Manhattan has fought for its reputation and tons of reasons keep visitors coming back, but there is more to do in the state and outside of the concrete confines of the city. You can have it all. Mingle in the city and let the mountain air tingle your senses.

Triphammer Falls

Don your Cornell sweatshirt and head to Ithaca, New York to feast your eyes on the waterfalls at this mountainesque locale. Get an education and an eyeful of the 55-foot drop. This is a major feature but there’s more to see on campus. If you’re not a sports fan, you can spend the afternoon on foot, patrolling the scenery.

Bannerman Castle

A successful businessman needed a place to stash added inventory, so he chose to build a castle on an island off the Hudson. Unfortunately, explosions, dilapidation, and time has left the castle seeing better days, yet it’s totally accessible by boat or kayak from the city.

Newark Museum

The Newark Museum is a short ride from your Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel by Marriott. See modern pieces by local artists and exhibits from sculptors, painters, and multi-media craftsmen from all over the world.

Whiteface Mountain

It’s not even a quarter of a mile long, so the steps don’t make much of a walking trail, yet the view is what keeps people coming back to this site. Hopefully, you’ll choose a day with low hanging clouds, and if you get the angle just right, you can take a selfie up in the clouds.

Sodus Bay Lighthouse

You’ll want to see the water while you’re away from the city. The history of the lighthouse dates back to the 1820s. It was restored to serve sailors and now it’s a museum for the curious. Sodus Bay has quaint nearby shops and places to stay overnight, yet the lighthouse is something you don’t want to overlook.

Boldt Castle

At the turn of the century, George Boldt had aspirations to build a six-story castle on Heart Island. It was never fully completed or furnished, yet the architectural feat sits there off the St. Lawrence River for all to enjoy. It serves as the official point of entry into the US from Canada.

Mushroom House

This unique structure rests in Pittsford. Built in the early 1970’s, it looks like oversized mushrooms set in the woods. It’s almost 4,200 feet and available to rent. The 4,200 square foot house consists of four interjoining ‘pods’ and it’s available to rent.

Chimney Bluffs

It seems as if you’re in another dimension as you traverse the four miles of Western New York soil. Huge walls of jagged mud cliffs present a landscape unseen anywhere else in the state. The park was formed after years of erosion to the land.

Castle Rock

This is a vantage point well above sea level. Take a sweeping view of the state from 700 feet up and catch a unique view of nearby Blue Mountain Lake. Here, you have reasonable access to the city, the mountains, lakes, and nothing more to ask for.