Directions & Parking
Equal Rights Heritage Center
25 South Street
Auburn, NY 13021
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DIRECTIONS
From the West (Rochester): Take the New York State Thruway heading toward Albany to Exit 41 (Waterloo). At the exit, turn right onto 414 South for a short distance. At the first traffic light, turn left onto Route 318. Take Route 318 until you reach the T in the road, which is Routes 5 & 20. Turn left onto Routes 5 & 20 going east which will then take you approximately 11 miles directly into Downtown Auburn.
From the East (Syracuse): Take Route 690 West from Syracuse. Stay to the right and pick up Route 695- look for the Auburn signs. At the end of Route 695, stay to the right and merge onto Route 5 heading west toward Elbridge. Go straight through Elbridge on Route 5, which takes you directly into Auburn where Route 5 is also known as Grant Avenue and then becomes the Arterial. This leads into Downtown Auburn.
From the South (Ithaca): Take Route 34 North straight through to Auburn which will place you directly into the heart of Historic Downtown Auburn. Route 34 is also South and North Streets which intersect Genesee Street and Route 20.
From the North (Watertown): Take Route 81 South to the New York State Thruway. Follow the Thruway signs toward Buffalo. Get off at exit 40 (Weedsport). At exit turn right onto Route 34 over bridge, straight through Weedsport. Route 34 leads directly into the heart of Historic Downtown Auburn. Route 34 is also South and North Streets and intersects Genesee Street and Route 20.
PARKING
On-Street / Short-Term Parking
Free Two-Hour Parking & Courtesy Tickets
Through September 2023, the City of Auburn & Auburn Downtown BID offer a special parking program to encourage patrons to shop our small businesses, retail & restaurants. The program includes on-street spaces & upper levels in the Auburn Downtown City Parking Garage. The City’s long-term lots are not included. Click here for more info.
This program is honored per day, so moving your vehicle to a different spot, will not allow you another two hours of free parking. After two hours, please park in a long-term lot or in the garage. Street parking is ideally designated for our patrons. Parking enforcement will monitor cars Monday - Friday 9AM – 5PM, and issue tickets to overtime violators following the free two hours. The City will issue a courtesy ticket if you haven’t received a parking ticket in the past few months. For more info contact: City Manager Jeff Dygert, 315.255-4146 or jdygert@auburnny.gov.
For on-street parking there is a .25 minimum for 15 minutes, and one hour is $1. Please insert coins/cards into a nearby black parking kiosk, or coins into your adjacent meter. You can also use Pango Mobile Parking app with your cell phone.
On-street spaces have a 2-hour limit. If you remain parked in the same spot longer; you risk receiving a ticket, regardless if you pay more money. If you plan to spend 2+ hours Downtown, please park in long-term spaces. Options include the City Garage on Lincoln Street across from the Equal Rights Heritage Center, and long-term lots on Dill Street, Court Street & Seminary Avenue.
Reverse Angle Parking
Backing into parking has been proven as safer, offering improved visibility when exiting vehicles, accessing car trunk space and exiting parking spaces. Reverse angle parking is implemented on Genesee Street between Loop Road (near Wegmans) and the Cayuga County Office Building at 160 Genesee Street. Basic steps are drive just past the open space and stop, turn on your signal, and back into the space. Please be patient and don't follow too closely to let your fellow drivers back in. Click here for a fun instructional video!
Parking Kiosk Locations
Black parking kiosks are on Genesee Street between William Street (Parker’s Grille) and Loop Road (Wegmans), and on State Street. They are also in the Exchange Street Plaza parking lot in the lower level of the City Parking Garage, and in the Dill & Seminary Street lots. Meter attendants are on duty and enforce parking Monday – Saturday 9AM – 5PM. For further questions contact City staff, or staff at Auburn Downtown BID 315.252-7874, or visit us at 25 South Street.
Kiosk Instructions
Deposit money to cover the desired amount of time (.25 minimum). Press the button to print your receipt. Retrieve receipt from the lower slot behind the plastic shield. The receipt indicates the time when your parking term expires. Place the receipt inside on the driver’s side dashboard face-up so it’s clearly visible. Please note you can pay at any kiosk to park anywhere. The kiosks in the Dill & Seminary Street lots make it easy to drive up & pay. You can use those receipts to park in any on-street space, including metered spots. If there’s time left on your receipt, you can move to another location until your time expires.
Long Term 2+ Hour Parking
Auburn Downtown City Parking Garage offers safe convenient covered parking adjacent to Auburn Public Theater, the Equal Rights Heritage Center and Seward House Museum. The garage is located on Lincoln Street across from the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is equipped with electric Charge Point stations. The inside upper levels offer short and long-term pay-to-park options. The lower level of the garage, Exchange Street Plaza Parking Lot, offers short-term metered and kiosk pay-to-park rates. Stairs are located in the middle and at either end, and there’s an elevator in the middle.
The first 2 hours of parking are FREE each visit, in the upper levels of the garage, and capped at $6 a day. The street level metered section of the garage, the Exchange Street Plaza Lot, is metered and the 2-hour free does NOT apply in this area. This lower level offers short-term metered and kiosk pay-to-park rates of $1 per hour, with a total of 48 parking spots.
Long Term Parking Garage Permits
Long-term permits are available for purchase in affordable monthly, quarterly, 6-month and year-long increments. A new automated entrance and exit kiosk allows for easy payment in cash, credit or debit card. Please see the Parking Garage Rate Sheet for fees. For
more info on rates & permits, please call the City Treasurer’s 315.255-4143. Questions, comments, or concerns about the garage can be referred to the Superintendent of Public Works, Mike Talbot, at 315.253-9554. Visit the City’s parking website page.
Long Term Parking Lots
Court Street parking lot is located near the Auburn YMCA & Cayuga County Office Building. The lot is serviced by parking meters, with a maximum time limit of 10 hours.
Dill Street parking lot is behind Lattimore Hall, to the right. The lot is serviced by a drive-up kiosk, with a maximum time limit of
8 hours. This lot is adjacent to the Centro Bus stop and serves as the main transfer location for Centro’s Auburn bus lines to and from Syracuse.
Seminary Avenue parking lot is behind Speno’s Music, Liberty Store & Moro’s Table, buildings below the iconic Genesee Beer sign. The lot is serviced by a drive-up kiosk, with a maximum time limit of 8 hours.
Centro Bus
Centro Bus has permanently relocated their local bus transfer station from Lincoln Street to Dill Street behind Lattimore Hall.
Pay for Parking from your Car with Pango
Sign up for Pango Mobile Parking on your smart or cell phone, and pay & manage your parking session remotely. Download the app for free.
Pango Instruction Steps
To sign up, visit the website, and click on Drivers and select the drop down menu to become a Pango user, and then follow the prompted steps. You will need to provide your mobile phone number, license plate and the credit or debit card number you are linking the account to. A text message will then be sent, with more instructions.
Pango Parking Zones
Once set up, open the app and select $ Pay at the bottom of the screen. Then, under the Zone/Space drop down select where you are: an on-street space, in a parking lot, or in the garage. Your vehicle & payment method should be provided. Then hit P to start your session, and again, to end it. Please abide by the City’s 2-hour parking limit if you are in an on-street space. Pango will end your session after you’ve maxed out your time, per time limits for your parking location.
Header Photo by Jimmy Giannettino.
