As a SUNY Bing student, you should take the time to explore Binghamton! I myself was born and raised in this area, so I like to think I have a good grasp on all that it has to offer! From restaurants to shops, these are 20 of the best places to visit around Binghamton!
No shock here, I’ll start off with food. Little Venice is a family owned Italian restaurant in downtown Binghamton. Personally, it is my all time favorite place for any kind of Italian dish. They have homemade spaghetti, lasagna, manicotti, fettuccine alfredo, and I really could go on and on. It’s relatively inexpensive and so family-friendly, you’ll never want to leave. So if you really love Italian food, Little Venice is the place to go.
If you’re here in Binghamton, how could you not visit America’s 5th Zoo? I’ll be honest, you may not be too overwhelmed with the amount of animals Ross Park offers, but it’s still one of my favorite places to go. They have an Amur Leopard, a Red Panda, Golden lion Tamarins, African Penguins, Otters and so much more! On a side note they seem to have a lot goats, so if you’re into goats?? It’s a really fun atmosphere to just walk around and take it all in.
If you’re going to come here to live in Binghamton, you need to do the Carousel Circuit. Binghamton is the “Carousel Capital of the World”, and there are five different carousels that you can hop on. The best part is that they are all free to ride. There’s one located in almost every park, like Highland Park, Rec Park and there’s even one in the zoo that I mentioned before! Make sure that you keep the card from each of the carousels. On your last one, you can hand them all in and get a free button. WOO FREE STUFF! Not the most exciting, but it’s a historic part of our town.
Another popular restaurant in Bing is the Lost Dog Cafe. It’s one of the cutest cafes decorated with hanging lights and has a laid back jazzy feel. Lost Dog Cafe is definitely a fun atmosphere to be in and their Rigatoni Ala Vodka is to die for.
Just down the road on the Vestal Parkway is a nice collection of stores and restaurants. It provides a huge convenience for everyone at Binghamton. Plus it has plenty of food options like Taco Bell, TGI Fridays and UNO’s. It’s great place to get some shopping done, get a little lunch, and maybe catch a movie at AMC theaters.
The Science Center might not sound too exciting when you hear/read it, but trust me this is one cool place. It’s also not just a Science Center. It offers other fun exhibits like the region’s largest public model train display and the Roberson Museum. But what really makes this a place to visit is its Home for the Holidays event during Christmas time. Hundreds of beautifully decorated trees are placed throughout the venue accompanied by holiday traditions and cultures from all around the world. It’s such a magical atmosphere during the holidays, and if you love Christmas as much as I do, then I would make it a priority to go every year!
Some of the greatest Thai food I have ever had is here. It’s pretty new and located on Front St in Binghamton. There’s this beautiful outdoor seating area that looks out on to the river. And at night, it’s decorated with string lights. It’s really a great place to eat yummy food and relax.
Alright now this place isn’t technically in Binghamton, but it’s located in Harpursville which is only 25 min away from campus. Now some of you may not know this, but Animal Adventure is home to the one and only, April the Giraffe. Yeah that’s right, the pregnant giraffe everyone watched online internationally. Here, you can feed her and her new baby Tajiri and see plenty of other animals. It’s adorable and I highly recommend it.
Apple Hills Cafe is a quaint little place to take your family for homemade breakfast and lunch, or tour the tiny gift shops. But most importantly, they have several produce fields to choose from to pick your own fruit. Blueberries, strawberries and cherries are a few popular fruits people pick. Plus they have dozens of varieties of apples to choose from, hence “Apple Hills”.
This is the destination for fresh donuts and apple cider. It only opens for a few months during the fall season and their treats are to die for. Their cider takes the cake and you absolutely have to try it. You even get to take a tour of the mill and watch as fresh apples are turned into delicious cider. The mini pumpkin patch is perfect for picking out cute pumpkins for your fall dorm decor!
Another thing that Binghamton is famous for would have to be the Spiedie sandwiches. They’re defined as marinated cubes of meat (either chicken, pork or lamb etc) placed on a soft sub roll. This sandwich is so famous in Binghamton, we even have a festival named for it, “the Spiedie Fest”. Well-known musicians and celebrities come for performances and meet & greets. Tons of vendors set up in little booths scattered throughout the park. The annual balloon lift off takes place every morning and evening during the fest (weather permitting). Dozens of hot air balloons take off from Otsiningo Park, and they can all be seen throughout Broome County as they float in different directions. The celebration ends with a big fireworks show!
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies, formally known as the Binghamton Mets, play here at NYSEG from April to September. The stadium was just updated and who doesn’t love a good baseball game? Well maybe some people, but there’s great food and a great time. AND there’s a small chance Tim Tebow may make his way upstate and become a Rumblepony himself.
Located in the University Plaza, just down the road from campus, is Insomnia Cookies. Now you can visit this place of course, go inside and order fresh, warm cookies up until 3 o’clock in the morning. BUT the best part is that they DELIVER. And rumor has it that BU is the store’s top priority. So if you’ve got a hankering for delicious cookies at 1:45 AM, they’ll bring them to you as soon as possible.
For those who are unfamiliar with Wegmans, get ready, because it’s amazing. It’s like the perfect grocery store. They have a variety of different foods and drinks to choose from, there’s a candy isle, an organic section, gluten free, I mean the store’s motto is literally: “Helping families live healthier, better lives through food.” Who wouldn’t want to shop from them? And not only that, they have a Market Café where you can choose something hot and fresh to sit down and eat right then and there like subs, pizza, Asian cuisine, sushi, fried chicken, a salad bar and so much more. Needless to say, it’s A1.
This place is located right on campus, and it’s just a beautiful nature trail that anyone is welcome to travel. There are more than 10 trails for you to choose from, but my piece of advice would be to make sure you wear the appropriate clothing and check any animals you bring with you, because there are ticks, so listen to Harrison Ford down here.
Most people probably already know about Bubble tea. It’s that drink where you pick a flavor of either regular tea, an ice slush or a blizzard, and then add little tapioca balls to it. It’s right next to the campus on Bunn Hill, and is always packed with people getting drinks and snacks. A bonus is that it offers free wifi.
The BEST bagels I have ever had. They have a variety of bagels to choose from, plus a dozen different cream cheese flavors. Not only that, they serve breakfast sandwiches, home fries, paninis and omelettes. It’s on Main St in Binghamton and let me tell you, once you go here, you won’t want to get bagels anywhere else.
Chuckster’s has plenty of fun activities for your family or just a group of your friends to enjoy. There’s mini golf with the “world’s longest hole”, zip-lining, rock climbing and fun trampoline games. If you continue down the Vestal Parkway you’ll get there, it’s a ways down, but it’s super fun and a must-visit.
This one is mainly for the winter season, but everyone is still here at that time. The SUNY Broome Ice Center holds open skates for anyone who wants to get on the ice. It’s cheap and fun, even if you’re not the best skater. They have food and an arcade which makes it even better. This is just a good place to enjoy with friends! Maybe even push each other over.
If you like Mexican food, this is where you’ll want to go. Sure there’s a Moe’s and a Chipotle down the road, but this authentic Mexican restaurant is right across the street from campus on the East side. It has so many kinds of dishes like enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, you name it. And they have the fun Mexican sodas with tons of different flavors. Definitely a top lunch/dinner choice.
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