The city of Syracuse is a big one, but its residents are dedicated to culture and history. The city offers something for everyone: museums, galleries, performing arts venues, and more. Whether you’re a city snob or you’re looking to live in a quiet residential neighborhood, Syracuse has something to offer you. The Everson Museum of Art is located downtown and focuses on American art. You can see over 10,000 pieces of art and take in the beautiful architecture.
Downtown Syracuse has lots of charm and character, and is pedestrian and bicycle-friendly. Its central location allows visitors to enjoy several distinct neighborhoods in one day. There are multiple parks throughout the city, including a multi-use riverwalk along Onondaga Creek. Getting around the city is easy, too, thanks to a multi-use Onondaga Creekwalk and other scenic areas. The city is surrounded by mountains, so outdoor activities and scenic landscapes are never far away.
The Carrier Dome is the center of Syracuse University’s athletics, and its 24-second shot clock is a local staple. Syracuse is home to the first professional lacrosse team in the United States. Syracuse’s famous high school football team has become a central part of the community, and the city has an AHL professional hockey team and AAA baseball team affiliated with the New York Mets. While you’re there, make sure to stop by the Ale ‘n’ Angus Pub for the Best Burger in New York State.
As an important hub of the Central New York region, Syracuse boasts a dense forest of trees. It has a higher density of trees than any of its surrounding cities, including Albany, Rochester, and Buffalo. However, the Labor Day Storm in 1998 ripped through the city and killed more than 30,000 trees. Of Syracuse’s trees, sugar maple accounts for 14.2%, while European buckthorn and Northern white cedar are second and third in number. The honey locust is the most common street tree.
While Syracuse is a city resembling New York, it’s also a distinctly different animal. The city’s landscape is dotted with parks and open spaces. Clark’s Reservation is a county park and Onondaga Lake Park is near the city center. The Onondaga Creekwalk winds through downtown. The city is also home to the 167-foot waterfall of Chittenango Falls. Walking or biking throughout the city is easy in Syracuse, but heavy snowfall can make travel more difficult.
While most people commute to Syracuse by car, the city’s downtown has become a pedestrian-friendly environment. Some neighborhoods are even pedestrian-friendly. While the city’s central area is flat, many neighborhoods were originally separate villages and later merged to form one larger city. The city’s neighborhoods reflect the city’s ethnic history, with large populations of Irish and Polish Americans settling in the west, German and Italian immigrants settling in the east, and African-Americans settling in the south.
Music lovers can find a variety of shows at local and national venues. The Great New York State Fair is the city’s crown jewel. It attracts more than 1 million people each year and is the oldest fair of its kind. The fair features everything from music to theater to agriculture. You can explore Syracuse’s art scene at the Everson Museum of Art and the Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology. Moreover, the city is surrounded by beautiful scenery, with places like Great New York State Park and Jamesville Beach Park.