Start from 42 curated places around Binghamton, NY, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Lupo's S&S Char Pit
The standard-bearer for spiedies in the tri-city area, operating out of Endicott for decades with a marinade recipe that has become the local benchmark. The menu is short and focused — spiedies come on a roll from the charcoal pit, and that is essentially the whole point. Lunch here is a rite of passage for anyone visiting the Southern Tier.
Spiedie and Rib Pit
A Southern Tier institution doing spiedies, ribs and char-grilled fare in a casual roadside setting that has been feeding the area for over two decades. The spiedie gourmet toppings — buffalo, Greek, Caesar-style — give it a different flavor from the more traditional spots. A crowd favorite with good reason.
Trails & outdoors
Otsiningo Park Riverwalk
A long flat riverside path following the Chenango River north from the city through a broad flood-plain park, with views across the water to wooded hills. It is the most accessible and popular trail in the metro area, good for walking, running and cycling. In spring the wildflower meadows along the edges are particularly good.
Cheri A. Lindsey Park Riverside Trail
A riverside trail following the Chenango through downtown and into the Lindsey Park greenway, offering city views and a calmer alternative to the park paths. It connects well to the Otsiningo Riverwalk for a longer combined route. An underutilized urban trail with good scenery.
Things to do
Visions Veterans Memorial Arena
The region's main indoor arena, hosting Binghamton Black Bears hockey, concerts and other large events downtown. The Black Bears play in the Federal Prospects Hockey League, and their games are a lively, affordable night out in a mid-sized arena where no seat is far from the ice. A reliable evening out on a winter weekend.
Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Mirabito Stadium
The Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets plays on the Chenango River at a classic minor-league park with good sight lines and a relaxed family atmosphere. Summer games here are a genuine local tradition and the stadium experience is comfortable. One of the better small-city ballparks in the Northeast.
Landmarks & sights
Recreation Park Carousel
One of six antique carousels scattered across the Greater Binghamton area, all donated by shoe magnate George F. Johnson and free to ride since the day they opened. This one sits at the heart of Recreation Park on the South Side, a hand-carved Stein and Goldstein machine with jumping horses and ornate rounding boards. The whole carousel circuit is worth doing; collect a card at each one.
C. Fred Johnson Park Carousel
Sitting in a wooded Johnson City park, this Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel is among the most beautifully decorated of the six in the area. The park itself is a large green space with ballfields and walking paths, making it an easy half-day stop. A quiet spot on a weekday morning.