Dear EscapeMakers — The crisp feeling of Fall is in the air in Ithaca, NY. You can feel the slight hint of it, even as the sunshine still plays on the leaves and lake. You can taste the Fall in the many local offerings tempting your taste buds. Fall is the season for freshly pressed cider and cider donuts. Grab some at the Ithaca Farmers Market, one of the most renowned farmers markets in the country. The Ithaca Farmers Market offers fresh foods from within a 60-mile radius of Ithaca and this waterfront market on the shores of Cayuga lake also offers prepared delicacies and wine and craft cider tastings to boot!
Plan a visit during Finger Lakes Cider Week to be fully immersed in the diverse and delicious options being created in the craft cider boom across New York State.
Interested in exploring the farms themselves? Find your cider donuts at Littletree Orchards or Indian Creek Farms. Taste the harvest at Finger Lakes Cider House as they press apples from the season, serving up their ciders along with a variety of other local craft ciders. Pair it with a local cheese from Lively Run Dairy just up the road, and enjoy a view of the changing colors along the shores of Cayuga Lake.
Celebrate fall with vendors at the 36th Annual Apple Harvest Festival on the Downtown Ithaca Commons Sept 28-30. Or maybe you think science, magic and fantasy go better with great local foods. If so, plan your visit later in October for Wizarding Weekend. You can take advantage of some great accommodation packages during the fall season as well!
Cider and apples certainly define the fall season in Ithaca and Tompkins County, however, we would be remiss if we left out their friends also experiencing a fall harvest – Pumpkins and grapes! Plan a family getaway to stock up on the best gourds to carve or paint or get a little more crafty and intricate at Gourdlandia and create your own lantern or night light. Pumpkins can even play their part in a competition sport at some fun events offered along the Cayuga Wine Trail this fall such as Pumpkin Chuckin’. Experience the true feeling of wine country as you watch local vintners crush grapes, at Experience the Crush and then come back and taste the fruits of their labor in November at events such as the Sparkling Wine & Dessert Wine Festival, Bon Vivant, and the 25th annual Holiday Shopping Spree!
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