This was the second year the Chinese lantern festival has been in Syracuse. This was my first time…read more Tickets are $16 at the door or $15.50 online. There are discounts for groups over 20 people. There are also senior discounts and children's prices. The event is best at night when the lights look prettiest. Inside the international building there's a show that takes place thrice a day. Come early to get seats. I loved the show. It included jugglers, hoop jumping, foot juggler, face changing act and a bowl balanced. I thoroughly thought the acrobats and entertainers were extremely talented and the show was entertaining from beginning to end. I had a wine slushee here that was $7 and was more like a wine snow cone. The ice wasn't blended with the liquid. They sold beer for $5, ice cream for $5 and flurries for $6 (like a McFlurry). Other food included gyros, baklava, Cajun fries and a few other options. My favorite lights display were the zodiac arches. Each arch was shaped like a zodiac animal and under the arch was a description of each sign as well as the years that correlated with it. Parking is free for this event. Overall the event was very fun but a little on the small side considering the price. I would still recommend that everyone check it out (and do not miss the show).

This ride and stop at Old Forge was a blast... My friend [the railroad buff] told a few of us…read moreabout this trip and the opportunity to ride an older RR to the beautiful old town of "Old Forge." For me it was going to be one big photo opportunity. It was fun from the moment we boarded until we arrived. We were guided through some of the stops with short history lessons. The dome car was amazing and really gave us a great view of the area we were traveling. At one point we went down to the old baggage car where we could stand by the open doors and look out. Not bad for taking pictures either. When we got to Thendara we boarded a bus for a five minute ride to Old Forge. While everyone in my group elected to go to lunch, I walked down to the lake then back to the train station taking pictures all the way. (I've posted all of them). It was about a mile and a half journey. There is some cool stuff by the station including an old speakeasy in the store across from the station house. I also walked over to the area (a temporary tent) where they are repainting an old locomotive. Throughout the whole trip up they gave us muffins, coffee, tea and other soft drinks in the morning and snacks and coffee, tea, water, etc.. On the way back they gave us a shrimp cocktail and a cheese plate. This was just so nice and the folks taking care of us were terrific. All in all, this was a really fun trip and I definately reccomed this as an overnighter. There are some really nice restaurnts in Utica. KUDOs to the team at Adirondack Scenic Railroad

Riding on the Easter Bunny express today. A young boy came in and promptly threw up in front of…read morethe ticket window. The poor woman with this group of children took him right outdoors. No one from the station helped them OR cleaned up the vomit!! The woman with the kids did her best to clean it up after coming in with the children. The vomit covered in paper towels was left to sit in front of the ticket window/door to board the train for everyone to avoid. Beyond unacceptable!

The fireworks were great but I wish they brought bck the laser We enjoyed the laser show last year…read moreand was looking forward to see it again this year plus we were happy to see the shuttle this yr but Very Upset that we had to wait over an hr to get on a shuttle bck to the race track that has discouraged us for coming bck next year

Always amazing fireworks! Lots of great music all across the festivities. The trolley (D bus) is…read morewell worth the 3 bucks for all you can ride. It especially came in handy this past weekend with the downpour. Wine court has lots of free samples. Don't forget to pick up a bottle and enjoy it with live music and fireworks show! I would like to see more food trucks to better support local businesses. Also, there were no recycling bins available and hope to see that improved for next year!

I attend Capitolfest at this theatre each year and always look forward to seeing the progress on…read morethe restoration of the building. It is an opulent space, and the presentations are top-notch with noteworthy speakers to introduce the films and high-quality musical accompaniment. The concession stand has delicious popcorn and regional drink options including Moxie. The fact that a theatre of this history and quality exists outside of a big city, and even moreso, the fact that it still regularly runs film is astounding and special.

Wonderful weekend attending Capitolfest 18! The restoration back to its 1939 glory days is…read morebeautiful. It was such a treat to see so many films in an old - fashioned movie palace!

For 2018 the Cheese Festival was held on Saturday, July 14. You might want to put a reminder on…read moreyour calendar in early July of any future year to get the date for that year's festival. The festival was 5 blocks long with over 60 tents set up by vendors. In addition to various craft cheeses there were condiments, baked goods, dairy products, wines, and some talented musical performers spread out over the blocks. Little Falls was once known as the Cheese Capital of the entire USA. The Little Falls Historical Society has outlined in the festival brochure a 3 stage Cheese History Trail that you can walk as you learn all about Little Falls' contribution to cheese making and its influence on the cost of cheese even as far away as Europe. I suggest you bring along a cooler with an ice pack or two to transport your purchases. The purchase opportunities here are delicious. Tip: Keep your brochure so you can remember to always look up these vendors to visit again as you travel throughout the Hudson/Mohawk valley, the Catskills, the Adirondacks, the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier.

We decided to stop here after doing the Rail Explorer tour. It was nice cute little shop and…read moreeatery, nothing too fancy. There was stuff for kids to do and ducks, goose and such to feed. The store had lots of their local items to purchase. I picked up a pumpkin mix, sweet vadalia onion dressing. My husband and I got wine slushies (strawberry bliss & apple raspberry both delicious). We went outside and grab lunch ( Ray's brother BBQ didn't open until 4p). My husband got Jamaica jerk chicken sandwich and I got the hot pot roast with horseradish sauce. We made it a meal and upgraded to mac n cheese, drink and slice pie of choice( apple or strawberry rhubarb). The food was surprisingly good, my husband enjoyed his sandwich and my pot roast was flavorful before I put the horseradish on it. The Mac n cheese was good, made with their Mill-Aged, Extra-Sharp NYS Cheddar. Overall it was a decent find, not too much in the area. The store is worth it to stop in.

This is a nice resting stop near Cooperstown for the taste of fall season. They have different…read morecider and pastries to choose from. The taste was decent. Next to the food area, there's kids playground, geese feeding, and shop with treats/apples to bring home or souvenirs. Just across the road, there's a large parking lot, but still fills up quickly on busy days

This year marked the 64th annual Polish Festival! I've gone to the Polish Festival twice so far. It…read moreis a 3-day festival that takes place in the summer in Clinton Square. They have live music, performances, awards (or scholarships that were given to high school students who also performed), Polish beer, pierogis, kielbasa, ice cream, face painting, hot dogs, shopping and much more. The first year I was here, I got pierogis. The 2nd year I came, I got a bunch of different desserts from Eva's European Sweets, ice cream, and pierogi. The ice cream didn't taste that great but but the other foods were good. It is a great outdoor event for families, kids and dogs. There are only ~6 food stands. I would love for there to be more. The festival itself is pretty small but I am guessing the Polish community here is also small. The crowd this year was smaller than last year's. I've never been to any other Polish festival before in any other town, so as far as I know, this one is great.

So I have decided to go through and review some of the festivals that we have here and Polish Fest…read moreis definitely on the list. So I am going to come right out and say that I was extremely disappointed this year when I went. I could almost rate it a 1 or 2 star. So here is the skinny on why I was so bummed. The food was just not what I expected. Now don't get me wrong, I love Eva's with a passion. They pretty much made this review a 3. What I was upset about was the utter lack of variety there. I remember there being Eva's, a pastry place that was meh, the fair style Philly cheesteak place, and maybe one more place. I honestly came here because I thought I would find a variety of delicious Polish food. I dragged my wife down there with the promise of a yummy cultural adventure. What we got was just Eva's. Again...love it there, but I don't need Polish fest to have them. We go there all the time. I wanted to see multiple restaurants/vendors/people selling delicious food and try new things. Instead we ate Eva's on a picnic table and watched dancing. I hope they improve this next year.

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!

After hearing ALL about these fried ribs, I had to find them among the many vendors at the fair!…read more And let me tell you...the hype was REAL! These ribs were full of flavor, tender, and NOT fried hard--just the right amount of crispiness. Definitely worth the search! Next year, I'll be back looking for these ribs because they're not based in Albany, NY. 10/10 -- I understand the hype now!

The NYS Fair Grounds with the amount of activities, gives anyone the opportunity to have a lot of…read morefun things new things to see and do each day. This year, I went two days and I still did not get to see/experience/taste everything there is to do. I'd consider getting a frequent fair goers pass in the future.