West End Tour with Swamp City Community Cycles

Step into the stories of Ithaca’s West End, where waterways, rail lines, runways, and roads once pulsed with innovation and movement. This 90-minute guided walk explores the city’s transformation from a hub of canal boats and steamboats to the birthplace of Tommy planes, the home of the third electric streetcar system in New York State, and the scene of one of the most notorious traffic tangles in local memory: the “Octopus.” Along the way, we’ll visit historic sites connected to aviation pioneers, bustling boatyards, long-gone trolley lines, and grand passenger trains.

This event is in collaboration with the Swamp City Community Cycles, a community bike shop provided by BikeWalk Tompkins. The shop has been recently renamed in honor of the great swamp where we live, work, and ride. Drop-in before your tour at 803 Cascadilla St (facing the waterfront trail).

This one mile route is designed for adults, students, locals, and visitors who want a deeper connection to Ithaca’s layered history of getting from here to there. Please wear walking shoes and appropriate outdoor attire. 

START: 5:30 pm at 124 Brindley Street, Ithaca 14850

RAIN DATE: MARCH 26th In case of rain, registrants will be notified by noon, March 19, of the rescheduled event