By Margaret McCormick
Are you dreading the winter months?
If so, you’re not alone. It’s cold and dark. And it’s tempting to stay at home, swaddled in a blanket, watching TV, reading or crafting.
If you’re thinking how nice it would be to hibernate until spring, you wouldn’t be the first.
Don’t let the winter blues get you down. Beat them back by getting social with family and friends and planning fun activities.
Here are 10 ideas to help us, collectively, get through winter.
1
Follow the Syracuse Orange basketball teams
Football season is winding down. Are you ready for some basketball? Don’t wait until the madness of March to start following Syracuse University men’s and women’s hoops. Can’t get to the JMA Wireless Dome for home games? Grab a seat, a beverage and some food at a local bar or restaurant and watch the action on TV. Cheer on the Orangemen and Orangewomen and celebrate (or commiserate) with fellow fans. Basketball helps to make winter more enjoyable, even if our teams are having a bad day.
• Men’s basketball schedule: https://cuse.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
• Women’s basketball schedule: https://cuse.com/sports/womens-basketball/schedule
2
Dine on art at the Everson Museum of Art
There aren’t many museums where you can view art and dine on pieces of art from the museum’s collection of ceramics. Louise Cafe at the Everson is a first of its kind. Louise was created by museum director and CEO Elizabeth Dunbar and museum trustee Louise Rosenfield, who donated the more than 3,000 pieces in the museum’s Rosenfield Collection. They invited Danielle Mercuri Campolito, the CEO and creative force behind Rise N Shine Diner, to develop a menu that complements the art.
A visit to Louise is an interactive learning opportunity: Pieces used in the cafe are tagged. Diners can scan them with their smartphones and learn more about the functional art pieces and the artists who created them. The cafe is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. the third Thursday of the month.
• Louise Cafe: https://everson.org/louise/
• Everson Museum: https://everson.org
3
Chase frozen waterfalls
You might think the best time of year to visit waterfalls is spring or summer, when the sun is shining and temperatures are soaring. But have you ever seen a waterfall during winter? If you haven’t, you’re missing a craggy, icy, winter wonderland. And you don’t have to travel to the mighty Niagara Falls to experience such beauty. Grab your parka, lace up your hiking shoes and head to Salmon River Falls in Orwell, northern Oswego County. When the temperatures drop and ice forms, the 110-foot frozen waterfall is a must-visit destination. You might even see some ice climbers in action.
• https://dec.ny.gov/places/salmon-river-falls-unique-area
4
Ride an inflatable inner tube down a hill
Skiing and snowboarding require some skill. Snow tubing doesn’t. It’s like sledding but the ride is more cushioned and comfortable. Winter sports destinations noted for skiing and boarding have added tubing to their offerings. Ride to the top, take your choice of groomed tubing lanes and slide down the hill, twirling as you go. Popular snow tubing destinations include Four Seasons Golf and Ski Center, near Fayetteville; Greek Peak Mountain Resort, Cortland (Cortland County); the Snow Park at Maple Ridge Center, Lowville (Lewis County) and Woods Valley Ski Resort, Westernville (Oneida County). Maple Ridge Center bills itself as having the longest snow tubing runs in New York state.
5
Beat the winter blahs at special events
It’s not winter in Central New York without Syracuse Winterfest. The long-running event takes place Feb. 13 – 23, in and around downtown Syracuse and at the Inner Harbor. Popular events include fireworks, human sled dog races, a chili cookoff, chowder cook off, Wing Walk, Sandwich Stroll and Cosmopolitan, Margarita and Bloody Mary Mix-offs. Some events are ticketed, so be sure to visit the website.
Additionally, the Syracuse Winter Fair will return to the Expo Center at the NYS Fairgrounds Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. Bring the kids, get a taste of fried dough and other fair food off-season and ride Midway rides set up inside.
6
Get cooking — Italian style!
Vince’s Gourmet Imports in North Syracuse is a destination for olive oils, balsamic vinegars, pasta, sauces, prepared foods — pretty much all the ingredients for Italian meals made at home (except for the wine). The specialty store also offers cooking classes. Participants learn how to make pasta, sauces, soups, desserts, and regional Italian specialties — and take home the food or foods they prepare.
• vincesgourmet.com/cooking-classes/
7
Warm up at a wood-fired restaurant
There are plenty of places where you can eat, drink and get cozy in front of a fireplace this time of year. Eden, in Hanover Square in downtown Syracuse, takes that concept a step further: It’s an entirely wood-fired dining experience. That means your steak, seafood, poultry or pasta entrée is cooked over a wood fire. Eden sources much of its ingredients from Central New York and New York state farmers and producers. The menu changes often, according to what’s in season.
8
Take a walk at the mall
It’s easy to let our outdoor exercise routines slide in the winter, but regular exercise, including walking, can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, depression and other conditions. Get your steps in safely and out of the elements at Destiny USA in Syracuse. Lace up your sneakers or walking shoes and get moving. Walk one level or all four (for a total of three miles). The mall is open for walking each day starting at 7 a.m. Use the Carousel entrance.
9
Visit a winter farmers market
Farmers market season doesn’t end when there’s frost on the pumpkin, so to speak. Grab your reusable shopping bag and head out to a winter farmers market, where you’ll find local produce, locally raised meats, honey, maple syrup, baked goods, prepared foods and more.
There are several markets to choose from including (but not limited to) those highlighted below.
• Fayetteville Winter Farmers Market: This market takes root the first and third Thursday of the month inside Towne Center at Fayetteville (enter near L.L. Bean). November-April. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• www.facebook.com/@FayettevilleFarmersMarketCNY
• Winter Farmers Market at Baltimore Woods, Marcellus: Check off your shopping list then enjoy the indoor displays or hit the network of nature trails outside. The winter market runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the second Saturday of each month, November-April.
• www.facebook.com/winterfarmersmarketatbaltimorewoods
• Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now! Winter Market: The FAHNN! winter market opens for the season Saturday, Nov. 23 and continues the first and third Saturday of the month (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) through April 2025. FAHNN! is a Syracuse-based organization that advocates for access to healthy foods in our neighborhoods. The organization also offers a Wednesday evening market and workshop series (4 to 7:30 p.m.) with local speakers and a focus on education. The market is held at Valley Plaza on South Salina Street, next to Dollar General.
• www.facebook.com/fahnnsyracuse
• Cazenovia Winter Farmers Market: Shop local from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first and third Saturdays of the month, November to April, at American Legion Post 88, 26 Chenango St., Cazenovia.
• www.facebook.com/CazenoviaFarmersMarket
• CNY Regional Market: Don’t forget the CNY Regional Market, on Park Street in Syracuse, is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, year-round.
10
Visit the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park
About 60% of the zoo’s exhibits are indoors, but the outdoor zoo attracts visitors year-round and is home to many cold-weather species that are active throughout winter. These include snow leopards, red pandas, Amur leopard, Amur tigers, Bactrian camels, Andean bear, alpacas, gray wolves, red wolves, waterfowl and more. Inside, the Diversity of Birds exhibit is like an escape to the tropics, a rainforest atmosphere that houses more than two dozen species of colorful exotic birds in a “free flight’’ setting.