Syracuse

Welcome to Syracuse! As the economic and educational hub of Central New York, Syracuse is the home of famed Syracuse University and is also the gateway to New York's beautiful Finger Lakes region, where an abundance of fine wineries and miles of pristine shoreline await. Meeting venues in Syracuse are plentiful and range from historic to cutting edge. The region's airport is Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR), five miles north of the city. It is well connected, with major U.S. cities served as far west as Denver and as far south as Fort Lauderdale. Direct flights to Toronto are also available. By ground transportation, Syracuse is close to interstates 81 and 90.

Convention venues in Syracuse begin with the Oncenter, the city's multi-block convention and events facility. Its more than 200,000 square feet of space includes the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center, with 95,000 square feet of exhibition space; 14 meeting rooms; three theaters, the largest seating 2,100, and the 7,000-seat War Memorial Arena.

Hotel venues in Syracuse include chain and independent hotels. The largest is the 315-room Marriott Syracuse Downtown with 34,500 square feet of function space. The 279-room Crowne Plaza Syracuse has 12,500 square feet of function space, while the 235-room Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center has 10,000 square feet of its own. Other fine choices include the 157-room Scholar Hotel Syracuse, with 8,000 square feet of flexible meeting space; 83-room Parkview Hotel, with two meeting rooms, and 60-suite Jefferson Clinton Hotel, with two small function rooms. The Courtyard & Residence Inn located in historic Armory Square boasts 180 rooms.

Outside the downtown area, the Holiday Inn Syracuse-Liverpool has 30,000 square feet of meeting space. Among other event venues, the Empire Expo Center is located at the Great New York State Fairgrounds. It has 300,000 square feet of function space, while another venue able to host large gatherings is the Carnegie Conference Center at Driver's Village in nearby Cicero. It has 12,000 square feet of meeting space and 100,000 square feet of exhibit space. Other spots in which to organize events include the Erie Canal Museum, which is inside the Weighlock Building, the only canal boat weigh station remaining in the U.S.; the Everson Museum of Art, which was designed by architect I.M. Pei, and the 3,000-seat Landmark Theatre, which recently completed a major renovation.

Destiny USA is the 6th-largest retail destination in the country and 2nd-most visited, according to Travel + Leisure Magazine. Destiny USA offers 250 brands to choose from including department stores, mall shops, luxury outlets, factory stores, dining and entertainment all under one roof. Dining venues in Syracuse include the original Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, which has 125 seats in its main room, 40 in its Willow Room, while other delicious downtown choices include Francesca's Cucina for Italian fare; the Mission Restaurant in the former Syracuse Wesleyan Methodist Church for pan-American cuisine; Kitty Hoynes for authentic Irish fare, and the celebrated Eden in Hanover Square, featuring wood-fired, local farm-to-table cuisine. You can also get a good sense of Syracuse's craft brew scene by visiting local downtown breweries (Middle Ages Brewing Company, Talking Cursive Brewing Company, Anything But Beer) and pubs with extensive selections (Blue Tusk, The York, The Evergreen).