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  1. #1
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    Default Niagara Falls Road trip feedback

    At the very beginning of plotting a June road trip to Niagara Falls. This will be a two week bonanza covering a lot of territory. I'm looking for ideas on how long to stay different places. What cities to look at visiting. Attractions we can pass up and what we absolutely should see.

    We are a family of five with kids from 10 to 16. We're starting in Kansas City and planning to loop up to Green Bay to visit family and then take the ferry across to Michigan and go across it and into Canada to head to Niagara Falls. Then loop down through New York (not as far as NYC) and Pennsylvania and head back west.

    Possible stops I'm considering:

    Erie Canal
    Corning Museum of Glass
    Santa Claus, Indiana
    Hershey PA
    Notre Dame

    For reference, we have never been north of Tennessee or east of Missouri, but have traveled all of the southeast and west. Not afraid of long mile days for driving.

    Our future trips include 2021 for Chicago and Cedar Point amusement parks in Ohio and then 2022 would be historical Virginia and DC. So this is not our only time driving through these states.

  2. #2
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    Depending on interest and age. Cooperstown, NY. Super cute town, baseball hall of fame, brewery, opera house, beautiful lake,

  3. #3
    wendibird22's Avatar
    wendibird22 is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Glad you are doing the Canadian side of the Falls. Do the Maid of the Mist for sure. Corning Museum of Glass is fun and interesting and you can schedule to participate in a glass making activity. If you like outdoors/hiking, check out Letchworth State Park which was voted best NY State Park. Nice hiking trails, huge park, public pool, view of water falls. Another great state park is Stonybrook which has a natural swimming area from damning up the water. It's freezing cold but kids LOVE it. For the Erie Canal you can do a canal boat ride (nice ones leave from Fairport NY and Pittsford NY). You can also bike/walk/run along the Erie Canal easily in the Rochester area.

    I'd also recommend Pittsburgh if you are staying on the west side of PA. Depending on your path back West out of NY/PA, I'd recommend a stop in Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
    Mom to two amazing DDs ('07 & '09) and a fur baby.

    Gluten free since Nov '11 after non-celiac gluten sensitive diagnosis. Have had great improvement or total elimination of: migraines, bloating/distention, heartburn, cystic acne, canker sores, bleeding gums, eczema on elbows, dry skin and scalp, muscle cramps, PMS, hair loss, heart palpitations, fatigue. I'm amazed.

  4. #4
    mom2binsd is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Check out Ausable
    Chasm, in the Adirondacks, amazing and perfect for your crew, the lazy river tubing is awesome. Lake placid is fun to visit, check to see if they have any activities you would like.

    Do you have hockey fans, then stop at the Hockey hall of Fame in Toronto (a slight detour maybe).

    Why Santa Claus, Indiana?



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  5. #5
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    In Michigan, my number one recommendation is the Henry Ford, including the Ford Rouge Plant tour

  6. #6
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    We went to NF this past summer. It was really fun! I didn't know what to expect. We did Maid of the Mist and it was better than I expected. You will get wet. There's also a tour where you go behind the falls on foot that we didn't do that I would like to do next time. There's also a zip line that goes next to the falls which one DD and I went on. That was exhilarating. We only did a day trip, since we were staying in the Finger Lakes district of NY. As we were leaving I saw the area with all the hotels and restaurants. Very tourist-trappy, but in a fun way.

    My Detroit native ILs went to the Motown museum for the first time while entertaining out-of-town relatives. They raved about it.

    If it were us, we would hit some Major League or Minor League parks, since you're going in June. We saw the Rochester Red Wings vs the Syracuse Mets (Tim Tebow struck out every time he was at bat, I seem to recall.)
    Mommy to my wonderful, HEALTHY twin girls
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  7. #7
    gobadgers is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    We went last summer - such a fun place! We liked seeing both the U.S. and Canadian side of the falls (though we stayed in the Canadian side). I felt like one night was enough.

    My parents rave about Niagara on the Lake, which is about an hour away. We didn't make it there but will definitely make the detour if we are in the area again.

    I was hoping to go to the Corning Museum on the same trip, but we didn't end up with enough days (we also went to Maine and Quebec). If I remember correctly, they had a lot of hands-on workshops for kids and adults that sounded amazing, but you had to be able to pick up your project the next day.

    If you have time in Green Bay, a visit to Lambeau Field is pretty cool, even if you're not Packers fans. Or even football fans, really!
    -Christine

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  8. #8
    ncat is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    We went to Niagara falls and Corning museum of glass in 2019 - it was a good trip. Crossing by foot was fun for my kids and had some of the best views. Hiking on the US side was also really nice and less crowded. Also the gardens on the Canadian side.
    I loved the Corning museum and the town itself was a nice overnight stop. I would have enjoyed another half day there.
    We also stopped in Watkins Glen Park, fun hiking but more crowded than ideal.

  9. #9
    AnnieW625's Avatar
    AnnieW625 is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    Ontario is currently in a 6 week stay at home order, and the border is closed until at least May 21st.

    https://www.niagarafallstourism.com/...9-information/

    I hate to be a buzz kill but could you possibly plan an alternative route just in case the border is still closed
    or Ontario extends their stay at home order?


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    Annie
    WOHM to two wonderful little girls born in April
    DD E, 17
    DD L, 13,
    baby 2, 4-2009 (our Tri-18 baby)

  10. #10
    mmsmom is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by AnnieW625 View Post
    Ontario is currently in a 6 week stay at home order, and the border is closed until at least May 21st.

    https://www.niagarafallstourism.com/...9-information/

    I hate to be a buzz kill but could you possibly plan an alternative route just in case the border is still closed
    or Ontario extends their stay at home order?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Niagara Falls is not the same from the US side. You need to be in Canada for the full view. If you are OK with a US road trip then I would continue planning but if the goal is Canada I would make alternate plans. Things are not good there now and who knows what it will be in June but it is risky to assume border will be open then.

    But if you do get to Canada there is a pass you can get that includes Maid of the Mist, Behind the Falls, butterfly garden and the area further north with a nice walk next to the river (can’t remember name). We also enjoyed Niagara on the Lake about 20 minutes north that has great shops and restaurants and lots of wineries.

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