arthuristo

Hello guys, we are a couple on our first trip to NY state.
we are going to do a road trip from NYC to Niagara via Hershey's and then back to NYC via Stowe, NH.
I would like to know where are the best pit stops between Hershey and Niagara and between Niagara and Stowe.
The pit stops, preferably with interesting food

Also, what is the best(cheapest of course) car rental service in NYC?

Thanks in advance!

1IntrepidTraveler

Use Google Maps to plan your route. When you get to an area where you will want to eat, search for restaurants nearby and use their rating system as advice (not gospel, of course)... Your planned trip will go through a lot of areas where there is a dearth of interesting food...

arthuristo

I had hoped for something more specific so I could know in advance where I need to go.
For now I have found three possible places - ithaca, corning and watkins glenn.

IMDonehere

I have driven to Syracuse many times and then onto Niagara Falls. There is Cooperstown, museums in Buffalo and Syracuse, Corning Museum. Watkins Glen State Park and Letchworth State Park.

There are many more interesting places in the Hudson Valley and better eating-Storm King, Rhinebeck, Cold Spring, West Point, Culinary Institute, Kykuit, and Hyde Park.

Look at the car rental prices from the airports or outside Manhattan. The prices from Manhattan are outrageous.

dfrostnh

I think you mean Stowe Vermont.
It's a 7 1/2 hour drive between Niagara and Stowe Vt. Do you plan to do the drive in one day? Google maps sends you near Burlington VT which has a lot of good options for lunch and dinner. For an interesting spot, if you are traveling on the right day, you could get pizza at Pizza on Earth in Charlotte VT but you need great directions to this farm bakery.

garyt22

After leaving Hershey, you should head for Corning Glass museum, Ithaca, and Watkins Glen. If you are nature people, Watkins Glen State Park has an amazing trail with waterfalls and great scenery. That area is the heart of the Finger Lakes and wine region... lake cruises, historic resorts and hotels... Drive up the lake until you get to Geneva and then take Route 20 west, through amazing towns, villages and historic sites... once you reach Letchworth State Park, take some time to see the "Grand Canyon of the East"...

continue along Rt 20 to the Village of East Aurora, where you can stop at Vidlers 5 and dime, where there is a lot of everything... then jump on the highway rt400 for your trip to Niagara...

tomfuller

What month? Are you sure that you must fly to New York city? If the car rentals are a lot in NYC, try taking the Amtrak #641 or #643 Keystone train from Penn Station to Middletown PA. MID station is about 2-3 miles from the MDT Harrisburg airport. Taxi or Lyft from the train station to the airport (or fly there). Car rentals should be much cheaper there. Begin and end your car rental there and fly from there instead of any of the New York airports.
Hershey is less than 10 miles from the airport and train station in Middletown.
The other way involving a train would be to take one of the Empire Service or the Maple Leaf to Buffalo or to Niagara Falls New York. There is a station in Niagara Falls Ontario if you have your passports. The view from the Canadian side of the falls is better in many peoples view.

IMDonehere

Tomfuller
It is a road trip not a scavenger hunt.

tomfuller

As IMDonehere said, car rental prices from Manhattan are outrageous. Taking a train out of the city to a place where car rentals are cheaper, makes sense to me. Taking the Vermonter to Springfield or north of there and renting there would also make sense if you wanted to see some of Vermont.
Explain why you want to leave from New York City.
I would never fly to a New York City airport unless I was transferring to another flight. I might fly to Newark or BWI which have good connection to the Amtrak system.

kja

IMO, Ithaca would be a great stop! The area is full of some glorious waterfalls -- some, like Taughannock, would be best seen en route; others are within easy walking distance of the heart of Ithaca itself. And if you go there, the Moosewood Cafe would be worth considering -- even if you don't normally seek vegetarian meals.

Enjoy!