Hotel at a Glance: Crowne Plaza Syracuse

Inside this downtown Syracuse hotel, rooms are decorated in soothing shades of white and gray, which lend themselves to a peaceful night’s sleep. You’ll need your rest: the hotel is less than a mile from the bustling arts and sports scenes of Syracuse University and downtown Syracuse.

• Cheer for the Orange at the Carrier Dome, which is just a mile away.
• Drink craft cocktails on the house—this deal includes two drink vouchers (per stay).
• Enjoy city views along with elegant American food and an array of wines at the hotel’s restaurant.
• Catch a game and grab a beer in the newly renowated Library Lounge.
• Break a sweat in the fitness center, where you can use ellipticals, treadmills, balance balls, and other equipment.

Syracuse, New York: University City Along the Erie Canal

The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 ushered in a population boom in western New York, particularly for the small towns closest to the canal. The changes were perhaps most notable in Syracuse, where they culminated in the founding of Syracuse University in 1870 on the city’s most prominent hilltop. Today, University Hill is inhabited by some 20,000 students who spend their days in the school’s Romanesque buildings and their nights in the neighborhood’s vibrant bars and restaurants.

On the city’s west end, Burnet Park spans 88 acres, encompassing a golf course, a swimming pool, and the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. On a half-mile wildlife trail, you can journey past the zoo’s more than 700 animals—including lions, snow leopards, monkeys, and meerkats.

To learn more about the vital role Syracuse has played in the industrial health of the Northeast, check out the Erie Canal Museum. Near the city center, the Museum of Science and Technology features a number of hands-on exhibits—you can climb into the simulated cockpit of an F-16 jet, walk through a giant replica of the human heart, and dig for fossils in the Earth Science Discovery Cave.

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