Susan

(I posted this with the wrong titel and am trying again!) We are planning a short road-trip vacation with our kids this summer(late August). The kids are 11 and 14 (a boy and a girl). We thought we would spend 2 nights at Niagara Falls, possibly visit Cooperstown (spend the night?) and head to Buffalo because I promised my 11 year old a visit to an amusement park (Great Adventure is there, I believe). Any ideas? Recommendations on places to stay would be appreciated as would sights to see and activities, as well as things to avoid. We were thinking of accomplishing all of this in about a week or less.

Kathy

I'm not sure where you're driving from but I would recommend seeing Niagara Falls and Buffalo consecutively in that they are 25 miles apart. Don't go to Cooperstown (about 4 hours drive) and then return back to Buffalo. In Niagara Falls I would stay on the Canadian side. Don't miss the Maid of the Mist and the jet boat ride (not sure what it's called). There is also a quaint town just down the road called Niagara on the Lake that the kids might not find too exciting, but for an afternoon, it would be nice place to visit. Also, Fort Niagara (on the American side) would be a good spot to visit with kids your ages. The amusement park near Buffalo is a Six Flags, located in Darien. There are lots of roller coasters there. Buffalo has a zoo, Science Museum, History Museum and the Albright Knox art gallery. Also, lots of great restaurants. There are several hotels downtown, including a new Hampton Inn and a Hyatt and an Adams Mark. E-mail me if you have more specific questions. There is also a great state park about 1 1/2 hours from Buffalo, which would be on the way to Cooperstown. It's called Letchworth state park. Great for hikes. If you give me an idea of what you like to do, I could come up with some more suggestions for you.

gail

(If I responded to your first post, sorry for the repeat). 3 years ago we took about 8 or 9 days with our kids (8 and 12 at the time) and drove Boston - Cooperstown -Niagara Falls- Toronto - Boston. It was a great trip. We waited too long to make hotel reservations for summer near Cooperstown and ended up in Utica, NY. It is still one of our best family jokes! Utica is by far the worst place I have ever stayed, so pick someplace else. We spent about 1/2 day at Baseball H of F and, although we are glad we went, it became boring after that - how many old bats and jerseys can you see in one day, and we are all baseball fans. We spent the rest of the day at Farmers Museum and surprisingly loved that. I know Toronto is not in your plans, but if you have time, it is worth adding. If you are from US, you can take advantage of great exchange rate and we loved the city. If not, since you are already in the Buffalo area, go to Niagara Falls for a day.

bennie

May I may a suggestion? Skip Buffalo and head for Toronto. Its only another 90 minutes and a far superior city. It has Canada's Wonderland in Vaughn which is an awesome amusement park with a water park included run by Paramount. Again superior to any of the Six Flags parks I've been to. Any 11 yo would love it and you won't mind it either because it is very clean and well maintained. There is also a terrific zoo, major league baseball, great museums, dining etc. Plus the exchange rate makes it almost a bargain. We did this exact trip last summer and it was a huge hit with this Boston family. <BR><BR> I've been to Buffalo 20 times on business and there is just nothing there. People who live in Buffalo are blind to the poverty, shabbiness and overall tiredness of the place. Its the kind of place that is fine to live in but not to vacation in.<BR><BR> Or visit Marine land in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Haven't been but I could see as we drove by a bunch of rides and at least 1 large roller coaster. <BR><BR>I know you did't ask but thought you might want an alternative.

garyt

Susan- Start your trip in Niagara Falls on the Canadian side and be sure to see Cave of the Winds, Maid of the Mist and all of the tacky pre-teen stuff on Clifton Hill. A day at Niagara-on -the Lake should include the very wet and very wild Whirlpool Jet Boat.<BR><BR>The amusement park you are referring to is Six Flags Darien Lake, which is about 40 miles from Buffalo... they also have a hotel on-site which is worth the stay... after that you are about 200 miles from cooperstown and the Hall of Fame... have fun.

Cheryl

Susan, where are you driving from? Cooperstown is about a 4 hour drive east of Niagara/Buffalo...not really a side trip (unless you are passing by the area on your way here). Anyhow, the amusement park you are talking about is probably Six Flags Darien Lake, just outside of Buffalo. Aside from that, your best bet with kids is Niagara Falls. There is plenty to keep your family busy while there. Stay on the Canadian side because your choices are better and the American $$$ goes a long way there. You can take a ride on the Maid of the Mist, there's a walkway down to the lower rapids, the caves behind the falls, and the airboat rides on the lower rapids to name a few. View the falls from both sides, though. Fort Niagara on the American side (www.oldfortniagara.org) is an awesome piece of American history. It was built before the French and Indian war and is in pristine condition. We live in Buffalo, and I take my 10 year old to the Fort every summer and he loves it. Bring a picnic lunch; the fort is situated within a state park right where the Niagara River open into Lake Ontario. On a clear day you can see Toronto. There are also swimming pools (nice and clean). A lot of posters will suggest Niagara on the Lake. It is wonderful, but probably boring for kids. <BR><BR>As for Buffalo, it's a nice place to visit - great restaurants, old neighborhoods, beautiful architecture, free outdoor concerts, etc.; however, the museums are under-funded and rather pitiful (with the exception of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) and not worth the entrance fees. I would highly recommend a Buffalo Bisons baseball game. It's AAA baseball - the farm team for Cleveland. The stadium is right downtown, the ticket prices are very reasonable, and they cater to kids. My son never turns down an opportunity to attend a game there. August is warm and sunny here. It would be a great way to spend an afternoon or evening. The Erie Basin Marina on the waterfront is beautiful. A nice place to sit and watch the boats go by and next to that is the only inland naval park in the U.S. <BR><BR>If you would like more info., let me know. Again, I'm making suggestions based on the fact you are traveling with kids. Have a great time.

Cheryl

Susan, I forgot to mention these website in my previous post. For the inland naval park, check out www.buffalonavalpark.org. And for the Buffalo Bisons, check out www.bisons.com.

Mo

If you are a baseball fan, you will not be bored by Cooperstown, especially on your 1st trip. There arer also a bunch of shops, mostly baseball related. We got my son a baseball bat with his name and birthdate engraved on it.<BR><BR>We stayed at the Cooperstown Inn. It's pretty much a big B&B. We enjoyed it. You might need two rooms, though. There is also a resort there that looked really nice. The Otesaga Resort there looked very nice, but I expect it was really expensive

Ei

Susan - I started to plan a similar trip in June and found out that there is a HOF Baseball exhibit at the Museum of American History in NYC and where did they get everything on the exhibit - the Baseball HOF in Cooperstown. Well, after we found that out, we dropped it from our itinerary. We are still going to Letchworth State Park (Glen Iris Inn), Buffalo (Special Olympics meet), NOTL and possible Toronto and an amusement park. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you if a 11 and 14 year old would be interested.<BR><BR>Happy & Safe Travelling.<BR>

Kathy

Bennie,<BR><BR>I am one of those "blind" Buffaloians you refer to. We're not blind, we just live here and are aware of what Buffalo has to offer. Maybe you didn't know where to visit on your business trips. Sure, we have our share of poverty, shabbiness and tiredness just like all cities, and we may not be a tourist destination for most people, but when someone posts a question who has already made up their mind to come to Buffalo, we enjoy telling them about the good things that are here.<BR><BR>By the way, your old quarterback Drew Bledsoe is very excited to be coming to Buffalo.

Mo

I was at the Museum of Natural History a few weeks ago. I did not see the exhibit, but passed by the room where it was being displayed. It appeared to be quite small compared to Cooperstown. My guess is that only a small fraction of the things normally exhibited in Cooperstown are part of the travelling exhibit. The exhibit will be in several cities over the next few months.<BR><BR>Besides, I'm sure the HOF has plenty of alternate memoribilia to display in Cooperstown.

Rachel

Susan, your'e getting good information. If you can squeeze in Niagara Falls, buffalo and Cooperstown, you'll have a great vacation. Although there is clearly poverty and shabbiness in buffalo, there are other things that make our area wonderful, Skip the Science and History Musuems-they are pretty bad. The Art Gallery is fantastic, and there's lots of great architecture. Also, in the summer, you can find some great festivals almost all summer long. Go to www.buffalo.com for some info.

michael

There are several great festivals in Buffalo. The Allentown Art Festival is I believe the second week in June and is huge. The Taste of Buffalo which is the second biggest food festival in the United States (it draws 500,000 plus over two days) is the weekend after the 4th. There is much to do in Buffalo/Niagara area. YOur kids might like walking the Elmwood district during the day. There are a lot of neat shops and stores. Cooperstown is quite a drive so you would certainly be spending at least one night. Several suggestions listed by others are on the mark with the exception of the tasteless elitist musings of the Boston based writer. I think Six Flags Darien is much better than Canada's Wonderland. I don't live in Buffalo but I enjoy the area regularly.

Sharon

Hi Susan,<BR><BR>This sounds like a great trip. We did it two years ago. I second a trip to Fort Niagara. Our kids really liked it. Bring a picnic. The Finger Lakes are also beautiful. We only spent 1/2 a day in Cooperstown. That was about enough for the kids.

Anne

Hi Susan,<BR>My family and I did a circle tour of sorts around Lake Ontario a few years ago, that took in some of the area of which you speak. After travelling east on the north side of the lake, we dropped down to Lake George for a couple of days (the Great Escape is the amusement park there; it was not too big, but fun. It's since been bought by Six Flags). From there we went to Cooperstown, which was good for about a day. The HOF was pretty neat, but not the sort of place you can't drag yourself away from. The town's lovely, though. Where I would really recommend is our next stop, Watkin's Glen (and we're not motorcyclists!) The Glen itself is wonderful for hiking, and there's a night-time illumination thing that we've always missed, but that sounds good. Just down the road is Corning, which is a great place to spend a day. The Glass Museum/factory/whatever is really worth a visit, and the town itself has been tarted up and has lots of interesting shops and good places to eat (I recommend the ice cream parlor -- name escapes me). Darien Lake is fun -- we've been recently and are going back. Niagara Falls is a hoot; I've been there about a million times, and I always have a good time. Our last experience in Buffalo was pretty creepy, though. We were coming back from Darien Lake and decided to drive through town to the bridge rather than take the highway and pay the toll. That's what we get for being cheap--we ended up getting a bit lost and driving through a really scary part of town. We're talking windows up, doors locked -- not what we're used to in Canada! I'm sure much of the city is very nice, but I haven't seen those parts, unfortunately.

travellyn

Another vote for the jet boat ride. Pretty expensive, but worth it; great fun!