New York's Unique Finger Lakes Trail Blends Art, Nature, And Family Fun In A Vibrant College City

Ithaca, listed as "America's best town to visit in 2025" by CNN, is home to the prestigious Cornell University as well as Ithaca College. It has hosted luminaries like Carl Sagan, Kip Thorne, Wole Soyinka, and Rod Serling as professors at these schools. This vibrant and artsy college city is proud of its intellectual heritage, and you can see that front and center along the town's Discovery Trail. Weaving together art, nature, history, and science, the Discovery Trail of Ithaca is a 33-mile loop trail of cultural exploration, a network of fascinating educational sites and immersive museums dotted around the city.

Ithaca may be well known for being a place to hike in the forest alongside gorges and waterfalls, indulge in culinary highlights, and sip delicious wine and cider, but the Discovery Trail stands out as another top attraction that deserves your attention. "It seeks to educate every child and adult in Ithaca via hands-on learning," the Cornell Chronicle wrote. Charlie Trautman, executive director of the hands-on, family-friendly Sciencenter, said, "The Discovery Trail is unique," adding, "There is no other example in the United States where university and independent cultural organizations collaborate so closely." The next time you're in Ithaca and you'd like to hop from one family-friendly, educational museum to the next, seek out the Discovery Trail.

The Discovery Trail, despite its name, isn't a walking trail or biking route. Instead, it's a network of museums and educational sites, on Cornell's campus, around town, and just outside of Ithaca. Visitors will discover places like the Sciencenter, a hands-on science museum with over 250 touchable exhibits, which kids and adults of all ages will love. A little outside of town, you'll find the Museum of the Earth, a humble institution that's perfect for budding archeologists and fossil enthusiasts. The museum has one of the largest collections of fossilized specimens in the country (more than 7 million) and contains the famous skeleton of a mastodon found in nearby Hyde Park as well as a walk-through model glacier, the likes of which used to cover upstate New York millions of years ago. 

The trail also includes a visit to The History Center in Tompkins County, which is a fascinating place to delve into local history. The museum, which is operated by the local historical society, opened in 1994, and past exhibits have included deep dives into the history of baseball in the region and historic rail travel around Ithaca. Continuing the trail, you can pay a visit to the Tompkins County Public Library, which hosts regular events, readings, and lectures. It's the most centrally located of all the stops on the trail, so you can easily stop into a local pizzeria, sandwich shop, or sit-down restaurant before or after visiting. Those passionate about art and art history will appreciate the expansive collection at the Cornell Johnson Museum of Art, which encompasses 30,000 artworks. A bonus is that you can walk around the gorgeous (but hilly) Cornell campus. In springtime, you'll be able to see blossoming trees, while in the fall, it becomes a gorgeous show of autumn colors.

For those who love the outdoors and have a keen interest in plant and animal life, the Cayuga Nature Centre will prove to be a highlight, since there are miles of trails, a six-story treehouse that's perfect for birdwatching, and 100 acres of land to explore. The Cornell Botanic Gardens is also a must-see for budding botanists. With beautiful gardens and natural areas as well as walking trails, wooded gorges, and waterfalls, it's the perfect place to spend a whole day on a quiet stroll.

For any upstate New York birdwatching fans, be sure to visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the most famous ornithology lab in the world. Visitors can explore the 220 acres of wildlife sanctuary there along 4 miles of trails, learn about local birds and how to identify them, and visit the Macaulay Sound Library, the world's largest natural sound archive of wildlife, from birds to mammals and even fish.

Ithaca might be in the heart of the Finger Lakes region, but it's also very easy to get to. Fly into the Ithaca Tompkins International Airport (ITH), or take advantage of the town's direct bus access to New York City. There's a wide range of hotels to choose from once you're in town, but the best are modern and luxurious Hotel Ithaca and the historic William Henry Miller Inn bed and breakfast. Both are comfortable places that are reasonably priced and centrally located so you can make the most of this home away from home.