I try to make it back for the festival every year. Great music, food, crowds over 3 1/2 days. I…read morelike the events on the commons most, but the parade (Thurs night) and the party at Stewart park (Sunday) are pretty sweet too.

The best of Ithaca! Usually held during the first weekend of June, the Ithaca Festival celebrates…read morethe vital role of the arts in the community. Local food, arts and crafts fair featuring over 80 crafters and artists (jewelry, pottery, paintings, furniture, photography, wooden creations, handmade toys), healing arts fair (massage, reiki, acupuncture, herbal medicine), Gorges Green Expo (learn about environmental awareness, energy conservation, and other green initiatives. Also features a Taste of Tompkins, where you can taste locally grown vegetables, local cheeses, locally made desserts, and wine), family fun (face-painting, storytelling, performances, etc), an Ithaca Festival Parade, and a Paint Off (local artists are asked to produce a piece of art on site in just one hour and the best piece is auctioned off). There's a lot of other stuff going on, too, that I'm probably missing. It's a great place to take your family, date, friends, anyone!

Great day at a fun fair. Fun to taste apples from a variety of local farmers. I also loved the free…read moresamples of cider. It was crowded, but not too crowded and other vendors if you got tired of the apples, but who gets tired of apples. Fun memorable date or outing for kids. Free to get in and very reasonably priced items. Parking close can be challenging if you get there later in day.

Awesome! Usually held the first weekend in October. Living up to its motto, "Tempting to the Core,"…read morethis festival attracts over 30,000 people and features performers, entertainment, farmers, wineries, bakeries, crafters, food vendors, an apple pie eating competition, music, dancing, eating, food from local restaurants, education, a Ferris wheel, giant slide, Iron Chef event, crafts, and APPLES. The Festival also tries to be environmentally friendly, as it uses compostable utensils and paper plate. A local favorite is the kettle corn. I'm a fan of the candied apples. Om nom! Lots of fun, definitely come enjoy the celebration if you're in Ithaca around this time!

Great festival. Tons of seasonal fall beers. All German music. Lots if German food choices plus…read moreAmerican as well. This is an annual festival. Very cold this year, but a good time! Pitchers are the way to go with a group. :)

Oktoberfest was a blast!…read more $5 tickets from Gerrity's, lots of entertainment...of course the PA Polka, yummy German beer & food and weiner dogs races. It definitely wasn't a cheap night with my hubby drinking $8 beer, mine were $4, and food costing $7-$10.

After more than 20 years of successful shows in the Netherlands, Mysteryland hopped across the pond…read moreand done did their first US festival on the iconic Woodstock '69 grounds. Needless to say, we purchased 3-day camping tickets back in December the first three minutes they went on sale, and all had a killer weekend! The inaugural Mysteryland USA festival featured ten combined stages/areas stages with a Sunday School 3-stage mini-fest going on all weekend. A Friday night pre-party hosted by Nicky Romero was available to those with Nomad weekend camping passes, and Saturday/Sunday set times ran from 1pm all the way till 2am both days. Steve Aoki closed out the main stage on Saturday and Kaskade did the honors on Sunday, but from open to close, our day was jam-packed with killer sets both days, and plenty of exploring and dancing all around. A+ on stage design, sound, lighting, and of course, the talent! The healing garden, complete with yoga and other cool stuff added some well-needed relaxation/rejuvenation to an otherwise high-energy weekend, and there were plenty of (albeit REALLY pricey) food options. Best of all, the campgrounds provided solace just a short walk away from the party! I'm grading on a curve since this is their first time here in the states, but there's a short list for improvement: 1 - Birdie Bucks - Yes, the festival was cashless, with all purchases scanned from your wristband, but you could only purchase "Birdie Bucks" at select locations, and at the "exchange rate" of $10 USD for 9 Birdie Bucks. They claim to refund unused bucks after the festival, but then deduct a $5 service charge, so unless you want to lose money, you need to be planning & doing math so as to use all your wristband funds...and who the hell wants to do that at a festival?! Compound that with the fact that the entire system went down for a few hours, paralyzing all purchases, and you've got reason to reconsider the rationale for the system. ...Fortunately, I found a workaround to the leftover Bucks situation - Go to the merch shop (which accepts BOTH cash and Birdie Bucks), make a purchase, deplete your wristband balance first, then pay the balance in cash. 2 - Water refill stations - located dangerously close (read: inside) the outhouse area causing even more congestion, with not nearly enough pressure to fill up those camelbaks. Here's where they could take a page from Electric Zoo or EDC and have dedicated high-pressure water refill stations manned by volunteers to keep the line moving and the crowd spread out. All in all, in my mind, ID&T, the Mysteryland organizers did a terrific job their first year, and I hope that the Bethel Woods organizers feel the same so we can party on again next Memorial Day weekend!

Do I really want to reveal the mystery that is Mysteryland? As much as I want to keep this place a…read moresecret, hidden away for no one else to discover, I have to shout from the rooftops just how amazing this festival is. 1) The Logistics - Getting in, out, and around is EASY! Having been to many other festivals where just parking your car is a nightmare, Mysteryland had it all figured out. The little roads around the fest took a beating with heavy traffic but it was nothing like Woodstock back in the day I'm sure. The bathrooms were kept extremely clean at all times. I never had issues with toilet paper or disgusting porta-potties. 2) The People - Everyone was so nice and respectful. The staff were always wishing for us to have an amazing time. I loved the vibes here! 4) The Music - A nice selection of genres from hip top and trap to dark techno and everything in between. The sound was amazing! 5) The Stages - They were so perfectly placed. It was easy to go from stage to stage in 5 minutes. I saw so many artists in one day, I was so surprised! The design of the stages is so unique and each has their own vibe. With a festival that is not sold out like Mysteryland, getting to the front of each stage is an easy task. Where you would expect people to be sardines rammed up against the rail, it is the complete opposite. I vowed to never go front row at a show again after recieving many bruises after Steve Aoki in Toronto. Well here I was, front row at Claude Von Stroke and I had a good foot around me to dance and enjoy myself. I was never shoved or pushed once the entire weekend. 6) The Camping - Camp sites were huge and spacious. The Plaza Central with shops, food, and activities stayed open 24/7 which was a big plus. The general store had everything from underwear to extra tents and sleeping bags. 7) The History - This is where WOODSTOCK HAPPENED!! That is probably the most amazing thing about all of this. The hill we climb each day to go to the festival is where thousands of people stood to watch some of the greatest acts to ever live. The museum on site is very well done and can bring a tear to your eye. So much emotion in one place. Music really does bring everyone together. I'll be back Mysteryland! As long as you are around, I will be coming to visit!!

This is just the occasion where I could use a few extra stars. I just took a scratch made cinnamon…read morebun class run by Angie, Mira, Searra, Jo, Jordyn and Dave. I don't think I could have had a better time, the class was well crafted and executed, so well executed that I do believe I could do this at home. My husband enjoyed the spoils with the enthusiasm of a six year old (2 thumbs up). If you have the opportunity to take a class here I highly recommend it. Least we not forget the Scratch made brunch they served, quite delicious.

I bought sourdough bread yesterday at their stand at the farmers market in Montclair. It's stale…read more Packaged Oct. 7th, sold on Oct. 18th with an expiration date of Oct. 19th. which I didn't see until I tasted it and then read the bag. I expect bread at a farmers market to be freshly made. I shouldn't have to put my glasses on to read dates. Very disappointed

Beautiful place and absolutely worth every penny! We've visited during the fall and this year for…read morethe tulips. They were at 60% and absolutely gorgeous!

My experience was more like a 3-3.5, but I'm rounding up -- both because weather is not in the…read moreorchard's control, and because as an adult I don't think I'm necessarily the target demographic. Unfortunately, as soon as we pulled into the parking lot it began to POUR rain. We waited it out in the car for a while, like 20 minutes, but it didn't seem to be stopping, so we attempted to leave, but because so many other people were leaving traffic came to a standstill and it took us 10 minutes just to get to the end of the parking row -- which was kind of a blessing because the sun came out more and we decided to stay and chance it. There seems to be only one entrance and like 1-2 exits which kind of seems like a safety concern. Admission is a bit pricey - about $23 per person on the weekends if you don't buy online. I guess it's a good price if you enjoy mostly everything, but for that you'll need time. We grabbed a snack. There are a lot of food places - BBQ, grilled cheese, pizza etc. I actually thought the prices were pretty decent and the food was high quality for the price. We split a gourmet grilled cheese which was melty and tasty, and got a honey lavender cider which was absolutely delightful. We did the wagon ride out to the tulip fields. You can pay to pick your own but we just admired them. There are a lot of colors and different varieties, and cute photo ops all around. There was a scenic train ride that went through the fields. There were also a bunch of carnival rides, which we didn't go on. I read that there was axe throwing but we missed that. There was live music in the food area as well. They have some other fun things like giant bubble blowing stations, lots of snack stops, a retail space with gourmet goodies. Our second big thing was going to the petting barn, psyched about the "baby animal" experience. This consists of baby chicks and ducks. If you want to get up close and hold them you have to wait in a long line - we were waiting like half an hour to hold a duck for like 30 seconds. It was very cute and wholesome but honestly I wouldn't do that again. The chicks were unfortunately too young so we could only pet them, not hold them. It was a little underwhelming and I've seen other farms do baby animal days with much more variety. There were some other animals (that you could get up close to more immediately) like pigs, alpacas, goats, and highland cows -- some of which had cute babies. I don't think anything besides the flowers was open for u-pick, but I believe you have to pay extra for that anyway? This place is huge and very popular but I did get the sense that for the amount of people it draws, there are limited things to do. Granted, it was a holiday and a weekend, so I'm sure that contributed to the crowds. But also a TON of people left during the rain storm and we still were waiting in some pretty long lines so I can't even imagine how it would be if it was sunny. Overall this place is cute and I think everything is top quality, but ultimately I think it caters more towards families who have time and money to kill. It's probably a good deal if you live close and get a seasonal pass and come multiple times a year for all the different festivals- I do like that they have different things going on at all times. I wouldn't turn anyone away if that was their thing and I'd recommend it to a certain type of person -- but this is probably a once and done or once in a blue moon type place for me.

This is the first time I went to the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival. It was totally awesome…read more Great music of all styles and genres. People dancing together. Electricity and magic in the air. Sumptuous food vendors of all cuisines Had a wonderful time! Will be back next year!

These four days of amazing music and dance from around the world attract day-trippers and campers…read morein droves. I've attended for the last eight years and it's still hard to put into words how wonderful a festival this is. Four stages of top-quality performers from around the world operate from about 10am straight through until 2am every day (or in the case of the dance tent, until 6am--where folks stay up dancing all night to Zydeco music). (Check out http://www.grassrootsfest.org/festival/ for an impressive list of past performers.) A huge variety of healthy food (much better than standard fair fare) is available from centrally located vendors and a secondary area of vendors offers products from local craftspeople. At the center of the festival is a hug campground where people mingle, play music together, and share cocktails (no one has to drive home!). A vibrant Kidsfest area keeps the little ones happy all day long. The festival also has a robust recycling and composting program, as well as a strong commitment to social and environmental issues.

'The Peckville House' as it's known around these parts is a must-see if you're in the area! It's…read morekinda mind-blowing! It was featured on ABC's 'Great American Light Fight' and one can certainly see why! It's actually two houses that decided to decorate together! There's not one inch left untouched! You can usually walk through the yard to the back where there's even more lawn decor, towering trees, and Santa and his reindeer flying overhead! This year it was closed but you can still take a drive around back! Don't forget to look to your right also! There you will find a Halloween display! So fun! This is definitely worth the trip if you're within 30 mins. It's close to Montage Mountain if you happen to be in the area skiing or tubing. It also goes hand in hand with many other holiday attractions in the neighborhood! You can certainly just drive by if getting out isn't your thing. There is a photo booth picture op but I think taking photos in front of the house is better. Fantastic! Such a treat to the community! It's so touching to witness the energy and work that goes into making others happy during this time...of year and in life in general. Photos DO NOT do this place justice! It's massive!

The Spiedie Fest... more nostalgia than anything. I hadn't been to the Spiedie Fest since before…read morethey moved it to Endicott and moved it back to Otsiningo Park. The location is wonderful; I love Otsiningo Park and truly believe it's one of the best parks I've been to. But, I guess I've been living in California too long, because I was surprised that the fest was dry! That's a Cali Sin! Not to be confused with the ever-delicious, Cali Zin. It's like "come on." No beer or wine at all! But there are lots of different vendors: food, drinks (soda and lemonade), and crafts. There's also some games and activities like rock-climbing and rides. We made one round, I got some henna, and we left. As we were leaving for the city, the balloon rally started. That's probably the best part. This is definitely a family friendly event... a sober one!

chicken spiedies + hot air balloons = win…read more I try to plan my trips back to Binghamton during the summer so I can attend this! After an entire year of being deprived from delicious chicken spiedies, the spiedie fest is a time for me to gorge on spiedies to last me until the next time I'm back. Stuff yourselves with delicious food then sit back and watch the hot air balloons set up and take off. Parking can be hard to find. I usually try to park around Roosevelt Elementary and walk over. I'm sure the local residents love it when you do this. It's amazing to see how much it's grown since the 90's. Lots of fun and entertainment for the entire family.