JFK to West Point
 

My husband and grown son will be going to the USF game at West Point the last weekend in September. They fly into JFK and plan to rent a car. Need advice on best way to get to the academy, as well as places to stay. They fly in early Friday and don't fly out until Sunday afternoon. Any sites in the area that they might be enjoyable to visit? I'm sure they won't want to get into the Manhatten trafic.
Thanks!

I'd go to the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, but that's just me.

West Pont has a website that has driving directions from the major NYC airports, as well an information on visits to the school and the surrounding areas. Take a look at http://www.usma.edu/. From the main page click on "Visiting West Point" to get driving directions and visitor information.

The academy is well worth a visit, you can take tours guided given by cadets.

As you will be there at such a beautiful time of year, I would recommend doing a tour of one of the historic homes along the Hudson, such as the Vanderbilt Mansion or Kykuit the old Rockefeller Mansion. These and other homes of the "robber barons" of the late 19th and early 20th century are in the Hudson River Valley area, esp along the Hudson. Huge homes and acres of gardens and woodlands which would be in good color in late September.

If you don't think your teenage son would like to look at mansions and gardens, there is a lot to see and do in this area, including outdoor activities like hiking and canoeing. Take a look at the links on the West Point website or the New York State tourism website at http://www.iloveny.state.ny.us/

IMO if they could fly into and out of Newark New Jersey they will have an easier trip driving up to West Point. IF they go through JFK, they have to get onto and off Long Island each time and negotiate their way through the highways in the Bronx and Westchester County, which are old, have confusing signage IMO and are usually crowded.

Actually, the two closest airports are Stewart and White Plains.
As for a place to stay, the hotels/motels in the area naturally fill up on football weekends. It may already be tough. I'd suggest checking out the above-mentioned website for help.

I agree that they are the two closests airports, but it is generally more expensive to fly into them, and many major airlines do not fly into them at all; or have commuter flights only. I get the feeling arlene17 is doing more of a longer distance flight.

Arlene 17, I live in the area and home game days are very busy. The gate they enter for the game depends on where their seats are in Michie Stadium. They need to allow a lot of ample time for the security check if they decide to drive in to West Point. They will have to show photo i.d along with their game tickets. Then they will have to open the trunk and hood of the car. It's probably too late to get a room at the Thayer Hotel in West Point or West Point Motel in Highland Falls, but if they can it would be better if they walked to the game using Thayer gate. It's not a long walk at all and it's a nice one, too. There's a Holiday Inn Express on Route 9W north in Fort Montgomery which is only a couple of miles away from West Point. They could walk to Pineapple's Steakhouse or the bagel shop if they stay there. Highland Falls is the town right outside the West Point gates and that's where the West Point Museum is. Not much in the way of restaurants, but Schade's, Tony's, and West Point Pizza are okay. Andy's Diner is good for a greasy breakfast. If they drive over Storm King Mountain into Cornwall there's a good pizzeria on Main Street named Prima. They also make very good calzones. The Bear Mountain Inn serves a Sunday buffet brunch. It could also be an option for a room. They could also park in the municipal parking lot in town and walk to the game to avoid the long security lines. I highly recommend this option.

This Just started the visitors center and Museum will be open on the football Saturdays but there will be no Escourted tours of the Academy on game Saturdays.

Information regarding lodging, attractions and travel to the West Point area is available at the Orange County Tourism web site, http://www.orangetourism.org. Orange County Tourism is recognized by "I Love New York" as the official tourism information contact center for the Hudson Valley region. Information for all of the counties in the region can be found at http://www.travelhudsonvalley.org.
Travel to West Point from JFK is probably best accomplished by rental car or limo service. If you haven't found available accommodations in Highland Falls or Fort Montgomery, Newburgh has a variety of chain hotels. There are also many nice B&Bs. Your husband and son might enjoy a visit to nearby Storm King Art Center, a beautiful, outdoor 500-acre sculpture park where they can hike or ride the tram. Other options include a 2-hour narrated cruise along the Hudson Highlands or a tour of one of the many historic sites like Washington's Headquarters, Fort Montgomery or the New Windsor Cantonment.