181. Jazz Fest

More Jazz, please!

Woohoo!

The 31st annual Jazz Fest is next weekend, July 4, 5 & 6th. What a great way to celebrate my favorite holiday! Heading to the Jazz Fest at Jamesville Beach!

Jazz Fest is awesome, it’s really unique. They bring in tons of local and national acts, this year’s big ticket is The Doobie Brothers (!!!!)

This is a fantastic way to spend the 4th of July holiday weekend, especially if you’re currently sitting around wondering, “what the heck am I going to do next weekend?!” This is it guys!

You can bring a cooler, some chairs, a blanket…or you can buy all your food & drinks at the Jazz fest from some of the vendors they’ll have there. You’ll be able to enjoy some live jazz music, catch up with friends, and peruse the various local artisans at the festival.

This is free to attend!! (Parking is not free though…)\

Tip: Bring some cash, there’s no free parking around.

location: Jamesville Beach

180. Film Under the Stars

Alongside Flicks on the Crick, there’s also a series presented by the Everson Museum throughout the months of July & August.

Film Under the Stars is an event held outside at the Everson Museum of Art.  A movie is projected onto the side of the building. Pretty spectacular.

First of all, this is awesome.

Second of all, you can never have enough outdoor activities.

Once the snow is gone and the rain has subsided, Syracuse comes alive. We do everything we can to do as much as we can outdoors before we get stuck back inside.

The first screening was Wednesday –so we’ve missed it…but for the rest of July, and through August the movies are outside on Friday evenings. How awesome is this? How great to be able to enjoy a movie outdoors before headed to dinner in Armory Square, or even before! Dinner & a movie. This is a great great event!

The movie line-up is fantastic. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of my all-time favorite flicks, and you can absolutely guarantee I will be there. Who wants to come with me?! Did I mention this is free?!

Friday July 12: Breakfast At Tiffany’s
Friday July 26: Toy Story
Friday August 15: The Blob

Like the Everson Museum on facebook, in case of rain they will update from there!

Tip: Bring lawn chairs and blankets and food with you to enjoy during the movies!

179. Oakwood Ghostwalk

I’ve got a confession to make…and don’t judge me. I totally believe in ghosts.

When I learned about the Oakwood Cemetery Ghostwalk I felt a chill…but not the scared chill, the intense excitement chill…one of those chills you get when your favorite team wins the Superbowl, or your favorite song comes on the radio.

Oakwood itself is creepy. It’s old. Built in 1859, it is home to some of the most famous Syracusians.

So, imagine the excitement when the Onondaga Historical Association announced they’d be offering ghost tours in June of this historic plot.

You get a chance to walk through the cemetery, learn about the lives of some of the most infamous people buried there and spend the evening connecting with Syracuse, past and present.

Tours are this Friday (June 28th) and Saturday (June 29th) starting at 6pm and going every 15 minutes, they leave from the Oakwood chapel off of East Colvin St. Tickets are $10 for members and $12 for non-members

Tip: For more information and reservations please call Karen at 428 1864 x 312.   RESERVATIONS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED.

location: Oakwood Cemetary Chapel

178. Flicks on the Crick

This is one of my favorite things to do all summer long! I’m so excited for it!

Flicks on the Crick is a simple event, they’re movies displayed on the side of The Sound Garden building…right along the creekwalk. This is a really great collaborative effort done by both The Sound Garden and the City of Syracuse to bring people together.

Plus there’s something really fun about watching movies outside.

Also, one of the perks to this is that it’s free!

They’re every Wednesday downtown during July & August. All that you’ve got to do is show up with a chair and some snacks and you’ll be set to watch some really great movies!

Movies they’re featuring this summer are
July 10th: Looper
July 17: TED
July 24: The Dark Knight
July 31: Flight
August 7: 21 Jump Street
August 14: Skyfall
August 21: Pitch Perfect
August 28: The Avengers

You can guarantee I’ll be going to see a few of these movies, especially 21 Jump Street and Pitch Perfect!

With Wednesdays on Walton and Flicks on the Crick, downtown Syracuse’s #1 night will definitely be Wednesdays.
Tip: Like Flicks On the Crick on facebook to learn more about the movies and events they’ll be holding throughout the summer!

location: The Sound Garden, Armory Square

177. Dewitt Concerts In The Park

Whether you live closer to Liverpool or Baldwinsville, Downtown or Dewitt there will be a summer concert series just for you this summer.

The Town of Dewitt has their own Concerts in the Park series starting July 11th. Each Thursday through the months of July & August pack up the car and head to the park, because the music is going to be awesome.

They’re held at Ryder Park from 6:30-8:30 and they’re free of charge!

Concert lineup is a good one!

July 11: Stroke
July 18: Tom Gilbo & The Blue Suedes
July 25: Thunder Canyon Band
August 1: Dan Elliott & the Monterays
August 8: Maria DeSantis Band with Special Guests

Head down to Dewitt, Thursdays in July & August for some awesome entertainment! They’ll even have some concessions served by Applebees!

Tip: Bring some lawn chairs or blankets to spread out and enjoy the music!

Location: Ryder Park (across from the Dewitt Town Hall)

176. Tipp Hill Beer Fest

We’re a small city with a big appetite.

A big appetite for good food, for good music and most importantly…good beer.

When it comes to Beer Fests we’ve seen our fair share this year…and it is not over yet!

This Saturday from 5-10pm is the official Tipp Hill Beer Fest. It will feature local brews from Empire & Middle Ages but will also have national beers such as Brooklyn Brewery, Sam Adams and a personal favorite…Breckenridge Brewery.

There’s a lot to be excited about with this Beer Fest. It’s held in the Coleman’s Pavilion, which is taking on a name of it’s own as a hot spot to enjoy a drink during the summer months. Honestly, who doesn’t like drinking outside? There’s something special about being able to leave an establishment and drink outside that gets people really excited.

They’re going to have music from Coleman’s favorite’s like Mere Mortals and Dark Hollow too! This sounds like it’s going to be one heck of a time…

Tip: Buy your tickets before Saturday, they’ll be a little more expensive at the door. Tickets can be purchased at The Sound Garden, Coleman’s, Brillbecks or here. They’re $35 each.

location: Tipperary Square/Coleman’s Pavilion

175. Balloon Fest

Hot air balloons are fascinating…when you see them you’re mesmerized, whether they’re in the air or on the ground they’re breathtaking.

Has anyone ever been on a Hot Air Balloon Ride?

If you answered yes, that’s awesome! If you answered no, you should follow the directions below.

Make a reservation for a balloon ride.
They’re $165 per person, $190 for the evening rides…which are absolutely breathtaking…

That’s easy enough, right?

Balloon Fest is more than just hot air balloon rides though, there are going to be local vendors and musical acts throughout the day. This year’s big ticket concert is Eddie Money!

Tickets to the festival are $10 and parking is free at Jamesville Beach State Park. Gates open Friday from 4-8 and will be open Saturday & Sunday from 11am-the end of the last concert

If you have any questions about the balloon rides, it’s suggested you call 315-263-0385 for further details.

Tip: If you’re planning on attending bring some lawn chairs for relaxation during the live music!

location: 4100 Westshore Manor Road

174. Mother’s Cupboard

When it comes to the small ‘mom & pop’ diners, I feel like we’ve got the best selection. My friends who have never been to Syracuse are always asking about all these diners. “What do you mean you guys eat at diners?? I thought that was just in the movies.” No, no…this is real life.

Mothers Cupboard comes in on our list of brunches towards the top. Although I feel like they’re all basically tied for the top spots. But, this spot is unique. It is so small, so definitively hometown and so creatively Syracuse. So much so that they were on an episode of Man vs. Food

It’s small. There’s only about 3 seats, but that helps enhance the dining experience. You will not be disappointed by the meal, they’re all about the food at Mothers.

If its one of those mornings where you need a hot cup of coffee, some eggs and hash browns or if you wanted one of the best pancakes you’ve ever had…check out mothers cupboard. Hours are 6:30am-1:30pm daily…they’re strictly breakfast & lunch.

Tip: this place gets packed, especially on the weekends. Go early before the wait gets too long!

Location: 3709 James Street

173. Lemon Grass

When it comes to dining in Syracuse, you can’t go wrong. If you’re looking for some Irish Pub fare, bar food, italian, you name it…we’ve got quite the cuisine.

It’s important however to diversify the options. Many times I’ll find one restaurant I really like dining at and I’ll just go there until I get sick of it…which, doesn’t do much for my own food diversity…but I mean, the scallops at Francesca’s are just so good…

A restaurant that is not only diverse in cultural options (pacific rim thai, is their specialty…) but also guaranteed to top the list of your favorite restaurants in town is Lemon Grass. I recently had a chance to sit down, informally, with the assistant manager of Lemon Grass and listening to describe the food sold me on the spot. She talked about the freshness of the flavors, her favorite dish, the variety, the ambiance, the drink menu…

If you’re looking for one of those spots where you’ll be 100% satisfied with the atmosphere and the meal, to go to with a few girlfriends after a long week of working or to enjoy the nightlife in Syracuse before it get’s all wild & crazy on the weekends I suggest Lemon Grass.

They even have an incredible outdoor dining space too..and we all know how I feel about outdoor dining.

Tip: Reservations are strongly recommended.

location: 238 West Jefferson St

172. Papermill Island Summer Concert Series

So many music fests and series this summer, so little time!

From the Longbranch Jam, to Wednesday’s on Walton and more we have more than enough live music specials to satisfy our weekly needs!

This is so exciting! I love summer!

Papermill Island located in Baldwinsville at lock 24, it was redeveloped a few years ago and has been making strides to bring in big names to the small town. They’ve had Rusted Root perform (they’ll be at Longbranch Jam this weekend!) and even Bright Eyes.

Tuesday’s in B’ville are the place to be with live performances from local acts!

July 9th Primetime July 16th: Custom Taylor Band
July 23rd: Joe Whiting
July 30th: Dan Elliot & The Monteray’s
August 6: After FX
August 13: Family Movie Night

These are all free to the public & guaranteed to be a really fun time! Concerts start at 6:30pm. Parking is available on the surrounding streets and in the parking lot behind the B’ville Diner building.

Tip: Bring your own lawn chairs for concerts at Paper Mill Island

location: Paper Mill Island, Baldwinsville