Ithaca to Buffalo road trip guide: Distance, drive time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Ithaca to Buffalo drive are Seneca Falls, Canandaigua and Six Flags Darien Lake. The distance from Ithaca to Buffalo by car is 152 miles, with a 2h40m driving time.
Finding things to do between Ithaca and Buffalo
An Ithaca to Buffalo road trip through New York State takes you from the home of Cornell University to Lake Erie.
One of the most attractive bases in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, Ithaca is home to Cornell University. The Herbert F Johnson Museum of Art pulls together art from multiple global traditions, and the Cornell Botanic Gardens are notably beautiful. That’s partly because they’re based around Beebe Lake, which leads to a series of waterfalls. Of these, Ithaca Falls is the most impressive.
Other Ithaca experiences include farmers market tours, guided winery hops and app-based adventures around Cornell.
Buffalo is often written off as the gateway to Niagara Falls, but there’s more to the city than that. Cultural highlights include Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House, the Buffalo Museum of Science and the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
The waterside Buffalo Harbor State Park, meanwhile, offers paddleboard and kayak rentals plus a beach and playgrounds.
Good experiences in Buffalo include Best of Buffalo double decker bus tours, a history of chicken wings food tour and the Theodore Roosevelt Inauguration National Historic Site.
For excellent places to stay in Buffalo, try the historic landmark Richardson Hotel or the charming Hotel at the Lafayette.
Ithaca to Buffalo distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Ithaca to Buffalo is 152 miles. That makes for a driving time of two hours and 40 minutes. The quickest route goes along NY-89, NY-96 and the I-90.
The best stops on an Ithaca to Buffalo road trip itinerary are Seneca Falls, Canandaigua and Six Flags Darien Lake.
Ithaca to Buffalo road trip attractions: Seneca Falls
The small town of Seneca Fallas is known as the Birthplace of Women’s Rights. In 1848, a convention was held here to discuss the rights of women, and a movement spread from there.
The Wesleyan Chapel where the convention was held is now part of the Women’s Rights National Historic Park. Several other buildings linked to the convention and resultant declaration are inside the park and open to visitors.
Nearby is the National Women’s Hall of Fame, which celebrates the feats of great American women, from Abigail Adams to Oprah Winfrey.
Film fans, meanwhile, can head to the It’s A Wonderful Life Museum. Frank Capra supposedly used Seneca Falls as the inspiration for the fictional town of Bedford Falls.
Best stops between Ithaca and Buffalo: Canandaigua
Canandaigua is at the top of Canandaigua Lake, and is home to the Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum. This handsome mansion was home to the longest-serving Postmaster General of the United States. You need to take a guided tour to go inside and see the horse-drawn carriage collection.
Fans of glorious mansions can also visit the Sonnenburg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Site, although it’s the perfectly primped formal gardens that are the highlight here.
You can also enjoy Lake Canandaigua wine tours, beer tours that hop between local craft breweries and sunset cruises on the lake.
Ithaca to Buffalo road drive: Six Flags Darien Lake
No-one is going to pretend Six Flags Darien Lake is the high point of the Six Flags amusement park empire. But it’s still a pretty good theme park.
Just south of the town of Corfu, NY, Six Flags Darien Lake also has a water park. It’s the rollercoasters that most visitors, will come for, however. Tantrum has a 97 degree drop, the Viper was the first coaster in the world to have five inversions and the Ride Of Steel climbs 208ft high, travelling at speeds of up to 72 miles per hour.
More Buffalo road trips
Albany NY to Buffalo | Buffalo to Atlanta | Boston to Buffalo | Chicago to Buffalo | Cincinnati to Buffalo | Cleveland to Buffalo | Columbus to Buffalo | Dallas to Buffalo | Detroit to Buffalo | Buffalo to Fort Lauderdale | Houston to Buffalo | Nashville to Buffalo | Buffalo to Pittsburgh | Rochester to Buffalo | Syracuse to Buffalo | Buffalo to Tampa.