffee and small shops. The easiest place to explore on foot, day or night.
- Where
- Downtown · Walton St and S Franklin St
- Price
- Free to walk
- Time
- 1–2 hours
- Best for
- First-time visitors, dinner and drinks.
The MOST science museum
IndoorThe Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology fills the old armory with interactive exhibits and the ExploraDome show. Open Thursday to Sunday, 9:30 to 5.
- Where
- Armory Square · 500 S Franklin St
- Price
- $18 adults, $14 ages 2–15
- Time
- 2–3 hours
- Best for
- Families, rainy days, curious adults.
Erie Canal Museum
IndoorHoused in the 1850 Weighlock Building, where canal boats were weighed for tolls. Step aboard the replica canal boat, a short walk from Clinton Square.
- Where
- Downtown · 318 Erie Blvd E
- Price
- Pay what you wish; $12 suggested
- Time
- 1 hour
- Best for
- History lovers, first-time visitors.
Everson Museum of Art
IndoorI. M. Pei's concrete landmark holds a notable collection of American ceramics, including more than 100 works by Adelaide Alsop Robineau. Closed Monday and Tuesday; pay what you wish on Wednesdays.
- Where
- Downtown · 401 Harrison St
- Price
- $14 adults
- Time
- 1–1.5 hours
- Best for
- Art lovers, a quiet hour downtown.
Lunch at Salt City Market
A food hall with stalls ranging from Iraqi and Ethiopian to Caribbean and tacos, plus coffee, a bar and a co-op grocery. Easy for a group that cannot agree.
- Where
- Downtown · 484 S Salina St
- Price
- Free to enter
- Time
- 1 hour
- Best for
- Groups, lunch downtown.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
The Syracuse original of the barbecue and blues joint. Expect a wait on weekend nights, and check the calendar for live music.
- Where
- Downtown · 246 W Willow St
- Time
- 1–1.5 hours
- Best for
- Groups, a big dinner.
A 1928 movie palace that hosts the Broadway in Syracuse touring season, concerts and comedians. Book musicals early.
- Where
- Downtown · 362 S Salina St
- Price
- Check current prices
- Time
- 2–3 hours
- Best for
- Date night, culture lovers.
Skate in Clinton Square
WinterIn winter the Clinton Square fountain becomes an open-air ice rink. Check the city's site for the season opening.
- Where
- Downtown · Clinton Square
- Time
- 1 hour
- Best for
- Couples, families, December nights.
Make a Turkish mosaic lamp
KraftStoriesA two-hour workshop with Right Mind Syracuse, a mobile art studio that runs its nights at local pubs, bookshops and inns. You set coloured glass piece by piece and take home a working lamp. Check the venue address when you book.
- Where
- Right Mind Syracuse · venue varies by date
- Price
- $89 per person, all materials
- Time
- 2 hours
- Best for
- Couples, birthdays, a winter evening.
Around the city
The zoo, the big mall, the old cemetery and game nights, in neighborhoods a short drive from downtown.
Rosamond Gifford Zoo
Asian elephants, Humboldt penguins, Amur tigers and lions in Burnet Park. Open year-round, and about sixty percent of the exhibits are indoors, so you can see the animals even in January.
- Where
- Burnet Park · 1 Conservation Pl
- Price
- Check current prices
- Time
- 2–3 hours
- Best for
- Families with kids of every age.
Destiny USA
IndoorOne of the largest shopping and entertainment centres in the country, by Onondaga Lake. Inside: rope courses, escape rooms and Apex Entertainment, with 22 bowling lanes, laser tag and axe throwing.
- Where
- Northside · 9090 Destiny USA Dr
- Price
- Free to enter; activities extra
- Time
- Half day
- Best for
- Teens, groups, rainy-day fun.
Oakwood Cemetery
FreeA 160-acre Victorian cemetery from 1859, laid out like a park with winding paths and old oaks. It is a working cemetery, so visit respectfully. Guided tours run May to October.
- Where
- South Side · 940 Comstock Ave
- Price
- Free
- Time
- 1 hour
- Best for
- History lovers, autumn colour.
Cheer the Orange or the Crunch
Syracuse University basketball fills the JMA Wireless Dome through the winter. For hockey, the Crunch play 36 home games at the War Memorial.
- Where
- University Hill · JMA Wireless Dome; Downtown · 800 S State St
- Price
- Check current prices
- Time
- 3 hours
- Best for
- Sports fans, groups.
Saturday at the CNY Regional Market
SaturdaysFarm stands, bakers and food sellers fill the market sheds on Saturday mornings, year-round. Go early for the best produce.
- Where
- Northside · 2100 Park St
- Price
- Free to browse
- Time
- 1–2 hours
- Best for
- Saturday mornings, food lovers.
Pour a resin tray
KraftStoriesA Right Mind Syracuse workshop at a local pub: learn eco resin basics and make a 7-inch tray with gold leaf or terrazzo, then a beaded bracelet while it cures.
- Where
- Right Mind Syracuse · venue varies by date
- Price
- $40 per person
- Best for
- Friends, a relaxed night out.
Decorate cookies at a pizza pub
KraftStoriesA two-hour Right Mind class: learn icing basics, then decorate a set of seasonal cookies. Recent dates ran at Trapper's Pizza Pub in East Syracuse, with food and drinks on order.
- Where
- Right Mind Syracuse · venue varies by date
- Price
- $40 per person
- Time
- 2 hours
- Best for
- Friends, families with older kids, a low-key date.
Parks, lakes and short drives
Glacial lakes, trails and the Finger Lakes start within half an hour of downtown.
Onondaga Lake Park
FreeMore than eight miles of lakeside greenway with trails, playgrounds and the free Salt Museum, which explains the Salt City nickname. In winter, Lights on the Lake turns it into a drive-through light show.
- Where
- Liverpool · 106 Lake Dr
- Price
- Free; Lights on the Lake ticketed
- Time
- 1–3 hours
- Best for
- Runners, cyclists, families.
Two rare glacial lakes with startling blue-green water, ringed by about 15 miles of hiking trail. Trails are open dawn to dusk with no entry cost.
- Where
- Fayetteville · 7900 Green Lakes Rd
- Price
- Free trails
- Time
- 2–3 hours
- Best for
- Hikers, photos, a summer swim.
Beaver Lake Nature Center
Ten miles of trails around a lake that draws thousands of migrating geese each spring and autumn. Snowshoes can be rented when there is enough snow.
- Where
- Lysander, near Baldwinsville
- Time
- 1–2 hours
- Best for
- Families, birders, winter walks.
Skaneateles for the day
A lakeside village about 30 minutes southwest, with shops on Jordan Street and boat cruises in season. In December, the Dickens Christmas fills the streets.
- Where
- Skaneateles · 30 minutes southwest
- Price
- Free to walk
- Time
- Half day
- Best for
- Couples, a slow Saturday.
Harriet Tubman's home in Auburn
Harriet Tubman spent her later years in Auburn, and her home is now part of a national historical park. Tours are by appointment, so call ahead.
- Where
- Auburn · 180 South St
- Time
- 1.5 hours
- Best for
- History lovers, school-age kids and up.
Cortland: a short day trip
Cortland is about 35 minutes south on I-81: a waterfall on the way, a glass studio downtown and ski hills just past it.
Tinker Falls
A 50-foot waterfall in Labrador Hollow, on the way to Cortland, a short graded walk from the parking area. Best in spring, striking when frozen.
- Where
- Tully · Labrador Hollow Unique Area
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Best for
- Families, photos, an easy stop.
Stained glass in Cortland
KraftStoriesA hands-on class at Forged from Ashe Studios in the Corset Building, taught by Ashe Martin, who has more than twenty years of teaching behind her. You learn the copper foil method, from wrapping the glass to soldering. Designs change with the seasons.
- Where
- Cortland · Forged from Ashe Studios, Corset Building
- Price
- $60 per person
- Best for
- Couples, makers, a rainy Saturday.
More than 13 miles of free trails through forest, ponds and meadows, open dawn to dusk. A trail-ready wheelchair can be borrowed at the visitor center.
- Where
- Cortland · 338 McLean Rd
- Price
- Free
- Time
- 1–2 hours
- Best for
- Hikers, families, dogs on leash.
Ski or snowboard at Greek Peak
WinterA ski resort about 40 minutes from Syracuse off I-81, just past Cortland, with runs from beginner to expert.
- Where
- Virgil, near Cortland
- Price
- Check current prices
- Time
- Full day
- Best for
- Skiers, winter weekends.
Festivals and events through the year
Syracuse saves its biggest events for summer, and the whole community turns out.
The Great New York State Fair
SeasonalThirteen days of food, concerts, livestock and rides, from late August through Labor Day; locals just call it the NYS Fair. Go on a weekday. The same fairgrounds host the Syracuse Nationals car show each July.
- Where
- Geddes · NYS Fairgrounds
- Price
- Check current prices
- Time
- Full day
- Best for
- Everyone once; families, food lovers.
Summer festivals downtown
FreeTaste of Syracuse fills Clinton Square in June, the Syracuse Jazz Fest runs in July, and the Arts & Crafts Festival brings around 140 artists downtown in late July. All free to attend.
- Where
- Downtown and around
- Price
- Free to attend
- Time
- 2–3 hours
- Best for
- Families, music lovers, summer weekends.
Hours, prices, events and seasons change, and some places need advance booking; check before you go. Workshop prices are exact; venues for Right Mind workshops change with the date.
More Syracuse guides
Right Mind Syracuse: every workshop and date
One-night creative workshops at Syracuse's best local venues.
Forged from Ashe Studios in Cortland
Stained glass, mosaics and seasonal workshops in downtown Cortland.
Team building in Syracuse
Private mosaic lamp and candle holder workshops for groups of 6–16.
Quick answers for Syracuse
So you can plan fast and feel confident.
Take one thing home you made
