2 Best Shopping in Ithaca, The Finger Lakes

Ithaca Commons, the historic center of Ithaca, is a pedestrian mall with specialty book and clothing stores as well as dozens of restaurants. Sculptures and gardens give the former motorway some texture and provide an inviting backdrop for festivals and itinerant musicians.

The open-air Ithaca Farmer's Market is perhaps Ithaca's hottest ticket on a weekend morning. Artwork, food, plants, and flowers, all local, fill the 80-plus stalls. The market is open seasonally. Weekends (May–October, Saturday 9–3, Sunday 10–3; April, Saturday 9–3; November and December, Sat. 10–3) are at Steamboat Landing, off Route 13, a mile north of downtown. A Tuesday market (May–October, 9–2) is held at Dewitt Park, at Cayuga and Buffalo streets.