New York State Trip Help (Mass to Niagara falls)

Bubblegum5586

I cannot believe H and I will be celebrating our 2 year anniversary in September! Time really does fly when your having fun. If you asked me 6 months ago what I wanted to do to celebrate I would have said a tropical trip... but we don't have the money for that. Since both of our birthdays (29) happen 5-30 days before our anniversary I think we can justify the cost as a birthday and anniversary trip (and we had mentioned that when we got married).

While looking on groupon for ideas I came across some options at Niagara falls. Mapquest says its about 7 hours... which is a longer drive (at least for me). So then I really start thinking and what if we make it a 3 night trip with a different stay each night to help break up the trip and add more adventure!

This is where I need your help and advice as I don't really know anything about the cities in New York. My thoughts were;

5 hour drive to Syracuse for the first night

3 hour drive from Syracuse to Niagara falls for the second night

5 hour drive from Niagara falls to Albany for the third night

2.5 hour drive from Albany to home

Is Syracuse and Albany cities worth visiting? Any suggestions on where to stay and what to do? Or is this trip too much driving and we should look at something closer?

pinkcow13

Congrats on your upcoming anniversary!!! I don't know much about Syracuse, but I went to college in Albany (and got engaged in Albany!) so I know a bit about the city. 

With Albany, I would stick to the downtown area. It is really pretty, and there are a lot of bars and restaurants that you can go to. They also open late (4AM) as opposed to Syracuse in which they only open till 2 (unless things changed from my college days.) If there is a band or musician that is in town, you can catch them at the Egg, or the Times Union Center. Albany is also the capital of New York, so if you guys are into that sort of thing, you can walk around the capital buildings and stuff.

If you guys like steak, I suggest Angelo's 877 Prime which is an amazing steakhouse. We actually went there after our engagement. It's a bit pricey, but it is perfect for a special, fancy night out. There is also a really nice park called Washington Park which hosts lots of different events throughout the year. Even if there isn't an event when you guys go, it is worth a visit. Maybe you guys can even have a picnic there, if you stay more than one night. 

I think Albany is such a beautiful and historic city, and it is definitely worth a visit

cupcait927

I live in Western NY (near Rochester) and went to Syracuse University. In my experience, Syracuse is not worth visiting. I might be a little jaded but it's just not an exciting big city. It's old, kind of sketchy and the only things worth seeing in my opinion is the mall (it's giant).  

If you want to stop somewhere for a night along the way, I'd suggest staying somewhere in the Finger Lakes - I can suggest a ton of nice inns/hotels/B&Bs, etc anywhere in the Finger Lakes. It's a little longer drive than if you stopped in Syracuse but much nicer in my opinion. There's also a ton of wineries & breweries if you have a little time and want to experience that. 

I don't know anything about Albany - I've only been out that way a couple of times for work - day trips so I didn't get to do anything outside of meetings. 

As far as the driving - that's a LOT of driving to do in a few days. You won't really have a lot of time to do anything in each place if you're in the car that much, unless you get up at dawn every day and don't hit traffic on each leg. Unless you can extend it by a couple of days, I'd look somewhere closer to where you live.

luckya23

I lived in Syracuse and live sort of near Albany now, and no way would I spend vacation days in those places. Especially Syracuse... it's a shit hole unless it's time for the state fair.

JoanE2012

I'd stay in Niagara Falls (Canadian side) all 3 nights. We went years ago for a long weekend and spent one of the days driving around the area visititing wineries and sampling lots of ice wine!

Your current itinerary seems like lots of driving each day and not enough time to enjoy any one place.

cupcait927

JoanE2012 said:

I'd stay in Niagara Falls (Canadian side) all 3 nights. We went years ago for a long weekend and spent one of the days driving around the area visititing wineries and sampling lots of ice wine! Your current itinerary seems like lots of driving each day and not enough time to enjoy any one place.

I agree with this. Or you could stay near my area (just south of Rochester in the middle of wine country and gorgeous lakes) for a night and then do two nights in Niagara Falls. From my area, it's less than a 2 hour drive to the falls. Just stay away from Syracuse!

ETA - Also, September in this part of NY is absolutely gorgeous with the leaves changing and the scenery - you won't get that nearly as much if you stay in a big city.

jenna8984

I haven't been to any of those places but just my 2 cents on driving- it sucks. We drove from Vegas to the Grand Canyon (4.5 hours). Walked around there for 2 hours then drove down to Sedona to sleep (2 hours). We were so exhausted from the drive, there is no way I'd have wanted to wake up and do it again the next day or two days. It was worth it for the multiple days we spent in each place but would not have been worth it at all if we just left those places the next day. I think you should stay in Niagara or something else like maybe the Poconos, PA.

climbingsingle

I'd skip Albany and Syracuse for sure. Will Ithaca be out of your way? Personally I think it's a cute town. What about Lake George? It's been so long since I drove up that far. 

novella1186

JoanE2012 said:

I'd stay in Niagara Falls (Canadian side) all 3 nights. We went years ago for a long weekend and spent one of the days driving around the area visititing wineries and sampling lots of ice wine! Your current itinerary seems like lots of driving each day and not enough time to enjoy any one place.

Also agree with this. You have to see the falls from the Canadian side!!! The Tower hotel has a great view (and is the least expensive of all the hotels with views-- at least when we stayed a couple summers ago) and is just down the street from the main part of town with all the bars and restaurants. The restaurant in The Tower hotel has pretty delicious food (and again, with an amazing view). 

On Fridays (and I think also Saturdays) they do fireworks over the falls, there's an amusement park type place there with a fun ferris wheel (go on it at night for an amazing view of everything all lit up) and then of course there's the boat tours. 

We spent a day driving around exploring the area, found a great wine shop, and went to the butterfly gardens. There's also botanical gardens. And of course I dragged H into every single gift shop in town. 

I think we spent 4 days there in total, which was enough, but we were not bored. 

TrixieJess

Syracuse isn't very nice, Oswego is close to it and is a bit nicer for a touristy little town. I've never been as far as Albany so I can't help you there. 

I agree with everyone that says to go to the Canadian side of the Falls, it's a bit more picturesque. If you can stay there for a couple of days, there are little places that you can travel around in Niagara that are really nice (Wineries galore). Also, with the Canadian dollar so low right now, you would save a bit of money, just keep in mind that Niagara Falls has a tourist tax.

Bubblegum5586

Thank you everyone for your help! I am definitely rethinking this... it does seem like a lot of driving (which I hate) for a short time period... I am going to look more into staying there all 3 nights, maybe the Poconos... or possibly something within 2 hours (there are a few options for that as well).

THANKS!!!

cu97tiger

I think a trip to the Finger Lakes would be worth a drive and you could spend all three nights there, or drive up to Niagara Falls for the day and come back. So many wineries, beautiful sights, hiking, cute little towns. Definitely worth a few hours drive!

monkeysip

H and I have driven 15 hours to Orlando in one day.  Twice.  So we're not opposed to long car trips.  If it were us, we'd just drive the 7 hours to Niagara and stay there the whole time.  ON THE CANADIAN SIDE!  If you go, you must go to Niagara on the Lake too.  Such a charming little town, great wineries, and the whirlpool jet boat is so much fun!

Happy anniversary!

cupcait927

cu97tiger said:

I think a trip to the Finger Lakes would be worth a drive and you could spend all three nights there, or drive up to Niagara Falls for the day and come back. So many wineries, beautiful sights, hiking, cute little towns. Definitely worth a few hours drive!

Yes, another vote for the Finger Lakes! I need more people to come here so I can share all of my knowledge about things to do - and all the wine!

lembaslover

I'm from Rochester NY which is about an hour east of Niagara Falls and now I live in Maine. As someone who's made the drive from Maine to Rochester and Niagara Falls (one of my favorite vacation spots) many times trust me it's not a bad drive at all. It's pretty much direct highway and there are some kind of scenic spots. If it were me I'd drive all the way there in one day so you can enjoy yourself while you're there. 

I'll also warn if you plan on going during a holiday weekend be prepared for a lot of traffic and having trouble parking. During Memorial Day weekend we spent an hour in the car from Rochester to Niagara and then another 2 hours driving around trying to find parking... So avoid holidays at all cost! 

Also if you're only going to do one falls tour do the Cave of the Winds that leaves from the NY side. It's the best in my opinion because you get to walk along the falls. The Canadian tour is cool because you actually go behind the falls but there's only a couple of spots where you get to look out where with the Cave of the Winds you get to see the falls the whole time while getting soaked! 

I agree with PP suggestions if you are going to stop somewhere in between for a night I recommend one of the finger lakes. Seneca lake is my favorite! So many wineries to try and it's beautiful! But all of the finger lakes I've visited are wonderful.

GoldenPenguin

I live just outside of Albany right now (literally five minutes), so if you do decide to come this way, I can give you some recommendations! 

If you're going to come here, I would definitely say to go up to at least Saratoga as opposed to the city of Albany. While Albany does have some great things (the state museum, Capital Building, etc), Saratoga is SOOO much nicer and more tourist-friendly. Plus, if you go in the beginning of September, the track will still be open, and that's always a fun time.

I'd skip Syracuse. I've been there several times for work, and the only good part is Dinosaur BBQ (and there's even one of those in Troy - right across the river from Albany, so you can go when you're here haha). Syracuse is ALWAYS dreary to me. 

CMGragain

Do you have passports?  You will need them to go to the Canada side of Niagra Falls.  Another vote for the Finger Lakes district.  Be sure and go on the wine tours

db1984

Adding my voice for the Finger Lakes area.  I'm born and raised in Rochester and while I hate the taxes in NYS, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.  It really is a beautiful area.  If you end up around Ithaca and are into hiking, they've got some great spots for that, lots of water falls, etc. 

For Niagara Falls, the Maid of the Mist was awesome when I was four and still awesome 35 years later when I took my kids on it.  They get near the falls, turn off the engines, and you just soak it all in (pun intended ).  Lots of touristy stuff in NF Canada and lots of history, too.  Old Fort Niagara on the NY side (north of NF), butterfly conservatory, great restaurants (if they're still in business, the Red Coach Inn on the NY side is very cool), etc.

Rochester has some cool stuff as well:  the George Eastman house, Eastman Theater (check their website for events), wonderful restaurants, Letchworth Park isn't too far away.  Lots of hidden gems in this region.  Have a wonderful trip!

labro

Ok so I was just in this area and have some thoughts.

1. Don't stay in Syracuse. Keep driving another 30ish miles until you hit the Finger Lakes region and spend 1 to 2 nights there instead. Hit up some wineries and have fun! We spent two nights in Geneva in an adorable historic row house and had a great time!

2. Don't spend all your time in Niagara Falls unless you like haunted houses, casinos, and shitty American chain restaurants. The falls were GORGEOUS and I highly recommend the Marriott Falls View hotel (especially paying for a superior view room) as a place to stay, but I definitely didn't want to linger.

3. Slightly north of Niagara Falls in Ontario are a ton of wineries! Can you tell I like wine? Anyway, Ontario is awesome about signage for various attractions. I wish H and I had planned a bit more time to stop and toodle around on our drive between Niagara and Toronto.

4. Rather than go straight back towards Albany, how about head northeast around Lake Ontario instead and spend a night or two in Toronto? It's a beautiful city and there's plenty to do. I wish we had had more time here again, I really wanted to visit the Royal Ontario Museum. We did visit the Parliament building and Queen's Park right in front of it.

GoldenPenguin

@LaBro - you didn't even mention your favorite part of the trip!! (visiting me, of course.)

labro

@GoldenPenguin I could always list your house and Vi as a local tourist attraction in Albany. Driving all that way out there to give you a big hug and have Violet snuggles was 150% worth it!

sassercake12

cupcait927 said:

I live in Western NY (near Rochester) and went to Syracuse University. In my experience, Syracuse is not worth visiting. I might be a little jaded but it's just not an exciting big city. It's old, kind of sketchy and the only things worth seeing in my opinion is the mall (it's giant).  

If you want to stop somewhere for a night along the way, I'd suggest staying somewhere in the Finger Lakes - I can suggest a ton of nice inns/hotels/B&Bs, etc anywhere in the Finger Lakes. It's a little longer drive than if you stopped in Syracuse but much nicer in my opinion. There's also a ton of wineries & breweries if you have a little time and want to experience that. 

I don't know anything about Albany - I've only been out that way a couple of times for work - day trips so I didn't get to do anything outside of meetings. 

As far as the driving - that's a LOT of driving to do in a few days. You won't really have a lot of time to do anything in each place if you're in the car that much, unless you get up at dawn every day and don't hit traffic on each leg. Unless you can extend it by a couple of days, I'd look somewhere closer to where you live.

Holler! 

Also throwing in a vote for the Finger Lakes region. It's a beautiful place in the summer and fall. Ithaca has some great hiking, as well as Watkins Glen. LOTS of wineries. I love Glenora on Seneca Lake. They also have cabins you can rent right on the lake. Will also recommend going to Letchworth Park (a bit southwest of Rochester, near Geneseo) for some hiking. It's absolutely beautiful.