48hrs in Upstate New York With a Pre-schooler in Mid April
February 10, 2016 6:58 PM Subscribe
Looking for suggestions of how to best spend a couple days within a two hour drive on the U.S. side of Niagara Falls. For Reasons we need to be in the US for 48hrs in mid-April (flexible timing anytime 8th-20th). Travelling party will consist of two adults and one 3yr old who loves all the stuff you'd expect her to (arts and crafts, singing, running around outside, interactive museums etc.) Our budget is about $500CAD.
We did a similar trip last year and went to Rochester and visited The Museum of Play, Wegmans (yay delicious dairy), and sampled a garbage plate. Initial thoughts for this year was to go to Finger Lakes but just saw online that the Gorge Trail at Watkins Glen typically doesn't open until mid-May. So looking for thoughts and ideas...should we still go to Finger Lakes region (or is it going to be too early in the season)
What else is there to do around there that would be family friendly? I know about the Corning Glass Museum (where my wife wants to go) and I've been checking out events sites but would appreciate first-hand recos.
Alternatively, where else could we go. We've been to Niagara Falls, and we've weekended in Buffalo pre-parenthood and have been to the Albright-Knox and the Wright house but maybe there's more to do there with kiddo?
More about us and what we're interested in. Obviously we want kiddo to be having fun. We're not really looking for outlet shopping (boo, exchange rate). We're reasonably active and if the weather is good up for hiking (and may bring bikes and trailer if the forecast is warm enough). We also like to eat. Doesn't need to be fancy just as long as it's good or a regional oddity or both.
Non-negotiable: Travel needs to be in April, destination needs to be in the US within a couple hours of Niagara Falls. There's some wiggle room on budget.
Thank you!
We did a similar trip last year and went to Rochester and visited The Museum of Play, Wegmans (yay delicious dairy), and sampled a garbage plate. Initial thoughts for this year was to go to Finger Lakes but just saw online that the Gorge Trail at Watkins Glen typically doesn't open until mid-May. So looking for thoughts and ideas...should we still go to Finger Lakes region (or is it going to be too early in the season)
What else is there to do around there that would be family friendly? I know about the Corning Glass Museum (where my wife wants to go) and I've been checking out events sites but would appreciate first-hand recos.
Alternatively, where else could we go. We've been to Niagara Falls, and we've weekended in Buffalo pre-parenthood and have been to the Albright-Knox and the Wright house but maybe there's more to do there with kiddo?
More about us and what we're interested in. Obviously we want kiddo to be having fun. We're not really looking for outlet shopping (boo, exchange rate). We're reasonably active and if the weather is good up for hiking (and may bring bikes and trailer if the forecast is warm enough). We also like to eat. Doesn't need to be fancy just as long as it's good or a regional oddity or both.
Non-negotiable: Travel needs to be in April, destination needs to be in the US within a couple hours of Niagara Falls. There's some wiggle room on budget.
Thank you!
There will be spring events at the Finger Lakes in April, although as I am sure you are aware-- it could be a little bit cold! You might even get some late lake effect snow if you're unlucky. If the weather is fine, Letchworth would be beautiful in April and Livingstone has a number of small museums and even an Abbey, if memory serves me well.
Even if the weather is terrible, there are quite a few little museums in the Finger Lakes Area-- the Women's Rights National Museum might be fun for the adults, if not the little one.
If you do go to Corning, check out the Rockwell Museum as well as the glass museum.
When you went to Rochester, did you visit Mumford Village? I went the first time when I wasn't much older than your daughter, and it left an indelible impression on me. It's closer to Buffalo if the weather is bad, and I think you can easily spend a day there.
and Wegman's. Sigh. oh how I miss Wegman's.
posted by frumiousb at 8:18 PM on February 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
Even if the weather is terrible, there are quite a few little museums in the Finger Lakes Area-- the Women's Rights National Museum might be fun for the adults, if not the little one.
If you do go to Corning, check out the Rockwell Museum as well as the glass museum.
When you went to Rochester, did you visit Mumford Village? I went the first time when I wasn't much older than your daughter, and it left an indelible impression on me. It's closer to Buffalo if the weather is bad, and I think you can easily spend a day there.
and Wegman's. Sigh. oh how I miss Wegman's.
posted by frumiousb at 8:18 PM on February 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
Maybe a visit to a maple sugar farm? Nysmaple.com lists a bunch of places.
Buffalo area dishes include : wings, beef on weck and loganberry soft drink.
posted by brujita at 2:39 AM on February 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Buffalo area dishes include : wings, beef on weck and loganberry soft drink.
posted by brujita at 2:39 AM on February 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
If you can wait a few more days you could go to Penn Dixie in the southtowns and dig up trilobites; it appears they open the 23d.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:18 AM on February 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:18 AM on February 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
An oddball tourist attraction is the Kazoo Factory & Museum, in Eden NY, a shade more than an hour south of Niagara Falls. Now it's a very small factory, and probably worth no more than an hour or so of visit - but if you're interested in old manufacturing, it's fascinating. The metal kazoos are made using the same equipment that's been in place since 1916, all driven by one motor and the power distributed to the different machines by shafts and belts. The 3-year old could pick out a kazoo to play.
"The Original American Kazoo Company was established in 1916 and is now the only metal kazoo factory in North America. The museum highlights history, amusing trivia, and shows step by step the way kazoos are made. This working museum continues to manufacture a complete line of kazoos."
posted by Ardea alba at 12:26 PM on February 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
"The Original American Kazoo Company was established in 1916 and is now the only metal kazoo factory in North America. The museum highlights history, amusing trivia, and shows step by step the way kazoos are made. This working museum continues to manufacture a complete line of kazoos."
posted by Ardea alba at 12:26 PM on February 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
« Older How do I find fictional Kate Daniels in real... | Where can I find this awesome shirt? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
While you're in the Northtowns, eat lunch at Old Man River. It's a really fun, colorfully-painted hot dog/seafood shack with a fiberglass whale on the roof. Super kid friendly. I know it closes for the winter, though, so it might not be open yet when you're there. If not, there's a place called Mississippi Mudd's next door with a similar vibe. Both overlook a park along the Niagara River.
The Buffalo Zoo is somewhere I've actually taken a three-year-old (the above were for my own amusement; I'm young at heart lol). It's the perfect size for someone that age: big enough to see a bunch of cool animals, but not so big that the kid is too exhausted to finish.
I'd also recommend the Erie County Historical Society and the Theidore Roosevelt Inauguration Site museum. Neither is particularly child-oriented, but they're fairly quick to get through, and both gift shops have fun toys.
If you haven't been to Buffalo in a while, you owe it to yourself to check out Canalside. It's a really fun place to spend an afternoon. A little something for just about everybody.
And yeah, Wegman's!
posted by kevinbelt at 7:12 PM on February 10, 2016 [2 favorites]