New York City Travel Forum

Hi everybody
I am planning a 2 weeks holiday in summer. After spending 5 days in NYC (we have been already there) we are willing to drive until Niagara Falls, but would like also to visit interesting locations on the way. Either lovely towns or natural parks and so on. what would you suggest? Thanks

Bookmarked so I can see replies! Good question!

Don't miss Letchworth State Park !

http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=12

We stayed there at the Glen Iris Hotel - in the Park - and there are also camping facilities in the park.

We were making our way back to Toronto for our flight home and stayed two nights but would have liked longer there.

Hi We took a coach tour 2 years ago along Canada to Niagara Falls. We then went Niagra Falls to New York City via the Amish people at Lancaster, overnight stay, then 2 nights Washington DC, then travelled through Philledelphia(3 hour stop) and back up to NYC.

Niagara only needs a day, Amish a day, possibly overnight stay, do not overlook visiting the town called Intercourse, plenty of Amish people there. You will know about Washington DC , you only have to watch TV this week and you have seen much of it. I have pages on all these cities.

Good Luck,
Mike

there are basically two driving routes to Niagara. First is to get on the New York Thruway by going into the Bronx and picking up the Major Deegan Expressway north. It becomes the New York Thruway at exit 1 just north of New York City and can be followed all the way to Buffalo. The Thruway is an interstate but the numbers change several times. Long, boring.
An alternate and far more scenic route is to take the NY Thruway to Exit 16 Harriman, get off and take Route 17 ( aka interstate 86 ) to just past Corning NY. Then pick up the interstate north to Rochester and rejoin the NY Thruway. Far prettier, no slower.
Either way, follow the signs to Niagara ( easy ).
This is a nine or ten hour trip under the best of traffic circumstances and while there are places you can stop along the way, none are compelling enough given the length of the trip to turn the day into a twelve plus hour jaunt.

Being from Albany, NY I have to advocate for a stop here...although if you are here in late July or August during the racing season, I have to say that Saratoga Springs and the flat track are a great stop. We drove to Niagara Falls not that long ago from Albany and there is not much between here and there (Utica, Syracuse, Buffalo and Albany actually are all similar upstate NY towns) but the Adirondacks are beautiful. Personally - having been to Niagara Falls - I would skip that and head to Lake Placid, NY instead and stop in Saratoga on the way. If you want to continue from there past Saranac Lake to Watertown and cross the border at Alex Bay and drive through Canada to get to the Falls - that is an option too.

nancy is quite right about saratoga and the adirondacks being great places to visit, having done so, but they are a long way off the highway if niagara is your main target. in racing season, saratoga traffic is a nightmare, especially coming in from the south end as you will be.

Ok this region we toured in july 2008, but have not yet made tips on VT. We visited Albany while returning from a trip to birkshires in massacusettes in august 2008. so you can ask as many questions from me as you like :-)

If you divert to Highway 86 west (about to be designated an interstate) from I 81 at Birmingham then you will reach Corning where you can visit the famous glass factory, see glass made and you can blow your own glass too. Highway 86 west continues to meet with I90 that takes you to Niagara falls.

if you are interested in wine tasting do let me know and i will give few addresses from that region too.

there are many resorts near finger lakes, Albany is great too, and if you can include albany as suggested by a VTer above, you will like to add catskills mountain state park in your plan. drive on i90 west from albany to buffalo is quite picturesque along river hudson and very pleasant for a major portion.

like i said, if you wish you can ask me questions on this forum. being a tourist from canada in the region in july and august 2008, i will be able to answer many. hopefully!!!

Corning and Cooperstown are two towns with things to see and do along the way. Cooperstown has the Baseball Hall of Fame, if you like sports.

Many thanks to everybody!
Yes, I would like to know more about wine testing :-)

here is a great website that has lots of info on the Finger Lakes. I’ve set up the link to go to the wineries page:

http://www.fingerlakes.org/wine.htm

like i said earlier also check out Corning, which is the birthplace of corning ware. they have a museum in Corning which focuses on all things related to glass. they have Corning studio of glass located adjacent to the museum. the studio features a ‘make your own glass’ course where you can register to create your choice of coloured glass piece.