“Ithaca Is Gorges,” the city’s motto says, and with 150 waterfalls within a 10-mile radius, it comes by its moniker honestly. A one-third-mile hike uphill — the Cascadilla Gorge Trail — was exhilarating not only because of the trek itself but also for the vastness and variety of six different freely flowing cascading waterfalls.
Tree canopies and small fairy-tale-like cottages characterize the entire town, and the fact that top-rated colleges are hidden among all the greenery is a surprising bonus. Ithaca is so compact that you can experience an unexpectedly large number of diverse activities within minutes of each other — from huge waterfalls to beautiful gardens to history museums and goat farms. And Cayuga Lake is almost always at your side….