VT, NY, and PA
 

A group of 20-somethings from Ireland and Scotland looking to take in sights from western VT to Lancaster, PA. We are more interested in agricultural/country attractions and less interested in sigh seeing cities and historical sites as we don't really know the history of this country in detail.

We are considering 5-7 days. Want to especially see Adirondack region, Niagara Falls, and Lancaster, PA.

Any help from some knowledgeable folks would be really appreciated!

What time of year are you traveling?

We will be traveling in 3 weeks.

Where are you landing in the US? What mode of transport to Western Vermont? For a historical site in Pennsylvania try Valley Forge and/or Gettysburg.
If you are planning on renting a car you should plan on returning it where you rented it.

Our family travels from north central Vt (near Montpelier) to southeastern PA fairly often because my we have family not too far from Lancaster and a son at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. It is a full day drive with no stops, but there is plenty to do along the way and we often try to break up the trip.

Not sure where you mean by "western VT"--Burlington area? if so going west on the ferry from Burlington to New york puts you at the edge of the beautiful Adirondacks high peaks region near Lake Placid/Keene Valley.

Going to Niagara Falls takes you way out of a logical route to Lancaster, far to the west. It is about 300 miles if you take the highway route from Albany to Buffalo. From there you would have to go south then east through much of PA to reach Lancaster. So a lot of driving and not much time for seeing things other than Niagara Falls

Are you interested in Lancaster because of the Amish population? There are lots of tours/tourist attractions but driving around on your own is probably the most interesting way to see the area. I recommend the Ephrata Cloister and Landis Valley Village and Farm museum

I am hoping your 5 to 7 days is the travel time between Vt and Lancaster and that you have additional time in both locations.

One way to learn about the history of an area is to visit it. :) You don't need to know the history in advance. As vttraveler says, if you look at a map (maps.google.com) you'll see Niagara Falls is waaaaay out of the way from the route you describe and imo not worth the drive.

Do go through the Adirondacks and visit the Adirondack Museum. If you are traveling cheap, stay at the ADK Loj. Build in time for a hike.