lLooking for Travel Ideas in the Upper East Coast/Midwest areas enroute to Norwalk
 

So My wife and I are looking to make it to Norwalk this year combined with being in Virginia Beach 2 weekends prior and driving there with a stop at Niagara Falls along the way. I'm hoping to get ideas on things to see and do along the way. Rather than go straight up more inland, I am leaning toward going the GPS route up through Maryland, Delaware, and N.J., Possibly to Statue of Liberty. Kinda leary of where in N.Y. I would want to go though. Would love to see some of the city, but kinda scary as well. Maybe Long Island? Then from there we would be headed toward Niagara. Then along by Lake Erie through Cleveland, etc to Norwalk, getting there thursday evening.

There isn’t much to see on Long Island unless you wanted to hit the beaches, otherwise the traffic is terrible and it’s all an extension of NYC and suburbs. The Saratoga Auto Museum in Saratoga NY has the Pontiac display, I’ve been meaning to get there but haven’t been through the area yet.

https://www.saratogaautomuseum.org/

I would suggest avoiding the 95 corridor and travel GS Parkway, staying closer to the coast in NJ. More places to consider seeing on the way up.

South Jersey has a lot to offer. As you head north in NJ just go to Liberty Park to take a tour of Ellis Island, and see lower Manhattan from there, some great views.

NYC is amazing but driving in is a very expensive PITA.

I agree about LI not worth the detour unless you have family there.
JM2C

We too are traveling from CA (San Diego) to Ohio. Went two years ago driving mostly back roads across the SW and Texas into Arkansas and Tennessee. Stopped anytime we saw an interesting billboard. My wife loves caves so we saw quite a few. We stayed with family in eastern Indiana and Columbus before arriving in Norwalk

This year we're going to visit Niagara on the way home. Hope to drive through the back roads of the Deep South (Atlanta, New Orleans) including family in north-east NC.
But a stop at the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville PA will be a high priority. I visited several years ago and was deeply moved.

https://www.nps.gov/flni/index.htm

Thanks for the tips. Definately going to look into the museum.

Thank you much for the advice. In the original planning I was planning to go up more inland, but if I’m going to be on the right coast I want to see more of it. Kinda spoiled out here and the left coast is right over the hill. Always wanted to spend some time on the upper northeast. Did get to go to the Bahamas when Gotd sent me there a little over 20 years ago.

Thanks for the tip on the memorial. BTW, another member here I’ve chatted with for 20+ years sent me an e-mail and mentioned the Ford Museum. It’s only about 2 hours NW from Norwalk. Then you can shoot over Lake Erie into Niagara. Have to go into Canada for that route, or come back down under Erie. We originally wanted to fly into Norwalk area and then go out to Niagara and VA, but somebody else at work has time off in the same timeframe first, so my wife mentioned just doing it opposite since the trip is centered around Norwalk.

Not a city person. So assuming you start in VA; route to central PA to Niagra Falls, back to Norwalk.

Norwalk to VA; go dead East to PBG, to HBG, south to VA.

Plenty of places heading to/from Norwalk that way.

Ideas:

1. Stop for meal at The Country Inn in Berkely Springs WV.
2. Visit Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville PA
3. Stay at Lake in Wood RV park next to Maple Grove Raceway.
3.5 Consider stay at Jeff Libo's Beer Can BrewHouse Mountian in Lock Haven PA
4. Flight 93 memorial (on the was to Johnstown or Altoona)
4.5 Go around Stage College, not thru if there is a football event (out-of-season?).
5. Head up to Towanda PA to stay at Any of several charming B&Bs, walk the granite sidewalks.
6. Head to Niagra Falls, include a lunch at Bully Hill Winery!
Go SW to Norwalk.

7. Consider the Ark encounter south if Cincin OH. If so then Art Museum & Farm Market in Cincin OH is decent.
8. Consider any railroad museums ( Big Boy Locomotive heads to Altoona soon), maybe a re-purposed Steel Mill ( can't think of any except Bethlehem steel near Allentown)

PBG: stop by PBG inner Harbor ( doesn't smell like Baltimore Inner Harbor), plan to dine.

Union Pacific Big Boy steam engine heading east for the 4th of July celebration. Check their web site for actual dates. What weve heard,going the lake route east to Philly, then coming back to Altoona,Horseshoe Curve(that's an attraction if you are a history buff) then to Leetsdale Pa ( north of Pittsburgh. That's all weve seen. After the curve we assume it will travel west on old PRR mainline, Gallitzin, Cresson,Johnstown,Derry,Latrobe(me,we had a huge ALCO plant here forever that made parts for all steam engines) Greensburg, Jeannette, Irwin,East Pittsburgh. So check their web we are for exact times. Some places we here will be ticket only visiting. This is a once in a life time experience of one of the biggest steam engines made that worked daily freight. The Yellowstone was another for steam engine for the Duluth Missabe Iron Range

PBG, HBG. ??

I'm guessing Pittsburg and Harrisburg...

Dennis

I guessed at Pittsburg but the 'G' threw me.

Thanks Dennis