A Vibrant Downtown
Recently named to the National Register of Historic Places, Ithaca’s central business district is home to businesses, banks, government offices, restaurants and theaters. They cluster around Ithaca’s lively downtown pedestrian mall, the Commons, a stone’s throw from industrial parks and shopping centers. Yearn to get away from it all? A ten-minute car or bus ride (fifteen by bicycle) takes you to rolling fields of oats and corn, vineyards, orchards, and dairy farms. A few minutes more and you’re at the ski slopes.The Ithaca Downtown Partnership
Food and Dining
From its humble beginnings in 1973, the Ithaca Farmer’s Market has become a local institution and a national award-winning public space. The weekend market features over 150 vendors selling produce, prepared foods, and crafts.A wide selection of dining choices are scattered throughout Ithaca’s downtown. Thai curry, Japanese sake, and Spanish tapas are steps away from hamburgers, burritos, chicken wings, and salads. One can find pizza by the slice, sumptuous desserts, microbrews, and fabulous cocktails. The Moosewood Restaurant, a pioneering vegetarian eatery that gained national recognition through its popular series of cookbooks, is located downtown in an old brick schoolhouse. Other fantastic local food destinations include: Gimme Coffee, Purity ice cream, and Ithaca Beer. And for your daily food, try Ithaca’s natural/organic food co-op Green Star.
Ithaca’s Discovery Trail
The Discovery Trail Partnership is a group of educational organizations based in Ithaca, NY. The only organization of its kind, the Discovery Trail promotes awareness and understanding of the connections among art, history, literature, science, and the natural world.The Sciencenter
The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art
The Museum of the Earth
The Cornell Plantations
The History Center in Tompkins County
The Cayuga Nature Center
The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology