The games and rides are pretty rough. Rides are rickety and games have cheap prizes. The food…read morevendors were good. The people who were selling things almost all were selling Confederate paraphenalia. If you are like me and think that flag not only represents the greatest traitorous rebellion in our Nation's history, not to mention that out definitely represents white supremacy and the torture of millions of human beings, then these flags being sold is probably not going to sit well with you. Also, not really any interesting events. Overall, won't be back. I'll go to Tioga or just the state fair.

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.

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!

A great stop for families and adults. There's a museum component which shows you the inner workings…read moreof an old mill, as well as a pond around back with different ducks, chickens and other animals. There's a market with farm fresh goods, including some of the best cider (including adult versions) I've ever had and a killer cider slushy. They have different snack options, mainly fruits, baked good and desserts in the market, as well as more traditional lunch options. Everything was tasty and reasonably priced. We enjoyed our orders on the back deck, outside and under some shade. I'd recommend this as an afternoon diversion if you're in the area, or looking for something that multiple people in a group can enjoy.

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.

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!

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).

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!

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

Haven't been to it in a while; it seems to have improved since Covid is more or less over…read more They were vintners, distillers, and brewers from all over New York State, with small samples of their wears. It helps to be mindful of how much you're actually sampling. Inside the buildings are; vendors with a variety of sauces, jerky's, handicrafts, and other items.

Had tons of wine tasting and of course food! We were able to see some canine companions as well! A…read morelot of fashion seller, candles and so much more!! Brought a tons of seasoning, wine and balsamic home!! The dog treat was a hit! The best one we had was lobster roll from lobster and more which is a must try for $25. Some flowers are also outdoors which you can pick and choose from price ranges from $3-$5.

Probably the BEST music festival! There seems to be a festival someplace event week these days but…read morethe Taste Of Country is GREAT. A wonderful list of artists. Helpful staff to take care of all our needs. Then you have the location. Everything was well planned and made sure everyone had a great time. Thank You to all who worked to make this a friendly fun filled event.

If you love country music, you are doing yourself a serious disservice if you don't go to this…read morefestival. Although this year (2015) was only its third, the nascent festival surpassed all expectations. I am a huge country music fan (Tennessee born and bred) and went this year for the first time, along with my husband and 24 yo niece. We rented an RV (another first) and drove from Maryland to Hunter Mountain, NY. From the word go, the entire experience was amazing. We purchased Outlaw VIP tix with Premium RV camping, which allowed us to stay on site in our RV. The Outlaw tix gave us front row access to the stage for all shows, access to the VIP tents, etc. My husband and I made some amazing friends while hanging out in the VIP tents and will be meeting up with them again at the festival next year. Our niece loved the front row access to the concerts, but also liked that she could escape the sun, grab some food and drinks in the tents, and watch the show with us every so often. The food vendors were great, especially those from local businesses. Festival staff were amazing. HUGE kudos to those that produce this festival. Specifically, I would like to thank Steve, Paul, Kaitie, Pam, Jess and all the others such as the VIP tent servers (tent 2) that made this experience absolutely fabulous. We even purchased our tickets for next year before we left. In talking with my husband, we agree that this festival/trip rates as one of our all-time top vacations, which says it all considering we have traveled the globe extensively. The relaxed atmosphere, great music, good food, and super service resulted in a truly stress-free escape that we really needed. I have only one suggestion for next year: availability of water bottles and soda bottles in the VIP tents all three days would be super. They were available on the third day, which was great, and would love that availability throughout the festival.