Ithaca → Dryden
Dispensary near Ithaca, NY — with New York’s first drive-thru
If you are anywhere in Ithaca — downtown, the Commons, Cornell or Ithaca College — Dryden Dispensary is about ten minutes northeast up Route 13. No hunting for parking on the hill and no crowded shop between classes: order ahead, drive up, pull up to the window.
- ~10 min
- from Collegetown
- Route 13
- no turns to think about
- 1st in NY
- recreational drive-thru
- 7 days
- a week
The easiest cannabis run in Tompkins County
We built Dryden Dispensary around how people here actually move — commuters between Ithaca and Cortland, students without an easy place to park downtown, people who would rather not make an afternoon of a quick pickup. Route 13 connects all of it, and we sit right on it at the corner of Irish Settlement Road.
Inside it is a licensed cannabis shop first: flower, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles, concentrates, tinctures and topicals from New York’s licensed growers and processors, with a full smoke shop alongside. Walking in for the first time? The first-time guide sets out the one thing you need — an ID showing you are 21 or older — and what happens at the counter. Military members, veterans, educators, police and first responders get 10% off every day.
The first drive-thru dispensary in New York State
Dryden Dispensary opened in May 2024 as the first licensed cannabis store in the Town of Dryden. On July 8, 2024 it opened a real drive-thru window for recreational cannabis — the first in New York State, as The Ithaca Voice reported at the time.
For a run up from Collegetown that means four moves: prepay online, choose your time, show your ID at the window and go. The ten minutes on Route 13 is the long part, not the pickup. The same independent shop is a Finger Lakes Best winner, 2024 and 2025.
How the drive-thru works
- 1 Order online Browse the menu and prepay from anywhere.
- 2 Pull up on Route 13 Follow the drive-thru lane at 2207 Dryden Road.
- 3 Show your 21+ ID A valid government photo ID at the window.
- 4 Drive away Most pickups take a couple of minutes.
Full details, including what ID we accept and how payment works, are on the drive-thru page.
Getting here
Take Route 13 north out of Ithaca past the airport turn-off and stay on it. We are on the right at the corner of Route 13 and Irish Settlement Road — 2207 Dryden Road — about ten minutes from Collegetown with no turns to think about.
Look for the roadside sign on Route 13. The parking lot is right behind it, and the drive-thru lane runs around the side of the building.
Open 7 days: Saturday–Wednesday 10am–8pm, Thursday–Friday 10am–10pm.
No car? No problem.
The TCAT bus runs the Route 13 corridor right past us.
- From Ithaca TCAT Route 43
Runs seven days a week along Route 13. Get off at Dryden Rd @ Irish Settlement, right at our corner. Heading back to Ithaca, catch it at Dryden Rd @ George, just across the road; it runs through Cornell to The Commons.
Timetable → - From Cortland Centro COR 6, then TCAT Route 43
Take COR 6 as far as TC3 and change to Route 43. Centro runs weekdays only, roughly 6:30 AM to 4:45 PM, so check the timetable before you set out.
Timetable → - From Groton TCAT Route 43G
Select Route 43 trips run between Groton and Ithaca as the 43G, through Freeville and Dryden and past our corner. Only some trips go to Groton, and on weekends the return trip runs as Route 40, so check the timetable first.
Timetable →
Serving
- Collegetown
- Cornell
- Ithaca College
- The Commons
- Fall Creek
- Northeast Ithaca
- Lansing
- Varna
Common questions
- Is there a dispensary near Ithaca with a drive-thru?
- Yes. Dryden Dispensary, about 10 minutes from Ithaca on Route 13, opened New York State’s first recreational cannabis drive-thru in July 2024. Order online and choose a pickup time. When you arrive, follow the drive-thru lane to the window, show your 21+ ID and collect your prepaid order. No parking, no going inside.
- Is recreational cannabis legal near Ithaca, NY?
- Yes. Adult-use cannabis is legal in New York for anyone 21 and older. Dryden Dispensary is a state-licensed adult-use retailer on Route 13, about 10 minutes from Ithaca and Cornell.
- Can Cornell and Ithaca College students buy here?
- Anyone 21 or older with a valid government-issued photo ID can buy at a licensed New York dispensary. A valid government-issued photo ID showing you are 21 or older. No medical card and no New York residency are needed.
- Can I get there from Ithaca without a car?
- Yes. TCAT Route 43 runs along Route 13 seven days a week; get off at Dryden Rd @ Irish Settlement, right at our corner.
- What payment methods do you accept?
- Cash and DutchiePay, with two ATMs on site.
- What are your hours?
- Open 7 days a week: 10am–8pm Saturday through Wednesday, and 10am–10pm Thursday and Friday.
All Things Cannabis, on Route 13
Order online and pick up at the window, or come inside and browse with a budtender. Bring a valid ID showing you are 21 or older.
Other places we serve: