After a meeting in late September this year in Boston, I thought of doing a road trip to Niagara. If one had a week to spend, what can be seen and done enroute and back. I have already explored Rockport in Maine, the driven to see the fall colours in New England. The plans are still fluid and would consider any ideas for alternatives. Boston would be the port of entry and departure from the US. Thanks!

Niagara Falls is a full day drive from Boston - so to see it would take a minimum of 3 days of your trip - one to drive there, one to visit (and make sure you can go to the Canadian side - much better than the US side) and another day back.

If you wanted to make it a longer trip you could stop and see Lake George on the way as well as the Finger Lakes area (nice walks and some smaller waterfalls) plus Cooperstown if you have an interest in baseball.

What ny traveler said, and if you want the best views of the falls you will need to go to the Canadian side of the falls and then re-enter the US. Make sure you can legally do that.

If you don't want to deal with border crossing and haven't explored the Massachusetts coast then a trip either north of Boston to Salem, Gloucester, Rockport, MA, Marblehead etc. or south to Cape Cod and the islands might be nice. Or if you're into cities, take the train to New York City.

If you don't want to drive long distance to Niagara Falls, there are a couple of train options but they involve a long day of travel getting to Buffalo or Niagara Falls sometime between 9PM and midnight.
The Lake Shore Limited arrives in Buffalo about midnight (direct from Boston South station). The LSL joins the train from New York near Albany.
The other way is to go to New York and then take an Empire Service train or the Maple Leaf arriving sometime after 9PM.
Your fastest option would be to fly to Buffalo.

You can blast there from Boston in a day, take ride on the "Maid of the Mist" next morning, and blast back that afternoon, though it would be a shame miss the small Canadian town of Niagara on the Lake.

With a week, this becomes an interesting trip. Nytraveler's suggestion of the Adirondacks on the way out and back through the Finger Lakes is a good one.

Stop in Saratoga Springs. The racing will be over, but the town is Worth It. Lake George, Lake Placid (Olympic Center) then west. Lots of mountains.

On return, US 20 will take you through the Finger Lakes region. Wineries, some of them even good, are a feature. Seneca Falls (an early center for Women's right) Watkins Glen (a walkable gorge and auto racing), Cooperstown (baseball hall of fame and opera), Skaneateles ( a charming Edwardian Lake resort), the Berkshire towns in Massachusetts with literary and artistic associations and a splendid restored Shaker village.

You won't lack for thing to do, and a lot of the land south of the NY State Thruway is dairying country, which is always lovely..

Another option is to spend a couple days in Western Massachusetts on your way either to Niagara Falls or back. The NY suggestions (Finger Lakes, Lake George/Saratoga area) are fine, but the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley (Connecticut River) are more interesting - in my opinion. I spent much of my youth in upstate NY and now live in Western Massachusetts so I have quite a bit of experience with both. In fact if you decide you don't want to go all the way to Niagara Falls then Western Mass and Adirondacks or upper Hudson River Valley would make a good several day trip from Boston. The coast suggestions - either north to Cape Ann or south to Cape Cod/RI are also good.

But from Albany to Niagara Falls on the Thruway is a pretty boring bunch of hours.

Logically you would drive west on I-90 out of Boston. Some highlights. Right on the way is colonial style Sturbridge Village and then at NY border is the Berkshires with Norman Rockwell Museum and Tanglewood and more (first night). On I-90 thru Albany might detour down to Cooperstown which has three good museums. On past Syracuse is Seneca Falls with the Women's Rights Museum. Not too far to Buffalo and an Old Fort Niagra and then on to Niagra Falls indeed spectacular (ignore the touristy stuff).

Along the shoreline of Lake Erie to the SW of Buffalo is quite a winery region. Yes, you can return by auto on I-86-88 back to Albany but note that this highway has been under construction and winds around. There is famed Chautauqua Institute at Jamestown...we will spend two weeks there this summer. Should you return this southern route definitely stop at the Corning Glass Museum. And you could stop at Cooperstown if you didn't before. I kind of think I'd return by auto on I-90 though.

Thanks for all the great ideas. I missed the Normal Rockwell museum the last time I drove here 5 years ago. I have done the Maine (Rockport) to RI drive - it is marvelous in the Fall and the amazing colours of New England as part of my last tour. I was thinking of visiting Hildene in Vermont, any thoughts about this historical site. New York city will be my entry point from which I catch the train to Boston where get the rental car.

We visited Hildene a few years ago. It is a nice house museum, but as it was winter when we went we didn't do any of the outside areas. We spent a couple of hours there. You might want to head up to Burlington, do the Shelburn (that took us most of a day) and perhaps do a loop across the lake on the ferry and then south to Fort Ticonderoga before heading back.

Hi emalloy, that sounds like a plan. It will fit in nicely as a day thing along the route. Thanks. Will take every opinion and formulate a route to fit the timing. Perhaps Niagara is a little far.