Discover Utica: Hotels for culture, parks, and leisure

Utica offers a variety of reasons to stay: leisure activities are a focus at Roscoe Conkling Park, while art, exhibitions, Broadway shows, and themed rail excursions are among the other options. This lets you plan around specific experiences rather than treating all the offerings as one combined itinerary.

Leisure at Roscoe Conkling Park

The Utica Zoo is located on the grounds of Roscoe Conkling Park and offers behind-the-scenes animal encounters. The park is also home to Valley View Municipal Golf Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones. The park also includes the South Woods Multi-use Trail System and Val Bialas Ski Area.

The park therefore offers a range of activities: animal encounters, golf, trails, and skiing. If you are planning your trip around this part of the park, you can first decide which of these offerings is most important to you.

Art and cultural themes

Art Odyssey at Munson lets children create an exhibition, draw, build, and read art books. The program therefore includes both hands-on creative activities and engaging with books. The Utica Children's Museum features more than 60 exhibits and experiences exploring the diverse cultures of the Mohawk Valley.

The two offerings have different focuses: Art Odyssey centers on creating, drawing, building, and reading, while cultural themes shape the exhibits and experiences at the Children's Museum. This distinction can help you decide more precisely what to focus on during a planned visit, without treating the two offerings as the same.

Studios, interactive exhibits, and Broadway

Sculpture Space engages the local community in Utica through open studios, pop-up exhibitions, and artist talks. At the NY Energy Zone, the offerings include a 3D film and interactive exhibits. Visitors can build power supply structures there or take on the role of a control room operator. The Stanley is a venue for Broadway shows in Utica.

The formats are clearly different: Sculpture Space focuses on studios, exhibitions, and talks; the NY Energy Zone offers interactive experiences and a film; and The Stanley presents Broadway shows. When planning, you can choose according to the focus you want—artistic exchange, an interactive topic, or stage entertainment.

Rail excursion and brewery tour

The Adirondack Railroad departs from historic Union Station in Utica for themed excursions. The Saranac Brewery VIP Tour has its own focus: it takes you behind the scenes and ends with a tasting of four different beers. The two experiences can be distinguished by theme—a rail excursion or a brewery tour—and need not be considered part of the same outing.

If you want to make a show, rail excursion, or tour part of your plans, check the respective schedules in advance. Utica's range of offerings provides several possible focuses, from leisure in the park to culture and excursions.

Discover more destinations: Whitesboro, Oriskany, New Hartford, Clinton, Verona, Sylvan Beach, Sherrill, Rome

For the overarching travel overview: Oneida.