New York to Niagra
May 20th, 1999 | 03:06 PM
#2
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New York City to Niagara falls can easily be done in two weeks. Recommend a long stay in New York City since there is so much to see, eat and do. On the route from New York to Niagara Falls, I recommend a stop in the Catskill Mountains about 90 miles north of New York. Suggest staying at the Mohonk Mountain House (in the town of New Paltz, NY) for great scenary, hiking and swimming. Another nice option is he Beekman Arms in te own of Rhinebeck, NY. Both are near the town of Woodstock (namesake for the famous 1969 and less famous 1994 rock concerts) for a visit. I think they are having another festival this summer which may interest your teenagers. I thik the concert is in Rome, NY some time in July.
Somewhat off the path from Niagara, but worth a visit is the town of Saratoga. A beautiful place with pretty parks, an outdoor concert hall (classical & modern music) and, if your visiting in late July or August, a famous thoroughbred horse track - a very exciting time to visit.
There are other stops you can make on your way to Niagara Falls, but those two are my favorites. Enjoy your trip !!
May 20th, 1999 | 03:10 PM
#3
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New York City to Niagara falls can easily be done in two weeks. Recommend a long stay in New York City since there is so much to see, eat and do. On the route from New York to Niagara Falls, I recommend a stop in the Catskill Mountains about 90 miles north of New York. Suggest staying at the Mohonk Mountain House (in the town of New Paltz, NY) for great scenery, hiking and swimming. Another nice option is the Beekman Arms in the town of Rhinebeck, NY. Both are near the village of Woodstock (namesake for the famous 1969 and less famous 1994 rock concerts) for a visit. I think they are having another festival this summer which may interest your teenagers. I think the concert is in Rome, NY some time in July.
Somewhat off the path from New York to Niagara, but worth a visit, is the town of Saratoga. A beautiful place with pretty parks, an outdoor concert hall (classical & modern music) and, if your visiting in late July or August, a famous thoroughbred horse track - a very exciting time to visit.
There are other stops you can make on your way to Niagara Falls, but those two are my favorites. Enjoy your trip !!
May 20th, 1999 | 03:39 PM
#4
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Totally agree with the hotel and other suggestions by previous poster. Also, there are dozens of sites to see in the Hudson Valley (i.e., along the Hudson River north of New York City):
1. Kykuit--the Rockefeller Estate in Pocantico Hills, Westchester County. (They offer two excellent two-hour tours--one of the interior of the main house and one of the magnificent gardens.)
2. The Roosevelt home and museum in Hyde Park.
3. Dozens of restorations.
4. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Etc., etc., etc.
I can recommend two excellent websites for the Lower Hudson Valley:
www.hvnet.com
www.hudsonvalley.co
1. Kykuit--the Rockefeller Estate in Pocantico Hills, Westchester County. (They offer two excellent two-hour tours--one of the interior of the main house and one of the magnificent gardens.)
2. The Roosevelt home and museum in Hyde Park.
3. Dozens of restorations.
4. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Etc., etc., etc.
I can recommend two excellent websites for the Lower Hudson Valley:
www.hvnet.com
www.hudsonvalley.co
May 20th, 1999 | 05:09 PM
#5
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I, too, would highly recommend a couple or more days in Niagara Falls - the Canadian Side, where there's lots to see and do, terrific options for viewing the falls, and gorgeous landscaping. Also worth a visit is Niagara-on-the-Lake about a 30 minute drive north. Be sure to check out http://www.tourismniagara.com/
May 20th, 1999 | 05:31 PM
#6
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You can fit lots of stuff in 2 weeks. The drive itself is about 3 hours to Albany, and about 7 from Albany to Niagra Falls. If you had to, you could do this in 3 days, so there's lots of time. As mentioned, the Catskills are on the way, so by all means stop. The places mentioned are right on the money, I'll even add another if you're there on a weekend. The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome has WWI bi-planes that they dogfight and take you on "barn storming" rides on the weekends.
If you're going by Albany, Saratoga is not a bad idea, and I also suggest taking a side tour to Vermont seeing the amount of time you have. Bennington VT is just an hour across the way from Albany, it's a sleepy town with the Grandma Moses/Bennington Pottery musuem. If you look at a map and take the route just to south of the direct one to Vermont, you end up in Mass. on your way to Bennington. There are 2 really top notch art museums thers if that interests you.
If you're OK with driving by all means head north along the very scenic route 7 ride up along Lake Champlain. Cross back to the NY side by ferry and head to the "other" mountains in NY - the Adirondacks. I'd suggest going to Lake Placid for a day, site of 2 Winter Olympics. (Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake are other peacful areas to go to)
Don't forget Fort Ticonderoga in this area either. (or as a Brit shouldn't we mention that subject ;-)
Travel back towards Albany and go west. Cooperstown has one of our countries icons, the Baseball Hall of Fame, but that may well be lost on some "Brits". In any case there is the Farmers Musuem and Fenimore Cooper House there as well for those not into American Sports.
Traveling further west you can drop down a bit and visit the Finger Lakes area. There are a lot of wineries in the area to visit. Then from there actually travel off to the Falls.
If you still haven't done enough driving you could drop down even further from the finger Lakes before going to the Falls. Check into the Corning Glass works.
This may sound like a lot of driving (and it is), but with 14 days to do it in, it's probably not more than 2-3 hours each day. If your 2 weeks includes NYC, then scale this down and pick your spots. You probably won't do both the Finger Lakes and the Adirondacks in that case. Do the Catskills no matter what. I highly suggest Vermont/Mass. which shouldn't
cost you much more than 2 extra driving hours. The rest - you decide.
If you're going by Albany, Saratoga is not a bad idea, and I also suggest taking a side tour to Vermont seeing the amount of time you have. Bennington VT is just an hour across the way from Albany, it's a sleepy town with the Grandma Moses/Bennington Pottery musuem. If you look at a map and take the route just to south of the direct one to Vermont, you end up in Mass. on your way to Bennington. There are 2 really top notch art museums thers if that interests you.
If you're OK with driving by all means head north along the very scenic route 7 ride up along Lake Champlain. Cross back to the NY side by ferry and head to the "other" mountains in NY - the Adirondacks. I'd suggest going to Lake Placid for a day, site of 2 Winter Olympics. (Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake are other peacful areas to go to)
Don't forget Fort Ticonderoga in this area either. (or as a Brit shouldn't we mention that subject ;-)
Travel back towards Albany and go west. Cooperstown has one of our countries icons, the Baseball Hall of Fame, but that may well be lost on some "Brits". In any case there is the Farmers Musuem and Fenimore Cooper House there as well for those not into American Sports.
Traveling further west you can drop down a bit and visit the Finger Lakes area. There are a lot of wineries in the area to visit. Then from there actually travel off to the Falls.
If you still haven't done enough driving you could drop down even further from the finger Lakes before going to the Falls. Check into the Corning Glass works.
This may sound like a lot of driving (and it is), but with 14 days to do it in, it's probably not more than 2-3 hours each day. If your 2 weeks includes NYC, then scale this down and pick your spots. You probably won't do both the Finger Lakes and the Adirondacks in that case. Do the Catskills no matter what. I highly suggest Vermont/Mass. which shouldn't
cost you much more than 2 extra driving hours. The rest - you decide.
May 20th, 1999 | 06:36 PM
#7
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Many good suggestions already... one correction though: Albany to Niagara Falls can be driven in about 5 hours at legal speeds (65mph). My additional suggestion is a drive through the Finger Lakes region with visits to Watkins Glen State Park, Ithaca NY (home to Cornell University and an interesting, eclectic small town), continue up though the lakes wine growing region and see Letchworth State park before continuing to Buffalo (the park is known as the "Grand Canyon of the East" and is spectacular). If you're interested in photography or in a unique overview of American history from the cultural, everyday viewpoint I'd also suggest the Eastman Museum of Photography and the Strong Museum, both in Rochester.
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May 21st, 1999 | 04:53 AM
#8
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Ian, you have had a wealth of excellent information presented to you by experts. A few notes and comments:
- Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate in Pocantico Hills just north of New York City is indeed spectacular, but requires a reservation. We booked about three weeks in advance; if you'e interested, I will track down the telephon number on yur behalf.
- If your travel plans are for July or August, then Saratoga Springs is a must. This is one of America's original spa resorts, and the Gideon Putnam Hotel still stands within Saratoga Sprungs State Park. During those two months, the Saratoga Performing Arts Cente is at its most active, with the New York City Ballet and Philadelphia Orchestra in residence. There's also a healthy sprinkling of touring rock acts for your teenagers. While shed tickets may be difficult to obtain, lawn seats are always available. You may well find it one of your most memorable experiences in New York.
- Saratoga Springs is also a few miles from the Saratoga National Battlefield, where the turning point of the American Revolution took place. The battlefield is very well preserved and explained. If you or either of those teenagers have an interest in military history (or how Burgoyne could have so badly managed his troops), this is an afternoon well spent.
Albany is a centrally located spot for touring and, if you are on a budget, there is a large concentration of budget- and mid-priced chain hotels in the suburb of Colonie. They are chocablock along Wolf Rd., which is exit 2 off of the Northway, better known as Interstate 87. From Albany, Saratoga Springs is an hour, Cooperstown just over an hour, Lake George 90 minutes.
As you head west, Syracuse offers a comparable assortment of lodgings. One of the respondents above is Owen O'Neill, who I believe lives in that area and can offer specifics about where to stay with two teens.
Let me know if I can be of further help.
- Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate in Pocantico Hills just north of New York City is indeed spectacular, but requires a reservation. We booked about three weeks in advance; if you'e interested, I will track down the telephon number on yur behalf.
- If your travel plans are for July or August, then Saratoga Springs is a must. This is one of America's original spa resorts, and the Gideon Putnam Hotel still stands within Saratoga Sprungs State Park. During those two months, the Saratoga Performing Arts Cente is at its most active, with the New York City Ballet and Philadelphia Orchestra in residence. There's also a healthy sprinkling of touring rock acts for your teenagers. While shed tickets may be difficult to obtain, lawn seats are always available. You may well find it one of your most memorable experiences in New York.
- Saratoga Springs is also a few miles from the Saratoga National Battlefield, where the turning point of the American Revolution took place. The battlefield is very well preserved and explained. If you or either of those teenagers have an interest in military history (or how Burgoyne could have so badly managed his troops), this is an afternoon well spent.
Albany is a centrally located spot for touring and, if you are on a budget, there is a large concentration of budget- and mid-priced chain hotels in the suburb of Colonie. They are chocablock along Wolf Rd., which is exit 2 off of the Northway, better known as Interstate 87. From Albany, Saratoga Springs is an hour, Cooperstown just over an hour, Lake George 90 minutes.
As you head west, Syracuse offers a comparable assortment of lodgings. One of the respondents above is Owen O'Neill, who I believe lives in that area and can offer specifics about where to stay with two teens.
Let me know if I can be of further help.
May 21st, 1999 | 08:14 AM
#9
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Sorry, I should given the website for getting tickets to Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate:
www.hudsonvalley.org
(You can also call for reservations at 914-631-9491. The previous poster is correct about getting tickets in advance. However, you can sometime get same-day tickets if you go first thing in the morning.
Email me if you have questions about the lower Hudson Valley. (It begins about 20-25 miles north of New York City along the Hudson River.)
www.hudsonvalley.org
(You can also call for reservations at 914-631-9491. The previous poster is correct about getting tickets in advance. However, you can sometime get same-day tickets if you go first thing in the morning.
Email me if you have questions about the lower Hudson Valley. (It begins about 20-25 miles north of New York City along the Hudson River.)
