Hidden Escapes in Central New York

Green Lakes! New York State Fair!! Skaneateles and Otisco Lake!!!

Three fabulous experiences that kicked off my senior year.

1. Green Lakes State Park: Fayetteville, NY

My one roommate, Sarah, and I love to run around the trail that outlines the glacial lakes known as Green Lakes. Running around the largest lake ends up being just under a two mile run. But if you add in the smaller lake, known as Round Lake, the run turns into about a three mile run. The scenery is gorgeous. When I run I completely forget I am running because I become consumed by my surroundings.

The water looks like a pond of blue Kool-Aid. You know what would be a better description of the color of the lake...the color of the blue raspberry fruit by the foot snack! The lake is intermixed with greens and blues of multiple shades, and the green trees that outline the lake further accentuate the incredible colors of the lake. Green Lakes and Round lake are known as meromictic lakes, which means the different layers of the water do not intermix. Because of this characteristic, distinct layers of color can clearly be seen.

2. New York State Fair: Syracuse, NY

The fair for the entire state of New York is located in Syracuse. This was the first time I went to the state fair. It was just what I thought it was going to be like except it was a lot bigger than I imagined. Hundreds of cows were lined up. We saw: chickens, alpacas, sea lions, a butter sculpture, a man playing more than 10 instruments and much much more...

But the best part of the fair was of course the food!

Let me clarify that....the FRIED food. We had deep fried oreos and deep fried reese's cups. Followed by a wine slushy. The state fair was the first time I have ever heard about wine slushies, and they were delicious. I also tried a barbeque pulled pork sandwich. And finally, four of us girls split a bag full of sugar and cinnamon donuts. I am pretty positive I didn't leave anything out!

3. Two of the Five Finger Lakes: Skaneateles and Otisco

The drive down 81-S to the Finger Lakes is an adventure in itself. The landscape of Central New York makes a car ride so much more enjoyable. My roommate and I could not wait to pull over to take a picture.

We went to a cabin that was situated on Otisco Lake. There was a dock right on the water and you could see almost the entire lake and its surroundings. It was beautiful.

After we stared into the distance for quite a long time, we went to a community fair.

A firework finale is always an incredible way to end a night...

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I love being outdoors. I love hiking. And I love exploring. The more I get away from Syracuse University the more I realize how much of a bubble the campus is. Syracuse University sits on top of a pristine hill with a capsule surrounding it. I do love the university, but sometimes you just need to get away and explore your surroundings.  I plan on continuing to explore what Central New York has to offer!