There are plenty of places to stop between Boston and the Niagara Falls – I drove from Boston to the Niagara Falls via New York City and back through Albany. This road trip took me nine days and I stopped in various places along the way, many of them integral parts of the USA’s history.
If you are looking for places to stop between Boston and the Niagara Falls first you need to decide which way you want to start driving. If you want to drive from Boston to the Niagara Falls directly then read this post back to front as I list the stops from Boston to New York first, then the Niagara Falls and finally driving back to Boston via Rochester and Albany.
Anyhow, whichever way you drive, I would recommend reading through this post as I list many places and stops along Highway 2, I-95, I-87 and various other famous highways.
Visiting New England In The Fall
A leaf peeping road trip around New England in the fall season is the perfect getaway for a family or any solo traveller. Hopping into your car and driving around the lakes, forests and many hidden scenic routes is an unforgettable experience!
This is exactly why I picked New England for a week-long adventure, driving in a rental car from Boston to the Niagara Falls via New York City. A leaf peeping road trip from Boston to the Niagara Falls, via Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Canandaigua as well as Rochester, Albany and Ithaca will showcase you what these New England states have to offer.
New England Road Trip Stops
A road trip in New England will take you past beautiful beaches, historic old towns and a number of State Capitols, driving on Interstate I-95, one of the US’s oldest interstate highways.
During a road trip in New England you will learn about the history of the US, visiting centuries old towns dotted along highways off the beaten path. A road trip in New England during the fall will also allow you the opportunity to do a bit of “leaf peeping“, discovering the beautiful scenery in these great old states.
You can do this scenic road trip around New England any time of the year but the best season is undoubtedly the fall, when the foliage starts to turn a myriad of colours.
From September onward, the roads in New England are lined with golden and orange coloured trees and locals and tourists alike flock outdoors to immerse in some of the most breathtaking fall foliage views in the Northeast.
My first trip to New England was in mid-October, arriving in Boston in the fall where I hired a car for a week. My plan for this fall foliage scenic road trip was to drive all the way to New York and then on to the Niagara Falls stopping at various historic old towns.
By then the leaves had sufficiently turned red and yellow but the weather was still warm for nice long walks at the occasional stops between Boston and the Niagara Falls via New York City.
New England Fall Foliage Itinerary
- Fly to Boston and spend a night or two here exploring this great city
- Stop off in Providence, the capital of Rhode Island for an afternoon
- Visit Mystic Seaport, America’s greatest shipping museum
- Stop for a pick-nick in Rocky Neck State Park
- Sleep in Lordship at one of the seaside motels
- Stop for breakfast in Greenwich and people watch
- Stay in New York, the sleepless Big Apple!
- Drive on I-87 until the junction with Highway 6
- Drive to the Catskills Mountains on the narrow, scenic roads
- Stop at Phoenicia for lunch at Alamo Cantina
- Drive to Ithaca to visit the famous Cornell University
- Arrive at Canandaigua for the night at the Econo Lodge
- Visit the Granger Homestead in Canandaigua, a historic home
- Drive to Buffalo to visit the Niagara Falls
- Visit the George Eastman House in Rochester
- Drive Along the Eire Canal to Albany before driving back to Boston
Things to Do in Boston in the Fall
Boston in the fall is a perfect place to stop to experience big city life – yet still enjoy nature at its best. Boston in New England is a great city for two reasons: you can visit most tourist spots in a couple of days and Boston has great parks and walks that offer you the opportunity to learn about the early days of US history.
Boston is also the perfect starting point of a road trip to New York, Albany and the Niagara Falls.
I spent a day in Boston during my road trip around New England. I flew into Logan Airport with Norwegian from London and rented a car from Alamo for a week. For my first night I stayed at the Rodeway Inn at Logan Airport which was the cheapest option in Boston.
There was a special event in Boston that weekend so all hotels were fully booked and those left were very expensive! Even if there is no event, be prepared to pay higher prices for rooms in Boston as it is one of the most expensive places to visit in the US. This is especially true during the fall when tourists flock here to experience the foliage turning a myriad of colors.
Breakfast in Boston
I had a very early breakfast at Dunkin Donuts then headed into town to walk around the historic district. Once in the city, the best thing to do is to find the waterfront and walk along towards Charlestown Bridge and join the Freedom Trail, stopping at the various info posts.
The Freedom Trail will take you along all the historic sites that you need to see and the walk will take about 2-3 hours (Download it using THIS link).
I started my walk at the waterside where all the old bridges are. The Boston Riverside Walk was really enjoyable, stopping at the various fascinating historic structures which tell a lot about the wealth of a city. The more bridges, the more money a city had to connect both sides of its river.
Boston Freedom Trail Walk
I joined the Freedom Trail at Charlestown Bridge near Langone Park. The walk takes about five minutes to Copp’s Hill Terrace and Charter Street.
Once you are on Charter Street it is the first right onto Salem Street to reach Old North Church. This church is a stop along the trail, behind which is the memorial monument to fallen US soldiers.
As you carry on, you will reach the Paul Revere Mall, a grassy park with several benches. Walk to the end and turn right onto Hanover Street, the main artery of Boston’s walking district. There are various restaurants and bars here if you are hungry or thirsty.
Historic Sights in Boston
At the end of Hannover Street is a wide open space, which used to be the elevated Freeway through Boston. The freeway is now underground in a structure called “The Big Dig”.
Thanks to the “Big Dig” it is super easy to get into town and parking is plentiful if you know where to look. It is also possible to park on the street in Boston, just make sure you don’t block the fire hydrant because that will be a fine of $100! (I know this from experience – ouch!)
The ugly Freeway has now given way to a beautiful park full of flowers and fountains. A historic Boston fruit and vegetable market is also here near the old freeway. The historic Haymarket Public Market sells everything from seafood, flowers and fruits and vegetables, so if you are peckish after a long walk you can stop here to fill up.
Once you reach the end of Hanover Street, turn right onto the New England Holocaust Memorial Park. It is a sombre reminder of those killed in concentration camps across Europe.
Boston’s Quincy Market
The road from here will take you to Quincy Market, a historic market hall filled with restaurants and bars as well as shops. Boston’s new and old identities meet here, merging historic and modern so seemlessly. The high rises in the background contrast the historic Old State House, which stands there, looking almost lonely amid the forest of skyscrapers.
Walk up on Washington Street and turn right on School Street to reach the old cemetery and Boston Common. The cemetery is worth a wonder as it will remind you how old Boston really is.
Walk to Boston Common after the cemetery to admire the golden domed State Capitol and the park itself where Bostonians regularly enjoy a sunny day out!
Eat a Boston Cream Pie
You cannot leave Boston without eating a famous Boston Cream Pie. The cream pie was invented by the Omni Parker House Hotel on School Street. I don’t often say this, but you cannot leave Boston without eating a Boston Cream Pie, sitting in this cafe. The cream pie is quite expensive in my opinion, given it is a rather small slice – coming in at $9 a piece, but I still remember the taste!
Things to do in Providence
Having checked out Boston, I carried on with my leaf peeping road trip down south towards Providence, the capital of Rhode Island State.
I left Boston early in afternoon, just after lunch and arrived in Providence a short drive later. Providence, the capital of Rhode Island is a great stop between Boston and Mystic City, a must-see stop on the way to New York City.
Providence in itself has plenty to offer for an afternoon trip as well. Driving to Providence is very scenic, with lots of trees lining both sides of the freeway, slowly turning gold and red colored in the fall.
Providence is only a short drive away from Boston, taking the I-93 then the I-95. The drive to Providence from Boston is not very eventful, although you can stop for walks in nearby forests for a break. I would say the best is to drive to Providence on the freeway and enjoy the fall foliage views.
Once you have arrived in Providence just park up in the shopping mall off the interstate and check out the nearby sights. The mall is right next to the capitol building and from there you can go and discover Providence and its many tourist spots easily.
Parking on the street near the Capitol is also possible provided you have plenty of coins for the machines. The Providence Capitol Building looks truly awesome with a white marble exterior and a huge grass lawn surrounding it. It looks almost identical to the US capitol building in Washington D.C. and entry is free most days.
Rhode Island State Capitol
The Rhode Island State Capitol is on Smith Street, surrounded by many trees which were already slowly turning red and yellow! The imposing building is on top of a small mound, surrounded by a beautiful park with indigenous trees changing colour in the autumn. Stopping at the Providence State Capitol is well worth the time, especially during a sunny day when you can lie down on the grass and enjoy the views over downtown.
Providence Place Shopping Mall
The Providence Place Shopping Mall can only be described as huge, right next to the State Capitol, just off I-95. If you are hungry you should pop in here as there are a huge number of fast food restaurants in the shopping mall.
Like most US cities, Providence is not a food haven. Chain restaurants line the streets and the mall has the same sort of things on offer. Unless you are rich you will probably not be able to afford anything exciting to be honest. I had a couple of chocolate bars and some nuts which was enough for me anyway.
Providence’s Old Town
After the capitol building I walked to downtown Providence using this PDF tour guide. The walk from the capitol building to old town Providence takes you along Providence River. The Providence River Walk is a nice way to get downtown, providing plenty of opportunities to take some nice shots.
The old town in Providence is a typical New England style district with a white church at the centre surrounded by 18th-19th century structures. It is easy to spend 1-2 hours walking around this part of Providence but I only put enough money in the parking meter for one hour. I wasn’t going to risk another parking fine, so I had to leave unfortunately!
Day Out In Mystic Seaport
The drive to Mystic Seaport from Providence is very pretty and if you have time you should take Highway 1. Driving to Mystic Seaport on Highway 1 is more scenic but also a slower route, going through many historic places and a number of beautiful forests.
I drove to Mystic Seaport on the I-95 then the 27, which was also very nice – and much faster. Mystic Seaport is a perfect getaway if you are interested in history and seafaring because this is where the founding fathers of the nation built their ships and came to repair them.
The Mystic Seaport Living Museum is a quaint little town off Highway 27, about an hour from Providence, Rhode Island. The Mystic Seaport Living Museum is full of historical homes and old ships where you can easily spend the whole day wondering around.
Mystic Seaport lies on the banks of the historic Mystic River, in Connecticut. According to the town’s website, it has the quintessential New England charm – whatever that is!
Mystic Seaport is home to some major attractions, specialty shops, top restaurants and art galleries. I would say it is definitely THE place to stop on a road trip between Boston and New York.
The main street in Mystic Seaport also has an old-fashioned ice cream shop and drawbridge. If you are planning a leaf peeping road trip in New England, Mystic Seaport should definitely feature as a stop!
Mystic Seaport Living Museum
Visiting the Mystic Seaport Living Museum is well worth the time, because you can see and feel for yourself what life was like 300-400 years ago.
In every shop you have super knowledgeable guides that will tell you all sorts of stories about life back then. For example, in the print shop I learned quite a lot of things, including the meaning of these:
- Someone leaves a good impression: it originates from the old printing presses when they used lead and ink to leave impressions on paper.
- Lower case and upper case: back in the day when letters were stored in wooden cases the upper case contained the capital letters and the lower case the…wait for it: lower case letters.
There is also an old bank building and at least three ships, including a whale hunting vessel. Click this link to download the below map.
There are also at least a dozen historic houses on the main street which you can enter to see how the rich people used to live.
The Whale Hunting Vessel
The best bit in Mystic Seaport is the whale hunting vessel, which they were renovating inside out when I visited. The whale hunting vessel in Mystic Seaport has two levels and both are accessible for tourists.
Here, you can see how the captain and the sailors lived and where they processed the whale fat. Quite gruesome to think that some poor whales died on the vessel.
Unfortunately I only had a couple of hours to walk around but it is easy to spend a whole day here. They’ve also just built a massive new museum with new exhibits so if you are interested in history you might want to book a room near here and spend a whole day at Mystic Seaport. The only drawback is the price, I think it was $26 for an adult…
Tip: If you want to arrange a self guided tour of Mystic Seaport download this pdf.
New England Driving Tips for a Safe Trip
Before I go any further, I thought it would be useful to point out some important rules of the road in New England.
Keep to the speed limit – there are police everywhere and also speed cameras checking your speed. The speed limit is posted regularly so you cannot miss it and the police cars have radars so they can tell how fast you are going from a mile away.
Check the signs – you can turn on red in most junctions although there are some where you cannot. A sign under the traffic light will show where you cannot turn so you won’t be able to miss it.
Look both sides when you are overtaking on the freeway – some people zigzag and if you don’t look you can have a pretty big crash.
New England Car Rental Basics
Also, here is some basic advice for renting a car – you can use some of these tips even if you are driving your own car.
Rent in Advance – rent at least 2-3 months in advance to save on rental costs and make sure you get full insurance cover as most rental companies will charge for even the smallest scratch.
Choose Unlimited Mileage – you don’t want to be worrying about how much you can drive, so check the rental form before you book whether you are booking with unlimited mileage.
Pick Up Full Return Full – any other option will be a rip-off. Full-to-full means you pick the car up with a full tank of fuel and return it with a full tank. This gives you the flexibility of driving as much or as little as you want.
Other options include full-to-empty, which is probably the biggest rip off in the history of rental cars. In that instance, you pick the car up with a pre-paid tank of fuel (charged at twice or three times the retail fuel price) and you have to return it empty otherwise you lose the fuel and you will not get a refund. AVOID AT ALL COST!
Take photos at the time of pick up – you want to be sure to have proof in case of a dispute. I would go even as far as recording the conversations you have, which is what I have done on a number of occasions.
Rent an EZPass – it will make your life a lot easier when driving on toll roads. Most rental companies have this at an added cost. You will receive a bill about two weeks after you’ve returned the car.
Driving to Stratford
The road from Mystic to Stratford is quite an easy one: you have the choice of the I-95 or the coastal Highway 1. Now, you might ask “why would anyone want to stop off at Stratford?” but let me assure you: Stratford is well worth a visit.
I would personally take Highway 1 but if you are short of time you can drive along I-95. If it is already dark then it makes absolutely no difference at all, which was the case for me.
As you leave Mystic Seaport you can either go north to I-95 or down south and join Highway 1. The latter is the more scenic option but chances are it will be already quite late in the day by then to see anything.
If it is still light, one park I would definitely recommend for a short stop is the Rocky Neck State Park. It is just off I-95 and if you park up at the north of the park you will be able to walk to the sea through the red and yellow forest.
Visiting Rocky Neck State Park
The heart of the Rocky Neck State Park, where the road crosses over the lake, is a bird watcher’s paradise. In the summer this place must be heaving with day-trippers as there were hundreds of BBQ grids set up in the park.
Once you get to the railway line you can cross underneath and there will be a nicely hidden sandy beach with soft white sand. I must say this was probably the perfect location to take in the typical New England scenery, with a train rolling past, watching the sunset on the beach!
This was one of the most memorable stops during my leaf peeping road trip in New England. The empty park, nice and quiet at the end of the day made for a very relaxing walk through the fall foliage scenery!
Having watched the sunset by the beach, I walked back to the car to carry on driving toward Lordship.
Driving in the dark to Lordship wasn’t super exciting although past New Haven the city lights were quite amazing. For miles and miles there was industry on both sides of the road mixed in with the suburbs.
Dinner at Wendy’s in Guilford
By the time I got to Guilford in Connecticut I was so hungry my eyes were literally popping out of their sockets. All I had for food since the iHop in the morning was some beef jerkies and snickers that I bought at the Dollar Tree back in Revere. I also bought some fruits and vegetables at the market in Boston but they were long gone.
So I did what Americans do best and stopped at Wendy’s, a fast food chain. Food will never be of short supply during a leaf peeping road trip in New England: most roads are lined with restaurants and at every junction there is a fast food or private eatery and diner.
Here is a little bit of Wendy’s history: it is on the Nasdaq and was founded in 1969, not too long after McDonald’s. The difference is Wend’ys tastes much better and the burgers are square not round!
Wendy’s doesn’t make frozen burgers, all is supposed to be fresh from a nearby farm. I had one of Dave’s Double with no cheese plus the green tea. Dave’s Double was pretty tasty, so I decided to eat there another fives times during the next week.
If you are interested in the history of the company and how they’ve opened 6,000 individual stores, check out this link.
Marnick’s in Lordship, Stratford
Driving on from Guilford it was a straight road to Stratford then left off on 113 to Lordship. I stayed at the Rodeway Inn in Lordship by the coast (which, by the way, has closed since). The Rodeway Inn or Marnick’s – as it used to be called – is an original motel/restaurant from the 1950s. It was founded by an Italian-American war veteran and used to serve the best food on the coast.
Lordship History
Lordship is at the southern tip of Stratford, jutting into the heart of Long Island Sound. When the first settlers arrived in 1639, they found that Indians were using this area to plant corn, so there was little clearing necessary.
Originally Lordship, called Great Neck, was a Common Field worked and owned by settlers who returned home to the safety of the palisade fort at night. Originally called Point No Point a name which goes back over 200 years, Lordship Beach became a beach resort in the early 1900’s.
Beach patrons would take a trolley ride from Bridgeport at the corner of Hollister and Stratford Avenues through the marshes and into Lordship.
The trolley ran through Lordship Center and took a right onto Ocean Avenue. The line ended at Washington Parkway and the passengers would walk down to the Lordship Pavilion which is now Marnick’s. Marnick’s Motel and Restaurant is family owned and operated, and has been in business since the 1956.
Marnick Photographs
They had lots of photos on the wall and various awards the Motel and restaurant won through the years, and the breakfast was quite good too.
Unfortunately I still felt stuffed from Wendy’s so I wasn’t going to have dinner when I arrived. The rooms were still quite old fashioned, especially the bathroom (see photos) but otherwise it was a very good place to spend the night in.
Sunrise in Lordship
In the morning the sunrise was pretty amazing. As you sit at the table you face towards the East watching the sun come up with the birds picking up food on the sandy beach. The beach here must be full of New Yorkers in the summer and if you have the time it is definitely worth a visit during a leaf peeping road trip – I really enjoyed it there.
Lordship is a typical suburb of New Haven and/or New York. It takes about an hour to walk around it, including the sandy beach. The breakfast was OK at Marnick’s but I stocked up on sweets at one of the local stores.
The Lordship Local Store
When I am in the US I always buy some peach flavoured iced tea. My favourite variety is the AriZona Peach Iced Tea – Walmart sells the gallon size. It really does give a kick, but the problem is it is very addictive. A bar of peanut butter snickers and a “big gulp” (500 ml iced tea) sorts anyone out for the day.
By the way, here is a little tip for those that want to drive really off the beaten path: use google maps and set it to walk you along the main road instead of driving. This will set it to the shortest and straightest route, through towns and industrial estates instead of the interstate.
Otherwise by default Google Maps will send you on the fastest route. That is not a problem if you are in a hurry or you don’t know the way. However, I don’t trust google any more as I’ve proven it wrong on various occasions.
Instead, I always check its suggested route and then use my own brain GPS, getting to the destination far faster than with Google Maps. Luckily I can memorize maps quite easily so it’s not a big deal. So I put in my destination and set it to walk then I did some detours here and there as I saw fit.
Brunch in Westport
By the time I got to Westport it was time for breakfast number two. Whenever I went to Chicago I used to go to a Panera Bread breakfast bar and it so happened that there was one in Westport too.
I always used to have the Egg Bagel sandwich, but this time I had a special version with avocado and spinach inside.
There was an English couple in the line waiting for their caffeine top up. I thought I should ask them for some driving advice just in case. At first they were quite unfriendly as is usual with English expats but then they warmed up and the guy gave some driving tips. He also told me to keep to the speed limit – I wish I had, but more on that later!
As everything else in the US, Panera is a chain store, with hundreds of units across the states. According to the Huff Post, it is one of the most popular and fastest-growing chains in America today.
After Westport I stayed on the Old Boston Post Road, all the way to the Co-op Towers in New York. After that I joined I-95 again for a while then back into the streets of NY. I was in a bit of a hurry by then as I wanted to visit a synagogue in Fort Lee for Erev Sukkot.
Arriving in New York City
The drive to New York City is quite interesting all the way through the expensive suburbs followed by some downtrodden industrial estates. This seemingly goes on forever until you start seeing the high-rises of New Rochelle, Pelham, Baychester and so on. By the time it was Bronx the traffic built up so I looked for quieter side streets.
By this time I completely gave up on the GPS and I was self-driving, following the signposts to George Washington Bridge. It wasn’t super difficult and I got there in a short while.
From there I drove to Meadowlands, where I checked into the Econo Lodge by the Stadium and spent four days in New York City, taking in the sights of Manhattan.
Related: Read my post for a list of things to do in New York City
New York City To The Niagara Falls
Driving from New York City to the Niagara Falls will take you through the beautifully scenic parts of the Catskills Mountains and along the Eire Canal.
If you are looking to get out of New York City then a weekend trip to the Niagara Falls is something you should consider doing either in the spring or the autumn. During the summer it gets really busy with hikers and tourists at the Niagara Falls and in the Catskills Mountains, but even then you will have a great time.
What I did is break up the journey in two parts to make it an enjoyable ride without the need to rush. The first part took me from New York to Canadaigua via Phoenicia and the second from Canandaigua to the Niagara Falls, also visiting Rochester in the north.
Phoenicia – Catskills Mountains
The drive to Phoenicia in the Catskills Mountains takes under three hours non-stop but it is well worth stopping at the smaller places along the way. I also recommend driving on the highways and not the interstate to immerse yourself in the rural New England scenery. This is what I did and the road took me through some beautiful forests and towns on the way to Phoenicia.
I decided to drive almost non-stop out of New York until I reached Highway 6 where I turned left for a few miles then drove north towards Phoenicia. I did this because I wanted to have plenty of time to walk in the Catskill Mountain forests near Phoenicia.
Plus, most of the places north of New York City are basic suburbs now with little to see. In contrast, the Catskills Mountains are an amazing mountain range and the autumn brings out the most beautiful colours in the forests.
You might find that the roads are very quiet and it may tempt you to speed a bit but I would recommend against it! The police in New York State are very strict and they check everything with radar systems. Needless to say I got caught myself doing 85 in a 55 zone!
A Brief Run-in With A New York Ranger
There was a slow git in front of me and I decided to overtake him at a comfortable speed. The next thing I realized was that a police car was chasing me down the highway with the sirens on. I slowed down and looked at the policeman, sort of asking if he was after me. He told me to get off the road.
I pulled over to the side of the road and waited for him to come to the door.
– “I stopped you because you were doing 85 mph in a 55 mph zone…” said the policeman.
– “I am sorry but I think it was closer to 70,” said I…
He took my drivers license and the car documents and went back to his car. A few minutes later he came back, picked off a few leaves from my windscreen, checked the tyres and told me I could be on my way. What a nice guy!
I honestly don’t understand why everyone is going on about police brutality and racism. I’ve never had a bad experience with police in the US and I have my thick foreign accent!
The Best Pizza in the Catskills
Soon after the encounter with the police I arrived in Phoenicia. The Catskill Mountaineer website provides a lot of useful data and maps, which is what I used to plan my trip. After the walk I went back to Phoenicia to have lunch. Phoenicia is a small town but it is crammed with good restaurants.
I picked the Sportsman Alamo Cantina as it was the busiest of them all. They have a wood burner oven to bake their own, freshly made pizzas! I had their specialty, the chicken and broccoli pizza – it was delicious!
According to Escape Brooklyn, there are a couple of big events in the summer worth checking out, the largest being The Festival of the Voice in August and the Shandaken Artist Studio Tour in June.
Driving to Ithaca, New York
I left Phoenicia around 3 pm when it was still sunny but by the time I arrived in Ithaca it already turned dark. Ithaca is famous for its gorges and waterfalls and many tourists stop here due to its proximity to the Niagara Falls. It also happens to be a busy student town at the intersection of six major roads.
According to the American Institute of Economic Research Ithaca is the best destination for students in the US. It was certainly a very nice place and brought back many memories of my time as a student in the US. Ithaca is home to both Cornell University and Ithaca College and is full of rich kids. Unfortunately I couldn’t take any good photographs as it was already dark but when you visit you will find out how amazing it is.
The Econo Lodge in Canandaigua
Canandaigua is a small town south of Rochester in New York State. It is only a couple of hours from the Niagara Falls and just off I-90. Accommodation is far cheaper here than in Buffalo and it is a simple 2-hour drive there. The town also has various sights, including the Granger Homestead.
By this time I left Ithaca is was quite late and I just couldn’t wait to check in to the motel. I accumulated enough points to book a night for free at the local Econo Lodge for 6,000 points, which was perfect for the night.
It was probably the best Econo Lodges I’ve stayed in with two large flat screen TVs and a separate living room. Since it was pouring rain outside and I had dinner at a Subway already I just stayed in watching TV.
Buying a Waterproof In Walmart
The next morning it was still pouring down outside so I decided to buy a waterproof jacket at Walmart.
Tip: If you are heading to the Niagara Falls and want to do the Maid of the Mist tour you will get a free waterproof overcoat
Also, if you want to save some money on food and other things, I would just pop into the nearest Walmart and get all your groceries there – they are by far the cheapest! There is also the Dollar Mart and some other cheap shops, perfect to top up on nibbles and snacks for a road trip.
Granger Homestead in Canandaigua
I spent over two hours at this historic home in Canandaigua, which used to be the home of the United States Postmaster General. The Granger Homestead Museum website says:
“You should expect to spend a minimum of two hours with us to get a complete tour. Tours are available Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday from 1-5 pm and Thursday to Saturday from 11-5 pm. The last full tour begins at 3pm. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $2 for students.”
Granger Homestead History
Gideon Granger was active in state politics during the years of the American Revolution and the Constitutional Convention. A staunch supporter of Thomas Jefferson, he became Postmaster General when Jefferson took office as President in 1800.
Granger continued to serve under President Madison until 1813 and became the longest serving Postmaster General in US history. Conversely, his son was the shortest serving General, for only 40-odd days. The history of all the residents in the house is here.
Driving to the Niagara Falls
Following Canandaigua I would recommend taking the interstate to save some time (there is a toll). I arrived at the Niagara Falls just in time for the last Maiden of the Mist tour. The Maiden of the Mist is a small boat that takes tourists to the waterfall, making everyone wet. It now provides a free waterproof jacket so it was pointless to buy one at the Walmart.
The boat trip was absolutely fascinating and the roaring of the waterfall was so loud. It doesn’t matter if the sun is shining, everyone will still get wet. There is so much mist everywhere that it is inevitable. The boat goes as close as it can, which is about 15 meters from the actual fall. The Maiden of the Mist tour costs just under $20 but it’s worth it and takes about 20 minutes.
George Eastman House in Rochester
I headed to Rochester from Buffalo after it got dark because there wasn’t much else to do there. Unless you like playing in the casino or buying tourist trash it’s not worth staying in Buffalo overnight.
Rochester is a couple of hours from Buffalo and like every other town, it has an Econo Lodge! This cost 8,000 points, leaving enough to stay at another place in Albany the following night.
Since it was only about 7.30 when I arrived in Rochester, I decided to go to the Regal Cinema to see a movie. The following morning I drove to the George Eastman House in Rochester, which is the former home of the founder of Kodak.
George Eastman Biography
George Eastman was an entrepreneur, philanthropist and the pioneer of popular photography and motion picture film. He was born in 1854 in Waterville, New York.
George Eastman’s family moved to Rochester in 1860 but his father died two years later, leaving them penniless.
Eastman left school at age 14 to support his mother and two sisters. He first worked at a local insurance company and then as a junior clerk by the Rochester Savings Bank.
In the late 1920s Eastman found out he had a progressive and irreversible spinal disease so he shot himself in the head. In a note to friends, he wrote, “My work is done. Why wait?” Read about the rest of his life on the George Eastman site.
Inside George Eastman’s House
One of the main attractions in Rochester is George Eastman’s house in a former leafy suburb. I have learned quite a lot about him in the house, for example that he was a megalomaniac and micro manager. George Eastman had his own organ with hundreds of pipes, which his private organist played in the morning for breakfast.
Eastman also enjoyed travelling to Africa to shoot now endangered or extinct animals, such as the white rhino. His office desk was covered with a white rhino’s skin, which he shot himself. There were also paintings of the other animals he killed on his hunting tours.
I imagine his pride and joy were the elephant and antelope, whose legs he stuffed and used as vases and ashtrays. In George Eastman’s breakfast room he had the stuffed head of an elephant above his table.
After Eastman’s house I drove around Rochester but it was so windy and cold I didn’t want to get out of the car. Instead, I drove up north to the shore of Lake Ontario.
Lake Ontario is one of the five great lakes in the north and it really is massive. The waves were as big as the ocean and people were surfing on it.
The plan from here was to drive along the coast but the bridge was closed so I had to drive along the Eire canal to Syracuse.
Driving Along The Eire Canal
The drive from Rochester to Albany is quite scenic along Highway 31, which follows the Eire Canal.
The Eire Canal is a true engineering marvel: it cuts through hills and connects various cities at different elevations. The Eire Canal has various locks just like any English or Scottish canals, but it is far wider! In fact the Eire Canal appears as a river to the untrained eye.
Eire Canal History
The canal opened to the public in 1825, linking the waters of Lake Erie in the west to the Hudson River in the east.
According to the Eire Canal website, a canal was necessary to open the country West of the Appalachian Mountains. It was necessary to bring produce to markets in a cost effective and speedy way. In 1808 the state legislature funded a survey for a canal that would connect to Lake Erie.
Finally, on July 4, 1817, workers broke ground for the construction of the canal. When completed, it included 18 aqueducts to carry the canal over ravines and rivers and 83 locks with a rise of 568 feet from the Hudson River to Lake Erie.
The canal was seven feet deep and 70 feet wide after an expansion in 1862 and floated boats carrying 240 tonnes of freight.
A 10-foot wide towpath along the bank of the canal enabled horses and/or mules to pull the boats. The state further expanded the canal in 1903. The resulting Erie Barge Canal was 12 to 14 feet deep, 120-200 feet wide and 338 miles long from Waterford to Tonawanda.
Driving to Boston from Albany
If you live in New York City, then obviously you should start driving down towards home once you have reached Albany. However, if you are on holiday and are doing a longer road trip, I would recommend driving to Boston along Highway 2.
There are many museums, hiking trails and even ski resorts on the way between Albany and Boston, so I would definitely recommend this scenic road trip. This drive I am going to detail will detail many stops between Albany and Boston along Highway 2, also known as the Mohawk Trail.
The Mohawk Trail is one of the oldest and most interesting drives in the United States, so buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Stops Along the Mohawk Trail
During my trip along the Mohawk Trail I stopped at these locations between Albany and Boston:
- Williamstown
- Charlemont
- The 65 Mile View at Eastern Summit in Florida
- North Adams
- Albany
- Boston
The drive takes about 4 hours from Albany to Boston and is 180 miles in total. I would recommend at least one night stay in Albany, leaving early in the morning to take in the scenery and allow yourself time to stop off at the various historic spots along the way to Boston.
History of Albany
My arrival into Albany wasn’t as grand as that of Henry Hudson in 1609 – but it was still pretty driving along Highway 2 to Albany. Henry Hudson sailed up La Grande Riviere in 1609 while looking for a trade route to the Far East.
The Dutch then changed the name of the river to Hudson. The first settlers set up a colony in 1624 and named it Fort Orange. The Dutch West India Company established a trading post at Fort Orange in 1629. Finally, in 1652 Pieter Stuyvesant, governor of New Netherlands proclaimed that Fort Orange should become the village of Beverwyck.
The Dutch surrendered to the British without a battle in 1664 and King Charles II granted large portions of land to his brother James, the Duke of both York and Albany.
This is how Beverwyck became Albany and New Amsterdam New York. The rest of Albany’s history is on the state government’s website.
Albany eventually developed into a major fur trading post, later followed by an industrial center. With industry came pollution and by the 20th century the Hudson river was devoid of life.
Things to Do in Albany
I walked around the center of Albany to check out the State Capitol, which looks much like a Germanic grand building, the town hall and the main square as well as the High Street.
Albany became New York’s state capital in 1797 because of its central location within the state. East of the Empire State Plaza is Albany Institute of History & Art, where you will find art works by Hudson River School painters.
After a walk around downtown Albany I headed down to the riverside. The River Hudson is a truly magnificent river – I cannot understand why anyone was allowed to dump dangerous chemicals in it in the past.
The Hudson Clean Up
During a 30-year period ending in 1977, when the EPA banned the production of PCBs, approximately 590,000 tonnes of it entered the Hudson River. Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, are fire preventive and insulator chemicals in the manufacture of electrical devices, like transformers and capacitors.
Most of it came from two General Electric (GE) capacitor plants in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls. Once PCBs entered the river, they settled and mixed with the sediments at many locations on the river bottom and at some locations along the shoreline in the floodplain.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
The primary health risk associated with PCBs is accumulation in the human body through eating contaminated fish.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, since 1976, high levels of PCBs in fish have led New York State to close various recreational and commercial fisheries. They also issued advisories restricting the consumption of fish caught in the Hudson River. To top it all off, the EPA placed 200 miles of the river on the National Priorities List, which is a list of the country’s most contaminated hazardous waste sites.Terrible!
Luckily common sense prevailed and the river was cleaned up and now people can fish again. If you are interested in the entire Hudson River Cleanup process read the EPA website here.
Nowadays there is a pretty park running along both banks of the river and you can check out some nice free exhibits like replicas of fish that used to live in the river.
Driving to Williamstown
Leaving Albany early in the morning will allow you the opportunity to beat the traffic and to drive at an easy pace towards Boston on Highway 2. I would recommend Highway 2 for two reasons: it crosses many historic towns and is far more interesting than Interstate 90.
As you drive towards Boston, you stop at places like Minute Man National Historical Park or Walden Pond State Reservation as well as the Orange State Forest where you can stop for a short hike in the afternoon.
About two hours from Boston is a place called Charlemont. This town is at the foot of the Berkshire Mountains and the Berkshire East Ski Resort. If you stopped for a walk in one of the forests along the way, it might be time for lunch already.
Berkshire Pizzeria in Charlemont
If you have not stopped and it is still too early, I would recommend going for a hike in the nearby forests here before heading to Berkshire Pizzeria in Charlemont, which in my opinion is the best pizza place in Massachusetts!
I had a very tasty vegetarian pizza and a Dr. Pepper before driving on towards Williamstown, a picturesque university town between Charlemont and Albany.
The road climbs many hills on the way to Williamstown and you will also drive through some beautiful valleys – so if you can pick a time I would recommend coming in the fall leaf peeping season.
You wouldn’t think but these mountains get quite high and at least two of them were high enough for my ears to pop. On top of one or two of them there was even some snow in October!
The 65-mile View on Eastern Summit
As you drive along Highway-2, or the Mohawk Trail, it also takes you across Florida, a very small town on the peak of a mountain.
They call this spot the “Eastern Summit View” – from here you will have views of southern Vermont and New Hampshire as well as the Deerfield River Valley in Massachusetts. If you want to see even further, there are a few coin-operated binoculars to check out the valley in front.
There is also a small gift shop at the top of the mountain selling the usual tourist items and refreshments and also some antiquities and old magazines. It is a great spot to stop on the way to Albany and if you have an hour or two you can even go and walk on one of the shorter trails around here.
Williamstown
Passing Florida you will descend from the mountains and arrive in a valley where you will find Williamstown, simply breathtaking. I have never seen anything so clean and organized as this town before. The best was its surroundings though: dozens of hills covered in red and orange trees as far as the eye could see.
There three good art museums in Williamstown and neighboring North Adams, so if you are into arts then go for a walk around town then stop at the museums.
If you want something for free, you should visit the Museum of Art at Williams College, or Mass MoCa in North Adams, which is the USA’s largest contemporary art museum.
If you like nature more than art, go for a walk in Mt Greylock State Reservation where you can walk on trails up to the highest peak ( Mount Greylock: 3,491 ft – 1,064 m) in Massachusetts for some stunning panoramic vistas. The best is that on a clear day, you can see five states from the top of Mt Greylock!
I hope you have enjoyed this article about my road trip in New England and that it has inspired you to do the same! Please don’t forget to comment and let me know what you think!