We are hoping to drive from Washington DC to Niagara falls taking 2 days one night to do so.( includes 3 children) Any help with a suitable route (scenic and not too busy ) and suggestions for the overnight accomodation would be very welcome.We will be in the middle of a 6 week holiday by then so budget accomodation is good!! Would love to see something of the Amish country if we could.Thanks

About eight hours total without stops, should be easy in two days. On Day One get your Amish experience in Lancaster County, look at www.padutchcountry.com.

From DC you best avoid the Baltimore area, take 81 North to Frederick then take 15 via Gettysburg (now THERE is a piece of history - look it up!) and north of Gettysburg head East on 30 to Lancaster. Slower maybe, but right for a holiday drive as opposed to a business rush.

Then head to Harrisburg and beyond, on 22 for a short bit then near Duncannon turn right (north along the river) on 11/15, stay on 15 past Williamsport, maybe stay the night around there, no rush, country towns of the good old kind, in nice countryside, cheap lodgings on the spur-of-the-moment.

Following the 15 north, it links up with the 86 north/west, past Bath part company with the 86 and again stick with the 15 north which now doubles as the 390 (going northwest),

Now comes a stunning State Park with great waterfalls - bring your camera and a picnic! It is called Letchworth State Park (www.letchworthpark.com). You can get in off the 390 by taking the 408 to Mt. Morris, or use the 36 as a shortcut to the 408 - any good map will show it (Google Maps, or www.mapquest.com of course).

You could even camp there, or stay nearby at the end of Day One if you get that far. If this site allowed the posting of photos, I would have some beauties I took only two months ago!

You are now about 2.5 hours from Niagara - take the 20A West, to East Aurora, hop on the 400 (Aurora Expressway) northwest to link up with the 190.

Just after the long bridge past the toll gates be ready for a quick exit out of the right lane onto the Robert Moses Parkway - it comes up rather soon and looks deceptivly like you have another 50 yards to exit - but that's a different exit, so take the quick curly-cue offramp then head west a few more miles to the town near the Falls.

thanks a million .that is so helpful.Do you know if at the Niagara end we take the same route you suggested to go over to the canadian side?We are booked in at the Best Western there.Also are there any difficulties crossing the border and re entering the States again?
We were in the US 2 years ago on the West Coast.loved it so much we are all returning and so excited now .Bit nervous about the driving bit of it though.Wrong side and lots of traffic!!!

I'd expect that you would not be permitted to take your rental car across the border.

And you might need to check with your embassy/consulate about a back and forth on the border. One never knows these days, sad to say.