Many restaurants, nightclubs and shops are within walking distance of campus on "the hill" near Marshall Street and also in downtown Syracuse in and around Armory Square.

Also nearby are:

• Three large shopping malls with movie theater complexes
• The Onondaga County Civic Center (home of the Syracuse Opera and Syracuse Symphony Orchestra)
• Everson Museum of Art
• Museum of Science and Technology (which houses a domed IMAX movie theatre)
• Syracuse Stage
• Syracuse University's Carrier Dome
• Onondaga County War Memorial (home of the Syracuse Crunch hockey team)
• OnCenter convention center

A short drive will take you to the Zoo at Burnet Park, which has one of the world's most successful elephant breeding programs, the New York State Fair which attracts national musical acts and nearly one million visitors each August, and P&C Stadium, home of the Syracuse Skychiefs baseball team. Syracuse University has well-known NCAA Division I-A teams in football, basketball, lacrosse, and other sports, with many of the teams playing in the Carrier Dome. Golfing at one of the 40 public courses and wine tasting at one of many local wineries are also popular activities in and around Syracuse.

Each June, Syracuse hosts the week-long Syracuse Jazz Fest, billed as the "largest and best free jazz festival in the Northeast." Concerts are scheduled throughout downtown, both indoors and out. In July, music dominates downtown once again with the annual New York State Blues Festival.

Syracuse is surrounded by beautiful countryside and farmland. Numerous parks, mountains and lakes offer countless opportunities for boating, fishing, golfing, hiking, hunting, skating, skiing and swimming.

The Finger Lakes, Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands are all within an hour's drive of Syracuse. A bit further, you will find the Adirondack Mountains and the major winter recreation areas of New York state, Vermont and New Hampshire. Located in the very center of New York State, Syracuse is just half a day's drive from New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto and Montreal.

Central New York is a haven for enthusiasts of winter as well as summer sports. Downhill and cross-country ski areas are within easy driving distance. Skating, tobogganing, dogsledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, ice boating and other cold weather activities are also popular.

Syracuse houses major air, rail and bus terminals and is the junction of the New York State Thruway and Interstate 81, which connects Pennsylvania and Canada. Boston, New York City and Atlantic Ocean resorts are only hours away. Centro provides bus, shuttle and parking services for the greater Syracuse area. Check their site for schedules and routes.

Click here to obtain a City Report about Syracuse from Realtor.com.

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