Attractions in and around Syracuse
Clinton Square: Clinton Square was one of the busiest spots in the city during the 1800s. The Square teemed with farmers' wagons and peddlers' carts. Filling the air were the voices and music of street merchants, hawkers and entertainers-magicians, ventriloquists, and organ grinders. Canal boats noisily loaded and unloaded cargo. In the summer, excursion boats, complete with band or orchestra, departed from the Square to nearby Onondaga or Green lakes.
This public square played host to a number of events. On NewYear's Day 1870, local brewer John Greenway held a "feast for the poor" that attracted 20,000 people of varying economic status. A few years later, Syracusans jammed the Wieting Opera House across the Square for a so-called "concert of telephone and transmitted music".
After the turn of the century, Clinton Square was transformed from a cluttered docking and market place into a public park. The City placed a flower garden in the Square's center, and in 1909, the cornerstone of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument was laid. The monument was dedicated in 1910 to honor those who fought and died in the Civil War.
Hanover Square: Hanover Square has an important commercial and civic history. For most of the 1800s, this open space was used as a "hack stand" where cartmen and teamsters hired out their wagons to merchants. In those days, pedestrians, especially ladies, complained that they could not safely cross the Square due to standing carts, mud, and moving vehicles.
In the early 1800s, a village well and public drinking fountain were located here. L.H. Redfield, a noted local newspaper publisher, paid for the fountain as his personal memorial to "temperance." He felt that a good source of drinking water might quell the natural inclinations for beer or other intoxicating liquors.
As with Clinton Square, this public space was a center of social and political life. During the Civil War, military recruiting booths covered Hanover Square. Men who signed up on this spot marched through here after the war to be discharged. A huge platform, from which Sunday sermons and patriotic speeches were heard, remained at the center of the Square throughout the war. It was burned by jubilant Syracusans on word of Lee's surrender. Here, too, thousands attended memorial services after President Lincoln's assassination.
Museums:
Onondaga Historical Association Museum: Onondaga Historical Association Museum & Research Center exists to inspire people's understanding that the history we share as a community is the foundation for our future together. Our purpose is to encourage a diverse audience from the neighborhoods of Syracuse and the communities of Onondaga County to explore, appreciate and utilize their past. To do so, we offer engaging exhibits and programs, pursue partnerships with other cultural organizations and community groups, and develop and care for a definitive collection related to local history. We operate a museum and research center in Syracuse, New York and are committed to ensuring the vitality of our historic urban location.
Everson Museum of Art: The Everson Museum of Art seeks to inspire, educate and enrich, integrating art into people's lives through direct encounters with its collections and exhibitions. It is internationally recognized for its extensive and significant collection of ceramics, pioneering art video collection and distinctive structural design by the noted architect I.M. Pei.
Erie Canal Museum: Tour the National Register Landmark Weighblock Building, restored to its appearance in the 1850's when it functioned as a canal boat weighing station. Board a 65-foot long canal boat to experience life and work on the Erie Canal and explore the history of Syracuse as it grew from swamp to city. Visit the Education Gallery filled with interactive exhibits, the re-created weigh master’s office and the orientation theater, with its overview of the adventurous history of the world's most successful canal.
Everson Museum of Art: Built in 1968, the Everson Museum of Art is the first museum in the world to be designed by architect I.M. Pei, who has since designed the National Gallery in Washington, the new addition to the Louvre in Paris, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Everson's primary collections are 19th and 20th century American art - paintings, sculptures, ceramics, prints, and watercolors. There are also smaller collections of Oriental art, African objects, and works from Central and South America. Group tours are available by appointment. Museum shop and cafe on premises.
International Mask & Puppet Museum: Open Hand Theater's performance museum with performances, gallery shows and hands on activities featuring masked and puppets from around the world. Closed July – August.
Ner-A-Car Motorcycle Museum: Focus is on New York State made motorcycles and memorabilia.
Lights On The Lake: This two-mile, drive through, illuminated entertainment spectacular captures the excitement of the holiday season, beginning on Thanksgiving week and concluding on New Year's Weekend. Resplendent with larger than life versions of children's toys, shoreline holiday scenes, replicas of zoo animals, dinosaurs and whimsical depictions of Syracuse traditions. Music, special effects and costumed characters make the program extra memorable for the entire family. Admission charged per vehicle.
Mulroy Civic Center: The Famous Artists Series brings the greatest artists of the stage, concert, movies, Broadway, etc., to the Syracuse area. The Broadway Theater Series, one of the group's featured productions, consists of 6 national tours each year.
Wildlife
Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park: Trace the origins of life from 600 million years ago, and explore the spectacular diversity of the life of over 1,000 animals. Hike the "Wild North" and discover how some special animals and people have been interacting for thousands of years. All exhibits and services, including a restaurant and gift store, are accessible to everyone. Open every day except Christmas and New Year's from 10:00am - 4:30pm.
Salt City Center For the Performing Arts: A non-profit performing arts and teaching center that presents a year-round season of musicals, drama and comedies. The Center also offers a full complement of classes in acting, dance, voice and playwriting for all ages, with special programs for youngsters from 5 to 21 with no prior theatrical training.
Activities in Syracuse
Seneca Lake Wine Trail: Enjoy a truly tasteful experience in the vineyards that have flourished since the mid 1800's. The twenty-one wineries along the shores of Seneca Lake offer individual and unique expressions from one of America’s finest wine districts.
Festivals and Events in and around Syracuse
The Jewish Music & Cultural Festival (Sunday, September 13th, 2009).
The Juneteenth Festival (Sat June 13, 2009).
New York State Blues Festival (Sat July 11-12 , 2009).
Holiday Festival of Trees: This week-long festival, held every December, features over one hundred imaginatively decorated Christmas trees (donated and decorated by area businesses, artists, and individuals) on view in the upper galleries of the Everson Museum of Art, together with other holiday decorations, wreaths, tables and doors. Special seasonal events are scheduled daily during Festival week, including musical entertainment, fashion shows and programs for children. Contact the Everson Museum of Art for times and admission prices. Festival held at the Everson Museum of Art.
Hot Air Balloon Festival: Forty hot-air balloons splash the hills of Jamesville with awesome colors in this annual three-day happening held the second weekend of June. Great musical entertainment, children's games and kite flying, aeronautical displays, and ethnic foods compliment the early morning and late evening inflations.
Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival: Exhibitors from across the country participate in the juried show that features fine arts and crafts, demonstrations of craft techniques, and special children's activities. Local performing arts groups include ethnic dancers, jazz, classical and popular music performances. Held every July at Columbus Circle in downtown Syracuse.
LaFayette Apple Festival: Central New York has the second largest apple harvest in the nation. The LaFayette Apple Festival is held every October on Columbus weekend. Over 275 craft booths are in operation selling beautiful hand crafted items plus all types of apple foods including fritters, pies, cakes and cider. |
