Spanning the 375-acre Empire Expo Center, the Great New York State Fair attracts approximately one million visitors annually, and is the third largest state fair in the United States. The 12-day festival begins at the end of August and ends on Labor Day each year. In addition to rides, games and food, the fair also boasts a circus, petting zoo, strolling performers and daily parades. Visitors can also peruse numerous health, agricultural and arts and crafts exhibits. Entertainment is in no short supply with nightly concerts and several agricultural, culinary and art competitions, including the butter and cheese sculpture competition.

The little fort dating from 1522 has been restored and is worth a visit, though the most remarkable aspect is still its view of Marmaris. The museum hosts various artifacts from antiquity and several Medieval cannons.

Designed by internationally famed architect I.M. Pei, the building houses approximately 11,000 pieces of American art, including paintings, ceramics, sculpture, photos and videos. With a focus on local and regional art, the museum's permanent collection includes its widely-recognized ceramics collection built upon its acquisition of several pieces by Syracuse art potter Adelaide Alsop Robineau in 1916. It is also the home to one of the nation's earliest and largest collections of art videos from the 1960s and 1970s.