Well they say this is a beach- okay it's central ny... a beach off of Oneida lake. It wouldn't be that bad if it weren't so crowded and dirty. The beach has so much trash and glass & bottle caps you want to wear sneakers on the sand. Then once you get into the water you can only hope you don't step on glass as your walk through the weeds. Once you get further out it is not as bad, especially if your on a boat. Oh that's right I almost forgot about the "amusement park." haha. Well yes there is a roller coaster, at least 100 years old. And lots of games- for lots of money. Bumper boats and restaurants. Many of the restaurants are good, pricey but good. What is nice about Sylvan Beach is if you are looking to hit syracuse as well you can dock your boat at Sylvan and take a day trip to SU. All you do is follow the lake up to Brewerton, hit up the awesome restaurants there, and either take a cap or meet someone to drive to syracuse. Too bad onondaga lake doesn't meet up with oneida- however i believe it is a manmade lake and is very gross. But oneida lake- the further you get away from sylvan beach- the better it is. Hard to wakeboard/ski on the water though because it is very choppy. I guess kid would like the amusement park- if they have never been to either disney world, darien lake, or other real amusement parks,

Unless there is an event going on for kids, it isn't kid friendly. Also they can easily get lost/stolen. This is definitely a leave the kids home place. The casino, golf course, work out room, hotel, pool, spa, resort, tennis courts, etc. are amazing, especially being in the small town. It is a true casino/vegas experience. But like I said nothing for kids to do. The room rates are rather pricey as well as the restaurants, but the buffet there is awesome! Foods from all over the world and at a decent price of at most $25. It is very clean and most of the people are nice. It's a great getaway if you don't want to travel to vegas, but leave the kids at home!

We have stayed here and I would again if I had to. The service is fine, the rooms are nothing special, and the hotel is a little dated. However, it is connected to the casino and a couple decent restaurants. Half of the rooms have a view to the track which is sometimes nice to watch the horses practicing and racing. The racetrack is dated as well, but I believe they are updating it. Kids enjoy watching the horses, but mostly it is an adult place. The hotel has a pool and workout room, but no gaming room for kids. Vernon is a small town with not much going on but to watch the races at either Vernon Downs or Utica/Rome Speedway its nice because the hotel and casino are so close. Also Turning Stone is very close but rooms are expensive there, so the next best thing is Vernon Downs. They have decent rates and if something is wrong with your room are very accommodating with reducing rates or upgrading.

A few miles of a great light scene and right next to the lake at a great price. I have been going to this for 3 years now.This is such an easy night out event for the kids- we brought my younger brother and sister last year. This year we had a 3 month old and brought him and he loved it. Babies seem to love looking at lights. All you do is drive through very slowly, about less than 5mph and sit in your warm car and tune your radio to the specified station. The lights go along with the music. It has become a tradition and I can't wait to continue it every year as our son grows.

I love Fort Stanwix- my whole family has been there. It is so cool to be able to walk around the fort and look in the buidings. Back when I was a kid we were able to take great pictures and they did a re-enactment with soldiers, guns and everything. I will definitely be taking my son here because we don't live close enough for a school trip like I had when I was a kid. Although Rome is not that great of an area you can drive through and see the old air force base still and some other older monuments. I definitely recommend taking the kids here if they are at least five.