Ithaca at a Glance
Location: In the Finger Lakes region of central New York
Access: Ithaca Tompkins International Airport; OurBus; and Cornell’s Campus-to-Campus bus service
Hotel Rooms: Over 560 hotel rooms downtown, over 1,500 hotel rooms in Tompkins County
Contact Info:
Visit Ithaca
607-273-7482
visitithaca.com
Ithaca Downtown Conference Center
Built: 2024
Exhibit Space: 15,000 square feet of combined meeting space
Other Meeting Spaces: 10,000 square foot ballroom and 12 breakout rooms
Meeting Hotels
Hotel Ithaca
Guest Rooms: 171
Meeting Space: 6,400 square feet
The Statler Hotel at Cornell University
Guest Rooms: 153
Meeting Space: 16,000 square feet
Who’s Meeting in Ithaca
New York Association of School Psychologists
Attendees: 400
New York State Ornithological Association
Attendees: 250
Museum Association of New York
Attendees: 500
Situated on the southern end of Cayuga Lake — the longest of New York’s 11 Finger Lakes — Ithaca is an ideal destination for meeting planners. Only about four hours from New York City and Toronto, three hours from Niagara Falls, two hours from Rochester and four hours from Philadelphia, its location is especially convenient for East Coast attendees. Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport provides nonstop service to New York City and Washington, D.C. The city and surrounding area offer superb outdoor recreational opportunities, along with a vibrant arts and culture scene that’s afforded by Cornell University and Ithaca College, originally founded as the Ithaca Conservatory of Music.
Destination Highlights
Taking its name from the Greek island of Ithaca in Homer’s “Odyssey,” the city was named America’s Best Town to Visit in 2025 by CNN. The lands were home to the Cayuga Nation (part of the Iroquois Confederacy of Native American tribes) before being settled in the late 1700s by Revolutionary War soldiers who had been awarded land grants for their military service. World-renowned Cornell University was founded in 1865, and its outstanding faculty and famous alumni give planners the opportunity to recruit powerhouse speakers.
“We say that we’re where great minds meet the great outdoors,” said Erin Rafalowski, director of marketing for the Ithaca/Tompkins County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Some people have heard our slogan ‘Ithaca is Gorges,’ and we really are. There are four or five waterfalls within walking distance of downtown.”
More than 150 glacially carved waterfalls are within 10 miles of the city. Taughannock Falls, 10 miles away, is the largest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains, plunging 215 feet down from dramatic cliffs that tower nearly 400 feet above the gorge.
“You’ll also find a lot of arts and culture for a small city, with influence from a lot of different cultures and things from different people who have studied here,” Rafalowski said. “We also have a strong history of agriculture, and our farmers market has received a lot of recognition over the years. In order to be a vendor, items must be made or grown within 30 miles. We have a lot of well-established organic farms and a lot of mindfulness around the quality of life in general.”
Major Meeting Spaces
The Ithaca Downtown Conference Center is the first fully electric conference center in the United States. Opened in 2024, it features 15,000 square feet of flexible event space and was built with sustainability at the forefront. Attendees will find water bottle refill stations, floor-to-ceiling windows with abundant natural light and a catering menu with plenty of plant-based options. The center is in Ithaca’s vibrant downtown, near shops, restaurants and attractions. It partners with four hotels, offering more than 500 overnight guest rooms within a two-block radius.
“[The center] is located right next to an independent art house movie theater,” Rafalowski said. “So you get a modern conference experience and then have all this arts and culture and great access to nature, right downtown.”
In the heart of its beautiful campus, Cornell University’s ILR Conference Center offers an outdoor courtyard, ergonomic seating and nine state-of-the-art meeting rooms, along with an amphitheater that seats 32 people.
At Ithaca Marriott Downtown on the Commons, planners will find three venues with 2,300 square feet of event space, along with free Wi-Fi, A/V equipment and access to a full-service business center.
Distinctive Venues
The historic State Theatre of Ithaca was built in 1915 as an auto garage and Studebaker showroom before becoming a theater and vaudeville palace in 1928. The beautifully restored venue boasts elements of Moorish and Renaissance Revival styles. Popular for breakout sessions, the theater has a seating capacity of 1,600 as well as a magnificent lobby.
On Cornell’s campus, the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art offers striking spaces for private events, including a sculpture court, a dramatic two-story, glass-enclosed main lobby and a sixth floor that delivers sweeping views of Cayuga Lake.
Housed in an 1851 Greek Revival structure and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts boasts a soaring auditorium with a 30-foot ceiling, balcony and stage, as well as a multipurpose classroom and arts studio.
Next to Buttermilk Falls State Park, La Tourelle Hotel & Spa is set in a beautiful natural setting and offers 1,600 square feet of meeting space with an adjoining outdoor breakout space.
After the Meeting
After time spent inside in meetings, attendees will discover abundant restaurants, specialty shops and charming architecture while wandering on Ithaca Commons, the city’s pedestrian mall. While there, visitors should be sure to stroll the Sagan Planet Walk. Named after famed Cornell University astronomer Carl Sagan, the three-quarter-mile walk is a scale model of our solar system. Close to downtown and near Stewart Park, the 150-foot-high Ithaca Falls is where Fall Creek cascades into Cayuga Lake. An easy trail leads to the bridge over Lake Street, which offers the best view of the falls. The Cornell Botanic Gardens and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have group tours offering accessible outdoor experiences, while a walking tour of downtown’s colorful murals is a great way to soak up some of the city’s vibrant culture.
The Finger Lakes region is home to some fine vintages — particularly Rieslings and sparkling wines. Groups can check out wineries and tasting rooms along the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, the oldest and longest-running wine trail in America. Treleaven Wines offers a variety of flexible packages for large groups, including a hands-on tour explaining the winery’s grape-to-glass process, as well a wine tasting underneath its timber-framed pavilion. The region also has a strong cider culture. South Hill Cider can accommodate groups of up to 200 with private events in its tasting room, patio or in tents at the upper or lower orchards — all with great views.
