Tropical spring break vacations aren’t for everyone. For those missing out on a warm-weather trip next week, upstate New York offers many day trips you can take without breaking the bank.

Buffalo

When the members of the “Bills Mafia” aren’t leaping through flaming tables outside New Era Field, they’re likely gobbling up chicken wings in a local bar.

On the eastern shore of Lake Erie sits Buffalo, the primordial American Rust Belt city. It’s home to dozens of restaurants, and, of course, the namesake of Buffalo wings. Duff’s Famous Wings in Amherst has been a consistent award winner for its spin on the city’s culinary claim to fame.

Jeff Feather, Duff’s co-owner, said the eatery has the best wings in Buffalo.

Duff’s offers 11 wing sauces, though newcomers should be wary of those on the hotter end of the spice spectrum — “suicidal” sauce and “death” sauce pack a knockout punch.

“I can’t even smell them, and I’ve been here for almost 40 years,” Feather said with a laugh. “If I take a deep breath of them, my eyes start watering.”

Distance from Syracuse: 2.5 hours

Fun fact: A 20-mile drive north pits travelers at Niagara Falls, the region’s natural wonder, which forms a border between the United States and Canada.

Buffalo is 20 miles south of Niagara Falls, and about two-and-a-half hours west of Syracuse.
Courtesy of Zach Mazzochetti

Cooperstown

Like Hollywood’s tantamount relationship with cinema, Cooperstown has become synonymous with baseball. The village lies halfway between Syracuse and Albany on the shores of Otsego Lake.

Standing tall on Main Street, the National Baseball Hall of Fame functions as the nucleus of the village. Visitors can wander the three-floor museum from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, browsing the 323 faces of the Plaque Gallery and the display of the 113 World Series championship rings, said Jon Shestakofsky, vice president of communications and education at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Shestakofsky said Cooperstown “evokes idyllic Americana,” with a main street filled with mom-and-pop shops, a beautiful lake and views of forested hills. He added that visitors don’t necessarily need to be avid baseball fans to truly appreciate the museum, though.

“The Baseball Hall of Fame is as much a baseball shrine as it is an American history museum,” Shestakofsky said in an email. “Our exhibits touch on the game itself and accomplishments on the field, but also the cultural touchpoints that have made baseball so important to the last 150 years of America’s development.”

Distance from Syracuse: Just under 2 hours

Fun fact: Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown offers daily tours and tastings, which include eight “Game of Thrones” themed brews.

 

Cooperstown is just under two hours from Syracuse and is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Courtesy of Craig Muder

Lake Placid

A three-hour drive through the snowy Adirondack Mountains may evoke haunting memories from Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.” For those who can brave the deja vu, a hotbed of sports awaits in Lake Placid.

Immersed in scenery reminiscent of a Bob Ross painting, the village hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1932 and 1980. Today, the Olympic sites that were once the center of the sports world remain open to the public.

A $35 Olympic Sites Passport grants visitors access to the many complexes. Alison Haas, director of the Olympic Museum, recommends beginning in the museum.

“It’s a great way to start your tour of Lake Placid, giving you a great background history of the Olympic Games before you set out to see the other sites,” she said.

Inside the Olympic Center, visitors can ice skate in Herb Brooks Arena, the site of Team USA’s astonishing victory over the Soviet Union in the 1980 hockey semi-final. The Bobsled Experience gives visitors the rare opportunity to ride a bobsled down the official Olympic track, while the Discover Biathlon program tests participants’ aptitude for freestyle skiing and rifle marksmanship.

Distance from Syracuse: 3.5 hours

Fun fact: A busy day surveying the sites can be completed with a Cloudsplitter Gondola ride up Little Whiteface, included in the Passport.

Lake Placid is about three-and-a-half hours from Syracuse and hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.
Courtesy of John Savage

Rochester

The midpoint between Buffalo and Syracuse, Rochester is another blue-collar city with its own culinary magnum opus: the garbage plate.

First dished up by Nick Tahou’s Hots during the Great Depression, the plate has been threaded into the cultural fabric of the city. It features two hot dogs or burgers atop a bed of home fries and macaroni salad, smothered with a Greek-style, meat hot sauce.

Most establishments around the city offer their own version of the sacred dish. You can grab a vegan version at Red Fern in the city, but a traditional local favorite is Dogtown. For first-timers, Rochesterians usually recommend trying the original at Nick Tahou’s.

For those looking to experience Rochester without rattling their digestive system, the Genesee Brew House is a trendy spot for lunch or dinner.

“We have been one of the staple businesses in Rochester for over 100 years,” said Malcolm Franklin, the restaurant’s general manager. “When you think of Rochester, you think of Genesee.”

Free tours of the pilot brewery are offered at the top of each operating hour. And, for just $4, patrons can order a flight of four different brews from the tasting bar.

Distance from Syracuse: 1.5 hours

Fun fact: The Memorial Art Gallery on University Avenue houses original works from Monet, Rembrandt and Matisse.

 

Rochester is home to the iconic garbage plate, which can be packed with more than 3,000 calories.
Adam Lehner | Contributing Writer

Seneca Falls

March is Women’s History Month, and, as the birthplace of women’s rights, Seneca Falls provides ample opportunity for those seeking to celebrate and learn about the subject.

Seventy-two years before the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, the first-ever women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

“It was a revolutionary thought at the beginning of a revolution,” said Denise Ruth, historian at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park, of the convention.

The park’s sites include the Wesleyan Chapel, the site of the first convention, where Frederick Douglass joined Cady Stanton in declaring that women deserve full suffrage. As a historian, Ruth said she always feels connected to a place where such historic events occurred.

Visitors can check out the landmark site each day between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at no cost.

A few blocks down the road, the National Women’s Hall of Fame celebrates accomplished women in history, with inductees ranging from Anne Hutchinson to Oprah Winfrey.

Distance from Syracuse: 1 hour

Fun fact: The It’s a Wonderful Life Museum celebrates the local legend that Seneca Falls served as Frank Capra’s inspiration for his 1946 classic film, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Seneca Falls, an hour from Syracuse, is the city where the first-ever women’s rights convention was held.
Adam Lehner | Contributing Writer

Published on March 8, 2018 at 1:19 am

Contact Adam: aglehner@syr.edu