This is what my bro did when he visited me in Georgetown, DC, last year: with his rental car he drove from DC to Niagara, stayed there for 1 night; drove back not on highways but smaller country roads seeing Amish communities in PA and charming small towns on the way; from Niagara he arrived to youghiogheny river in PA for white water rafting, stayed there 1 nite; next day from this river he drove to Lurray cavern in VA, come back to DC on the same day; next day he traveled to Annapolis, rented a boat for half day, stayed here 1 nite; next day - return to DC with its many wonderful museums. Enjoy your trip! Gonna be fun, I bet!

If you like historic sites Gettysburg and Harpers ferry would be nice.Paul

My trip report is long but you may appreciate some of it. Especially note days 16 (Virginia Mount Vernon & Manassas) and Day 15 (Arlington). Yes, they are out of order.

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/epic-east-coast-vacation-for-family-of-5.cfm

What time of year? Makes a big difference for Niagara Falls ideas.

If you like Casinos, consider Fallsview Casino and Resort... the surrounding area is busy and touristy... great falls views and an increasing number of good food places...

If you like wine, vineyards, and amazing local food, consider staying in Niagara-on-the-Lake and side tripping to the Falls..

or mix both and consider adding Buffalo Architecture Tours, a stop in the Finger Lakes, or even an overnight in Toronto...

Give us a bit more info on what you like and when(kathy is right about time of year) and we can steer you...

Okay, let me make certain I understand you:
1) You're flying into Washington DC in order to attend a wedding there.
2) After the wedding in DC, you're renting a car for "a couple of days" in order to see some scenery.
3) Your choice to achieve that is a distance of 409 miles away, meaning eight hour of driving EACH WAY. Meaning at least two of your "couple of days" will be completely taken up by driving.

May I instead suggest a place with a FAR wider variety of scenery AND an amazing selection of wildlife, that has FAR fewer touristy attractions (which inevitably distract from the scenic beauty), and is a mere 75 miles (and less two hours of driving) away?

Specifically, Shenandoah National Park, which was created specifically to give people in Washington a place to enjoy a national park?

I've been to Niagara Falls five times, and I've enjoyed every visit. But to go from Washington to Niagara, during a "couple of days" of travel, in order to see scenery; simply makes no sense. You'll get a lot better variety of that in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Shenandoah NP and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

As others have mentioned, the time of your visit makes a big difference. The only time Shenandoah would not be a good place to visit is the middle of winter, when driving to Niagara becomes even more problematic.

We rented the car for one week. Will probably head to Niagara on 10/08/12 and stay there for a couple day to explore Niagara falls and Niagara on the lakes. I'm doing this on the first part of my trip as this is what I want to see the most. After that I'm open to ideas. Was thinking maybe the finger lakes areas or head toward PA. Tume's brother trip above sound pretty appealing too. So does Shenandoah park. We fly home from DC so we want to keep our travels within a reasonable driving boundary of DC. Thanks everyone!

I'm with Paulrabe, sounds like two different trips to me.

With all there is to do in DC and Shenandoah-I would include Monticello and Montpelier(these aren't far from Shenandoah), you'll have more than enough to keep you busy.

I would definately rank a visit to Niagra Falls above Shenandoah, but I always do what I can when I am in the area that I am at. Really makes no sense to drive from DC to Niagra Falls, IMOP. FWIW, if you still decide to go to Niagra Falls, I would make certain that I went to the Canadian side. I like that side much better. We found the Butterfly Conservatory at the falls to be pretty interesting, btw.

Don't let them talk you out of your plans... after leaving DC plan your route through Pennsylvania to Corning and Watkins Glen NY... stop at Watkins Glen State Park for a great fall Hike... perhaps visit the Corning Glass Museum or a few of the wineries along the Lake before heading up the lake to Geneva NY... consider staying in either Watkins Glen or Geneva.

For a great fall drive jump on Rt20 West to Letchworth State Park near Geneseo... after a few hours at the park continue your drive to Niagara... after a few nights in Niagara, you can head back towards the Finger Lakes either by backroads or on the highways... you have plenty of time to see everything with a week to explore...