Family Weekend
October 25 – 27, 2024
We hope to see you at Family Weekend! Join us for a full slate of awesome activities to connect with your student, explore our campus, and experience the beauty of fall!
Helpful Information
Campus map
Area lodging
Local dining
Accessibility Accommodations
Please indicate any need for accessibility accommodations by sending an
email to students@esf.edu and we will make sure you’re all set.
Beth's Bounty Donations
ESF’s Food Pantry serves students in need throughout the year and relies on contributions from the ESF community. Please consider dropping off your donation at the Family Weekend registration table.
Items that are especially helpful:
Lentils and grains
Canned proteins — beans, meats, tuna, and chicken
Snacks
Canned vegetables, fruit, chiles, soups, tomato/pasta sauce
Menstrual Products and Toiletries
Schedule of Events
Family Weekend Check-In
8:45 – 10:30 a.m.
Gateway Welcome Center Concourse | Check-in at our table to receive your ESF Family Weekend t-shirt, and to meet the
Division of Student Affairs staff. Coffee will be provided.
President’s Welcome Address
9:30 – 10 a.m.
Gateway Center | Join us for a Welcome Address to Family Weekend from SUNY ESF President Joannie Mahoney.
Student Life Resource Fair
8:45 – 10:30 a.m.
Gateway Center | Visit tables to learn about different offices and resources, ask questions, and discover
the great things that are happening at ESF.
ESF Crafters & Club Fair
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
TBD | Come check out and shop with some of our amazingly talented crafters! Student clubs
will also be leading demonstrations and highlighting some of their work.
Family Caricatures Time
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Gateway Concourse | Come get a fun drawing of you and your family to commemorate Parent and Family Weekend!
Family Photos
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Gateway Center & on the Quad | Grab your family and snap a selfie in front of our backdrop — props available for
some fun shots!
Timber Sports Meet
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tully Field Station |Come watch the timber sports team compete!
Tie-Dye Your Family Weekend T-Shirt
10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
ESF Quad Tent | We will provide materials to help you participate in a long-standing ESF tradition,
to tie-dye your family weekend t-shirt! Make sure that you grab your shirt during
check-in.
Food Trucks
11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
ESF Quad | Enjoy Syracuse area Food Trucks with your family on the Quad and eat under our tent.
*Costs associated are not included in the Family Weekend registration fee. *
Tours and Shows
10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Birds of Prey Show | Marshall Auditorium
Come face-to-face with some exotic birds of prey and learn about the Page Wildlife
Center!
Hoverter Historical Walk | Meet Outside of Bray Hall
Join Kevin Reynolds (ESF Hoverter College Archives volunteer) as he leads you on a historical walk around campus.
Tour of the Roosevelt Wildlife Collections | Lower Level of the Gateway Center
Join Rebecca Rundell, Associate Professor and Head Curator of the Roosevelt Wildlife
Collections, as she takes you through the College’s fascinating collection of wildlife.
*Limited to 10 people at a time
Tour of the Pollinator Gardens | Meet at the Gateway Center
Join Molly Jacobson, Pollinator Ecologist and Co-Chair of the Bee Campus USA program,
to learn what SUNY ESF is doing to benefit our native pollinators.
ESF Pancake Breakfast
9:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Gateway Center | Join us for a pancake breakfast featuring ESF’s very own maple syrup! Fill up on
pancakes, sausage, juice, and coffee, and paint a pumpkin.
Get Your Gear
Visit the ESF College Bookstore for the latest Mighty Oak gear.
We’re giving our families 10% off their purchase! Shop for all things ESF: sweatshirts, T-shirts, mugs, maple syrup, books, and so much more.
Open 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday.
Featured Activities
Build your own adventure in the Syracuse Area
Costs associated with these activities are not included in the Parent and Family Weekend fee. Advance ticket purchase may be required.
Friday, October 25th
Syracuse Crunch Hockey Game 7 p.m.
Upstate Medical Arena (515 Montgomery St., Syracuse, N.Y. 13202)
Come watch the local Syracuse hockey team compete against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Syracuse University Open Ice Skating 9 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Tennity Ice Skating Pavillion (511 Skytop Rd., Syracuse, N.Y. 13244)
ESF Students can skate for free! Tickets for parents are $8 for entry and $4 for skate rental. *You must bring your SUNY ESF ID*
Saturday, October 26th
Syracuse Men’s Basketball Exhibition Game vs Clarion University – Time TBD
JMA Wireless Dome (900 Irving Ave, Syracuse, NY 13244)
Come watch the Syracuse Men’s Basketball team play an exhibition game vs Clarion University!
Sunday, October 27th
Jazz Jam 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Funk n’ Waffles (313 S Clinton St. Syracuse, NY)
Come to a classic Syracuse dining spot and listen to local jazz performers. There’s no cover and it is listed as an all-ages event.
All Weekend Activities
Les Misérables
Landmark Theatre (362 S. Salina St. Syracuse, NY 13202)
Cameron Mackintosh presents the acclaimed production of Boublil and Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables. This brilliant staging has taken the world by storm and has been hailed as “a reborn dream of a production” (Visit Syracuse).
Zoo Boo
Rosamond Gifford Zoo (1 Conservation Place Syracuse, NY 13204)
Join us for a "kooky-not-spooky" daytime Halloween celebration. The zoo transforms into a hauntingly fun destination for the whole family with trick-or-treat stations, creepy crawly animal encounters, keeper chats, games, activities, photo ops and costume parades!
Dial M For Murder
Syracuse Stage Complex (820 East Genesee Street Syracuse, NY 13210)
Adapted from Frederick Knott’s original made famous by Alfred Hitchcock’s film, Jeffrey Hatcher’s taut adaptation keeps the twists coming until the very end.
DIY Candle Experience – Make your own custom fragrance!
CAMP Candle Bar (191 Walton St. Syracuse, NY 13202)
CAMP is your one – stop destination for all your candle needs! A retail shop that allows customers to design and create their own custom candles with our variety of seasonal scents, curated jars, and accessories.
Fright Nights
1 Lepage Place Syracuse, NY 13206
With five haunted adventures to choose from, harrowing surprises await every kind of thrill-seeker, even the hardiest horror fans will want to sleep with a light on.
Other places to check out!
Indulge in the culinary diversity of Syracuse at the Salt City Market.
484 S. Salina Street
Try innovative and diverse food offerings at Syracuse’s newest and fastest growing food market.
Pick apples and sample cider at America’s Best Orchard, Beak & Skiff.
2708 Lords Hill Road (Rt 80)
Named the #1 apple orchard in the nation! Stop by to pick your own apples, enjoy some baked goods, or pick up some goodies.
Last Pick Your Own wagon goes out at 5 p.m.
Connect community and inspiration at The Everson Museum of Art.
401 Harrison St, Syracuse, NY 13202
The Everson Museum of Art in Downtown Syracuse, New York, is a major Central New York museum focusing on American art.
Get your fill of fall at Tim's Pumpkin Patch.
2901 Rose Hill Rd, Marietta, NY 13110
Tim's Pumpkin Patch is owned by Tim and Erica Leubner and their 3 daughters. They are a pick-your own pumpkin farm with a lot of awesome fun farm activities for the entire family
Get tickets for your family today!
Please enter the total number of tickets needed, and then enter each attendee's name and t-shirt size.
Students need a ticket to participate.
Reach out to students@esf.edu with any questions.