Precise Paving

Visiting Sainte Marie Among the Iroquois is like watching a history book come to life. Be transported back to the 1600s when the local Iroquois tribe invited the French to build a mission on the banks of Onondaga Lake. The site is now a living history museum that features an interpretive center with actors in period costumes who talk about what their lives are like at the mission in 1650. They also demonstrate daily activities of the time that include carpentry, blacksmithing, cooking and more.

A face can portray many emotions. That concept is stretched to great effect at the Museum of International Masks and Puppets. The Open Hand Theater is located in a newly renovated castle in the heart of Syracuse, and this proves to be the perfect setting in which to hear about the various cultures, stories and personalities that come alive thanks to the artistry of puppetry. As critics have echoed, Puppet Theater is ridiculous yet sublime!

Fans of all different tastes convene in Syracuse to treat their taste buds to a truly unforgettable experience with the Taste of Syracuse. This is the largest downtown festival in Central New York as it draws over 150,000 people who are searching for something with which to please their palate. This is a two day event that features great live entertainment, a family zone that the kids will love, and of course, some of the best food from local, area and national restaurants and food vendors. This tasteful confab is scheduled every year in the early summer.

Nature and history intertwine to create something special at the Camillus Erie Canal Park. This 300-acre park is located between Albany and Buffalo, at the midpoint of the Erie Canal. The expansive area features seven miles of trails that are used for hiking, mountain biking or horseback riding in the warmer months of the year and snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in the winter. Also, don't miss the chance to stop into Sim's Store Museum which is a replica of an actual canal-side store that can be found in the center of the park.