Trip 2: Ithaca/Cornell

Date: Thursday, July 16, 2026

Events/Locations:

• Tour Cornell Botanic Gardens
• Lunch Buffet at the Statler Inn on the Cornell campus 
• Tour the Herbert F. Johnson Art Museum
• Quick stop at the overlook at Taughannock Falls State Park

$140 for members and guests

**New guest registration info this year: If you are bringing a guest, you will have to purchase their trip tickets using your OLLI Registration portal account and settle payment reimbursement with them.**

After you register, open the registration confirmation email you will receive, then click on the link within the email to fill out the questionnaire specific to this trip.

Some walking and standing is involved. Dress for the weather — rain or shine. Wear comfortable walking shoes. If you need a cane or walker, please bring one and use it. Don’t forget your camera. This trip is NOT wheelchair accessible.

Join us Thursday July 16 on a trip to beautiful Ithaca New York.

Our first stop will feature a bus tour of the Arboretum at Cornell Botanic Gardens, featuring the trees and gardens that are part of the Arboretum. This beautiful 100-acre arboretum holds nine collections of trees and also includes many specialty gardens. Time will be given for you to walk through the various gardens near the visitor center. Then the bus will take us to the Statler Hotel for a buffet lunch. It will include Assorted Bagged Chips and Pretzels, Matzo Ball and Vegetable Soup, Shredded Kale with Granola, Strawberries, Classic Potato Salad, Chopped Broccoli Salad. The main entrees will feature Roasted Turkey Multigrain Bread, Pastrami and Swiss on Rye, Open-Face Smoked Salmon Bagel, Vegan Chickpea Salad Wrap, Chicken Salad Lettuce Wrap. The desserts include Cheesecake Brownies and Fruit Salad with Agave Nectar and Mint.

After lunch, we will explore the artwork and panoramic views of the Finger Lakes from the award winning I.M. Pei designed Johnson Museum of Art on the Cornell University campus. The Museum’s collection includes Frank Lloyd Wright windows and more than 40,000 other works in the permanent collection, which spans six millennia and encompasses art from most world cultures. The building’s unique design appeared on the cover of Scientific American as an early example of computer graphics. 

On the return trip to Rochester, we will make a short stop at Taughannock Falls where we will view the 215 feet falls as it plunges into the gorge below.

REGISTER FOR THE LECTURE

On Tuesday, July 14 at 10 a.m. all members are invited to a free lecture with two speakers. The first speakers will be Chris Manaseri, a founding member of Pittsford Fine Art, Bill Finewood, a retired illustration professor from RIT and member of the nonprofit gallery’s Board of Directors, and Jerry Alonzo, one of the gallery’s newest members will discuss the gallery and its seven-year history in the Rochester suburb, including their insights into the local art scene.  They will share their experiences in art eduction, professional illustration, in addition to their experiences with fellow shareholders in Pittsford Fine Art. 

The second speaker will be Bob Beabout, a Master Gardener with Cornell Cooperative Extension. This talk will present an introduction to the life and accomplishments of Frederick Law Olmsted, pioneer of the modern urban park. We will first explore the history of urban parks, then move to the early life of Olmsted, leading to the creation of Central Park. Also covered are the major projects of Olmsted and the Olmsted firm, and the Rochester (now Monroe County) Park System, partially designed by Olmsted.