I'm an old Wake grad, work in NYC and live up in Chappaqua, which is about 45 minutes north of the city. We go up to the Syracuse area all the time.
Syracuse itself is nothing to write home about, not that the Dash is either, mind you. BUT Syracuse is in the beautiful "Finger Lakes" region of upstate NY. The area really is beautiful. The Finger Lakes are so called because they run north to south and the collection of them look like the fingers on a hand when viewed on a map. The lakes are remarkably clean. The water from Skaneateles Lake, which is the one closest to Syracuse, is used for the Syracuse water supply unfiltered. They just pipe the water right in. If you only know lakes from the man-made variety you get in NC, you have no idea. These lakes are large and have great boating, fishing, etc. You have to see them.
The late spring, summer and early fall are terrific. Winter is a bitch, though, and that's the main drawback. Snow, snow and more snow until you want to kill yourself. When Wake plays the Cuse in football, you better hope it's a September game because any later than that you have an even bet you'll be trudging through snow to get to the dome. In hoops season the only question is how much snow will be on the ground, with two feet as the minimum. Again, though, the lake area around Syracuse couldn't be more beautiful and I recommend a visit at the right time of year. When the time comes, maybe I'll raffle off a weekend at our lake house for a good Wake fan who wants to visit for a game and give the proceeds to the Deacon Club.