When people think of New York, I’m pretty sure NYC is the first place that comes to mind. However, having lived in the suburbs north of the city all my life, I can tell you that there’s so much more to this wonderful state. A couple of months ago, my husband and I agreed that this summer was the perfect time for me to take our two children, ages 8 and 11, on an epic road trip of New York state. Before we take on any more distant travels, we thought that it was important that the kids see as much of New York State as possible. Planning this trip also made me realize how much of the state that I have never visited.
After several months of planning, I’ve narrowed down our road trip into four separate itineraries. State parks, amusement parks and historical sites are all mapped out.
Our first leg will start July 19, after we spend 4th of July with my family in Rhode Island and celebrate my son’s 9th birthday. The kids and I will head to Albany, Saratoga, Lake George and the Lake Placid area. My husband will be joining us for a long weekend, but for most of the trip I’ll be traveling alone with the kids.
After a few days back home, my husband will be joining us for our second leg during the first weekend in August. All four of us will be traveling to the Buffalo/Niagara area and visiting Niagara Falls.
The third leg kicks off the second weekend in August, when the four of us will be heading up to Binghamton and Ithaca. Part of this trip will include visiting Binghamton University and Cornell University, our alma maters.
The final leg of the trip will be in mid-August when I will take the kids to visit Corning, Rochester and Syracuse.
In between road trips, we will be exploring local attractions in Westchester and Dutchess counties as well as the Catskills. Although we will be seeing a lot this summer, I know that this is only a small portion of all that there is to see and do in New York State.
This is going to be a memorable adventure for our family. Not only am I breaking out of my comfort zone by taking the kids solo for most of the trip, but most of these places are new to me as well! You can follow us on our adventures on social media. I’ll be using #NYSummer2017 and #NYFoodieFamilyRoadTrip in all my travel posts. And since there’s about a month before our first leg of the trip, please leave any suggestions or must-see attractions in the areas that I mentioned we’re visiting!
You should try to get to Lockport on your Buffalo / Niagara trip. See the two super locks that lift the Erie Canal boats up the Niagara Escarpment. There is a boat tour and a “cave ” tour although the cave is actually man made.
Thanks for the suggestion! I will definitely look into this.
And the Buffalo News just did an article on the Lockport Caves!
http://buffalonews.com/2017/06/02/100-things-lockport-caves/
Wow, this looks cool! Thanks for the link! Will definitely try to get here.
Albany…NYS Museum, Thatcher Park, Capitol building.
Satatoga…Gavin Splash Park, the horse track, SPAC for a concert.
Lake George…Great Escape, Lake George cruises (the Mini Haha is fun), Million Dollar Beach.
I live smack dab in the middle of these areas, so let me know if you have any questions or need recommendations!
Thanks for all the suggestions! All three of your Albany recommendations are already on our itinerary! I have the horse track, of course for Saratoga but not the others. I have Saratoga Spa State park and Yaddo Gardens for Saratoga. I also have Great Escape for Lake George. I was debating a Lake George cruise but wasn’t sure the kids would enjoy it. We’ve done boat cruises and they haven’t really been into them. I will definitely use you as a resource if needed! Thanks so much!