Hello everyone. My wife and 2 daughters and I are heading up to a Niagara Falls/Toronto vacation in 2 weeks. It's about a 7-8 hour drive up to Niagara from our home in Central New Jersey, and we're taking I-80 into PA and then I-81 up into New York. We were originally planning to leave at 5 am the morning of the trip and drive straight through, but now we're re-thinking and considering leaving the afternoon or night before and driving part of the way, stopping for the night, then driving the rest of the way in the morning.

So, my question is--does anyone have any suggestions for places to stay along the I-81 corridor (or even I-690 prior to getting on I-90) that won't be too taxing on an already bloated vacation budget?

Again, many thanks for your assistance!

ttt

Are you looking for a place to stop or do you want to sight see? A bit off 81 (about 1/2 hour on rt 13) is Ithaca, NY, with beautiful state parks and good restaurants. Along 81, right as you switch to 90, is Syracuse, NY, where there is a zoo, erie canal museum, etc.

If your daughters are almost college age, you can also tour the campuses in both cities.

I did a Mapquest search on the time it takes to go from New Brunswick (central New Jersey) to Niagra Falls. It says you can do the 400 mile drive in 6 hours and 40 minutes (an average of 60 mph). Allowing time for rest stops and lunch you might be able to stretch it to 8 hours if you stick to the speed limit or less. If you leave at 8 am, you'll be there by 4 pm, assuming you don't have to be there at some specific time. I suppose you could stop in Binghamton or Syracuse which are near the halfway point but I don't see the point.

I'd second the Ithaca suggestion. I drove from Ithaca to Toronto (three?) years ago, and it was a very nice drive. I don't know if you are spending the night in Niagara Falls or not, but we had plenty of time to leave Ithaca in the morning, take the scenic route along Lake Cayuga, get into Niagara Falls for lunch, spend 4-5 hours at Niagara, and get to Toronto in time to check into our hotel, shower, and have a late dinner.

I'm not sure about lodging in Ithaca though, as my brother is a PhD student at Cornell, so I always stay with him when I'm there.

All the moderately priced chains are represented just off Exit 49 of the NY Freeway, just east of Buffalo. Lots of good dining choices nearby and a Denny's (we love that place for breakfast).

If you're stopping midway, Binghamton is probably a good place for stopping, as the hotel/motel prices in that area always seem a bit low.

I'd be inclined to stay on I-80 then cut north thru Alleghany Forest in PA, or to get off I-81 and travel up thru Finger Lakes region. Wife & 2 daughters? Maybe a stop at Seneca Falls for the Womans Hall of Fame and the Elisebeth Cady Stanton house (or was that S.B.Anthony??)

Glass Museum in Corning is worth a visit and is probably right on the way or nearly so.

Also hiking the falls in Watkins Glen nearby.

www.freetrip.com will give you hotel/motel suggestions along the route in various price ranges. It will also tell you how far into the trip each hotel is located, so you can choose a stop based on how long you want to drive the first day.

We are going from central NJ to the falls also this August.

We are stopping in Seneca Falls in the finger lakes region in NY.

We are not staying the night, just taking the scenic route, but from the Internet websites it looks like a nice town.