If you’re looking for a cool place to take a day trip, Syracuse should be near the top of your list. Summer is a perfect time to visit the Salt City, especially for families. It’s an easy drive on the Thruway from everywhere in Western and Central New York, and I spent an entire day there recently.

Play and learn

My first stop was The Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology, or MOST as the locals call it. MOST is a hands-on science and technology museum located in historic Armory Square in downtown Syracuse. It has 35,000 square feet of interactive permanent and traveling exhibits, plus the state-of-the-art National Grid ExploraDome theatre. The theatre is a video planetarium with out-of-this-world surround sound and a gigantic screen that immerses your vision. The museum has over a dozen different zones to explore. Make your own skyscrapers, forts, and magnetic robots at Build, see animatronic dinosaurs at Dino Zone, shop at a farmers market at Grow, romp around a giant indoor five level playground at Science Playhouse, and discover how your body works at Life Sciences. AAA Members get a buy one, get one free discount on admission to the museum.

A world of lunch options

I could have spent all day here, but I was getting hungry. Armory Square is a very cool downtown neighborhood, filled with restaurants, bars, and shops. There’s a ton of great choices for lunch, and I picked Salt City Market, a large food hall featuring 10 independently-owned stalls with cuisine from around the world, a cafe and bar, and a grocery store. I love Jamaican food, so I got a delicious jerk chicken burrito from Erma’s Island. But you can’t go wrong with any of the terrific options throughout this international dining destination.

15 miles on the Erie Canal

After lunch, I took an easy walk to the Erie Canal Museum. This year is the 200th anniversary of the completion of the Canal, so it’s the perfect time to learn more about a critical part of New York State’s history. The Museum is housed in a historic weighlock, the only structure of its kind left in the United States. This building is where canal cargo was once weighed and is the Museum's most important artifact. The Museum shares two centuries worth of Erie Canal history through interactive displays, videos, original artifacts, re-creations of historic settings, and public programs. I even travelled back in time aboard a full size replica packet boat to see what it was like for 19th century canawlers and passengers to travel from Albany to Buffalo.

In the driver’s seat

Now that I’ve expanded my mind and filled my belly, it was time for an adrenaline rush.

I made the short drive to RPM Raceway at Destiny USA, the biggest mall in New York State. RPM is an indoor electric go-kart track, where you can race on multilevel tracks that feature spiraling ramps, sudden dips, drops, underpasses, and lightning-fast straights. The karts can reach speeds up to 45 miles per hour, so it really is like being in a Formula One race. After you’re done racing, you can challenge your gaming skills at some vintage arcade games located right next to the track. AAA Members receive $5 off a single race at RPM Raceway.

Let’s go Mets!

I love baseball, so of course I ended my day at a Syracuse Mets game at NBT Bank Stadium, which is just a mile away from Destiny USA. The stadium is one of the best minor league parks I’ve visited, and there’s no doubt who the parent club is. The whole place is awash in blue and orange, Mr. Met is on all the signs, and murals of Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza cover the sides of the second level. There’s not a bad seat in the house, and it was a perfect night for a ballgame. There are many different food choices, but I had to have a Coney from Hoffman’s (a Syracuse local favorite hot dog) and, of course, salt potatoes. Their Thursday specials are one of the best in the minors - 1 dollar sodas, 2 dollar hot dogs, and 3 dollar beers. 

Seeing baseball’s future stars on a beautiful summer evening was a great way to wrap up an eventful day in one of New York’s most interesting cities.

AAA Members can save even more by getting their game tickets at AAA Tickets.

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