Things to do in Syracuse
Canal history, proper BBQ, and cocktail bars the tourists miss.
This is a Syracuse trip built around the things people who live here actually do: a slow morning at the Erie Canal Museum, lunch at Dinosaur BBQ, a good steak when the moment calls for it. It suits someone who wants to move at a comfortable pace, spend money where it counts, and skip anything that feels like it was designed for a visitor.
Day 1: Downtown and the Canal
Start with MOST and the Erie Canal Museum before a proper BBQ lunch, then a splurge dinner at Eden and a well-made cocktail at The York.
- 9:30 AM
Museum of Science and Technology
Hands-on science museum in Armory Square with a planetarium and a domed IMAX theatre.
Map - 11:00 AM
Collegetown Bagels
Bagel shop on Marshall Street by the university; a bagel sandwich and a coffee to go.
Map - 11:45 AM
Erie Canal Museum
Walk the original Erie Canal lock right downtown, a genuinely surprising piece of local history.
Map - 1:15 PM
Dinosaur BBQ
Dinosaur BBQ is a Syracuse institution, get the pulled pork and a side of mac for a proper local lunch.
Map - 7:30 PM
Eden
Top-rated steakhouse a block away, the one splurge of the day, and worth every cent for a memorable dinner.
Map - 9:30 PM
The York
The York is the go-to Downtown cocktail bar, low-key, well-made drinks, an easy walk back.
Map
Day 2: Lake, Everson, Armory Square
Onondaga Lake Park's shoreline in the morning, chicken and waffles at Funk 'n Waffles, the Everson and Clinton Square, then dinner at Pastabilities and a drink at The Evergreen.
- 10:00 AM
Onondaga Lake Park
Walk the paved shoreline trail along the lake; in autumn the trees turn and the paths are quiet.
Map - 12:30 PM
- 2:00 PM
Everson Museum of Art
I.M. Pei's 1968 concrete museum, known for its American ceramics. Open Wednesday to Sunday.
Map - 4:00 PM
Clinton Square
Downtown square on the old Erie Canal bed, with the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at its centre.
Map - 7:00 PM
Pastabilities
Armory Square Italian; start with hot tomato oil and bread, then the riggies. Book well ahead.
Map - 9:00 PM
Day 3: Eastwood Deli to Erie Boulevard
Pick up a sandwich at Brooklyn Pickle, walk off lunch at Thornden Park, then finish the trip with Italian at Delmonico's and a nightcap at Tully's.
- 11:00 AM
Brooklyn Pickle East
Iconic Eastwood deli, browse the counter, grab a pickle, see why locals line up here.
Map - 2:30 PM
Thornden Park
Big hilltop park by the university with a rose garden and an old amphitheatre; free to wander.
Map - 4:30 PM
Marshall Square Mall
Small student mall on Marshall Street for Syracuse University gear and a coffee.
Map - 7:30 PM
Delmonico's Syracuse
Regional Italian steakhouse on Erie Boulevard; big plates of red-sauce classics and steaks.
Map - 9:15 PM
Tully's Good Times Erie Blvd.
Tully's Good Times right on Erie Blvd, a proper local bar for a nightcap cocktail, nothing pretentious.
Map
Make Syracuse your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Neapolis Archaeological Park: a few days ahead
- Teatro dei Pupi: a few days ahead
- Teatro Greco: weeks ahead
- Cavagrande del Cassibile: a few days ahead
- Rifugio Sapienza: a few days ahead
- Noto: a few days ahead
Skip these
- The Ortigia ZTL limited traffic zone fines drivers months later via rental companies. Do not drive in unless your hotel registered your plate.
- Piazza Duomo cafe terraces for a full meal. Pay for coffee and the view, eat dinner two streets away.
- Lungomare waterfront restaurants with photo menus and touts are the island's weakest kitchens.
- Archimedes Tomb and Tecnoparco style minor attractions are thin filler. A day trip only visit is the commonest mistake.
The full Syracuse travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around