Birthplace of a science fiction icon and home to six historic carousels, Binghamton is one of the Triple Cities in New York’s Southern Tier. It's where a local spit-cooked, marinated meat delicacy known as Spiedies is so renowned that it's celebrated annually with fireworks and a hot air balloon rally; where visitors can plot out a brewery and distillery tour of the countryside or hike the Binghamton River Trail; and where, farther afield, state parks provide a peek into the area’s geography.
Rod Serling, creator of the television series "The Twilight Zone," is arguably Binghamton’s most famous son. The city celebrates this with a walk of stars featuring Serling, a bust at the high school he attended and an annual video festival featuring films by students. Stop by the Forum Theatre for the Performing Arts for an exhibit of photos, then see Recreation Park, featured in the fifth episode of the TV show. Serling’s boyhood home remains on Binghamton’s West Side. Download a map of Serling-related spots from the city’s convention and visitors bureau.
Exterminator, a racehorse who beat long odds in the 1918 Kentucky Derby, is buried in Binghamton beneath a monument to horses. A last-minute replacement for a horse that went lame, Exterminator ran in 99 races and earned what today would be more than $3 million. Next to the Binghamton baseball team’s stadium, the only remaining Marconi test tower in the country rises almost 100 feet into the sky. Built in 1913, the tower was used to test whether radio waves could be transmitted to moving trains.
Binghamton’s Discovery Center is a 22,500-square-foot interactive museum for children. Kids have plenty of opportunity to learn while they’re pretending to be pilots, artists or firefighters. Outside the museum, Blossom the Black Angus Bull is a fiberglass statue that once stood atop a steakhouse. She’s part of the Story Garden, an outdoor area with benches and gardens. In addition to the standard zoo experience, the Zoo at Ross Park promotes learning with hands-on exhibits like the Avian Adventure Table and Adaptation Station. The Discovery Center, Story Garden and zoo are all in Ross Park.
Binghamton is part of the Triple Cities area that includes Johnson City and Endicott. Traditions at the Glen, a resort in Johnson City, has a full-service spa and a golf course designed by John Van Kleek in 1937. West Endicott Park, next to the Endicott-Johnson Corporation’s campus, is home to one of the area’s historic carousels. Chenango Valley State Park, about 12 miles northeast of Binghamton, has two kettle lakes, formed during the last ice age. The park is used for sledding and cross-country skiing during the winter and camping and swimming in the summer.
