Discover Hornell

If you’re looking for a hotel in Hornell, you can plan your stay around local themes: the pedestrian-friendly downtown, the Hornell Public Library and its Carnegie history, or the parks and trails. Main Street, the library, and the parks offer concrete ways to choose between the townscape, architectural history, and outdoor activities. This can help you first decide which focus should shape your trip.

Downtown and Carnegie History

Downtown Hornell is pedestrian-friendly and stretches along a broad Main Street lined with notable historic buildings. This combination of a broad main street and historic architecture gives the downtown a clear architectural focus. If you also pay attention to the townscape during your trip, you can treat downtown Hornell as a distinct part of your stay. Here, the street and historic buildings take center stage, while the parks offer different attractions.

The Hornell Public Library brings its own focus on architectural and cultural history. It is one of the 750 historic Carnegie libraries still standing in the United States; 1,689 Carnegie libraries were built there in total. These figures give the library a nationwide historical context. Its architectural history also includes the acceptance of architect Edward Lippincott Tilton’s plans for the library. For those interested in cultural history, Hornell brings together a nationwide library story and a specific design history.

Parks and Trails

Union Square Park is a pedestrian park in Hornell that can be used year-round. Its amphitheater can host concerts and events. This means the park’s year-round pedestrian area and the possibility of holding an event beneath the amphitheater are both features to consider. If you’re planning your trip around a particular concert or event, check the date in advance.

Veterans Memorial Park has a marked loop trail for walking and jogging. At Michael Fucci Memorial Park at Shawmut, a 0.5-mile illuminated trail loops around the pond. The park also has an accessible fishing pier and a skate park. The parks therefore offer different recreational features: Veterans Memorial Park focuses on its loop trail and walking and jogging, while Michael Fucci Memorial Park at Shawmut also has the pond trail, fishing pier, and skate park.

The Shawmut hiking and biking trail officially opened in July 2017. It is 1.8 miles long and runs from Shawmut Park along the railroad tracks to Webbs Crossing. Its route differs from the trail at Michael Fucci Memorial Park at Shawmut, which loops around a pond. The lengths also provide a clear comparison: 1.8 miles on the Shawmut hiking and biking trail versus 0.5 miles around the pond. This lets you choose between a longer route with named endpoints and a shorter, illuminated park trail when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Wayland, Corning, Painted Post, Cohocton, Hammondsport.

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