Steve3007 wrote: ↑September 10th, 2020, 8:33 am
Terrapin Station wrote:...So unless it's a kid who loves natural areas, who probably likes hiking, camping, etc. Yellowstone is unlikely to thrill them, unfortunately.
Yes. I've always loved hiking and camping and I inflict it on my kids, in the National Parks of England and Wales, whenever I can, in the hope of somehow brainwashing them into liking it too. It hasn't worked yet. It also probably didn't help that we'd recently flown in from NYC and it was the first time they'd been there. They loved that. The contrast couldn't have been much greater. It was the furthest west I've yet been in the US. Hoping to see the 2024 eclipse from Niagara. Perhaps we'll drive up from New York.
Niagara Falls is great. Kids are more likely to enjoy there. It's a pretty long drive from NYC to Niagara Falls--a good seven hours or even longer, depending on traffic and how fast you drive (it typically takes me 8 hours or so), but it's a nice drive for the most part either way you go--either heading to Scranton PA, first, Binghamton NY (which is a normal route if you go to Scranton first as well), or up to Albany NY first (and there are many different possible routes from any of those cities, too).
There are a lot of hills/mountains/forests on the way, you pass through some cities/developed areas, so it's not all just nature scenery all the way, there's some variety, and there are plenty of other attractions to see on the way, too.
If you have enough time while at Niagara, if you're on the Canadian side, Toronto is also only about a 2 hour drive. While at Niagara, again if you're on the Canadian side, don't overlook the Whirlpool Aero Car, and the Whirlpool Jet Boat tours are a lot of fun. Of course, at the Falls, you need to do the Maid of the Mist, and don't overlook the behind the Falls tour. It's also cool if you've never seen river locks in action to head up to the Carlton Street Bridge in nearby St. Catherines (if you're a Rush fan at all, St. Catherines/Port Dalhousie is where Neil Peart was born and raised--Lakeside Park is right on Lake Ontario in Port Dalhousie; if it's a clear day you can make out Toronto across the lake from Port Dalhousie). If you stay on the New York side, there's a bunch of stuff to do, too, and they have a couple great parks with hiking trails, etc. that the Canadian side doesn't have. But there are more attractions on the Canadian side.