For parents of rising high school seniors, summer and the fall are the seasons for college tours. It’s an exciting and scary time for all, but with some advance planning college tours can turn into family vacations.
My family and I took off for Central New York to visit SUNY Cortland and Ithaca College (you can also visit Cornell University in Ithaca) and paired it with two hotel stays and regional touring that took the focus and pressure off the college tour, and integrated quality family time and fun. Both locations are an approximate four-and-half-hour drive from New York City and 30 minutes from each other, so it made perfect sense to pair them together.
First Stop: Hope Lake Lodge, Cortland
A four-season resort, Hope Lake Lodge & Waterpark is a “green” hotel on Hope Lake in the Virgil Valley. It is across the street from Greek Peak Mountain Resort, and Greek Peak Adventure Center that boasts a seasonal aerial challenge course and year-round zip lining tour. It is also connected to an indoor water park. The family-friendly condominium-style suites feature fully equipped kitchens, fireplaces, and balconies.
Your first step into the timber-framed lodge’s lobby with cathedral ceiling and large fireplace lets you know you’re not in the city anymore with its lodge-like rustic décor. The large lobby is also where you’ll find the Acorn Grill, which provides excellent food at reasonable prices including a nice breakfast buffet. Kids will love the 41,000-square-foot Cascades Indoor Waterpark (plus arcade) connected to the hotel. It boasts more than 500 feet of slides, a wave pool, and an indoor-outdoor heated pool and hot tub. The hotel also has a children’s activities center for ages four to 12 for supervised camp fun. Outdoors, the Adventure Center is the place for the whole family to try the Mountain Coaster, a ropes course, and zip line tour with four zip lines.
Greek Peak Mountain Resort age requirements vary for the Adventure Center fun. If traveling in the winter, Greek Peak has 33 trails, six aerial lifts, two surface lifts, beginners’ slope, three Terrain Parks, including a Progression Park, as well as full service Nordic Center with cross country and snowshoe trails. When you’re done, head to the Hope Lake Lodge’s spa to soothe all the muscles you worked during your adventures.
Second Stop: La Tourelle, Ithaca
The two-story Yellow Barn Suite at the family-owned La Tourelle Hotel made our entire trip to Ithaca. Literally located in La Tourelle’s historic yellow barn steps from the main hotel, it is a private space filled with fascinating detail. A three-story atrium living room boasts a gas fireplace, private bar, TV projection system and DVD, large dining table, and small kitchenette. It features three bedrooms, the master on the first floor and two accessible via spiral staircase upstairs. There are two full bathrooms downstairs and a shared powder room upstairs.
The resort also has family-friendly rooms within the main house. Spring brings glamping to La Tourelle with a new luxury campground – Ithaca by Firelight Camps open from May through October. It features more than a dozen luxury sleeping tents with king and queen beds and private deck, plus a lobby tent providing continental breakfast and nightly beverage service and s’mores. The property also has its own spa designed for pampering. A nightly complimentary wine tasting (with kid-friendly beverages available) takes place in La Tourelle’s welcoming small lobby of the main house. The 70 acres of grounds include gazebos, a lake with geese (and newly hatched baby geese while we were there), and the hotel’s own Buttermilk Trail that connects with Buttermilk Falls State Park trail system.
The John Thomas Steakhouse is located on-site in the 1880s farmhouse for fine dining for dinner. Off the lobby, The Bistro, open for breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch, features locally grown and raised meats, dairy and produce, and fresh herbs and produce from its own gardens in a small and welcoming space. It is the ideal spot to fuel up before heading out to explore Ithaca. The newly revamped Ithaca Commons is a downtown four-block pedestrian mall lined with shops and restaurants. It is also the site of special events if you time your visit right.
Ithaca has more than 150 waterfalls within 10 square miles During our stay, we visited two of its closest natural treasures. It’s a short walk from the parking area near Ithaca Falls to see what is touted as the region’s most powerful falls, dropping 150 feet. It can also be viewed from the bridge over Lake Street. There are easy to moderate hiking trails that offer views of the towering 215-foot Taughannock Falls within Taughannock Falls State Park. Trails range from .75 to 1.5 miles.
Stacey Zable is an award-winning veteran travel writer and family travel expert. Her favorite trips are those that she shares with her husband and two daughters. For more on Stacey, visit her website at stace
