2 week roadtrip - suggestions appreciated

[GreatDane]

Going to a wedding in Chicago july 8 and spending a week there before taking a road trip with my girlfriend.

We´re thinking about driving to Cleveland (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Lake Erie), Niagara Falls, Toronto, (Lake Ontarion) Montreal, Boston, NYC and back to Chicago from July 14 to July 28 - that would be some 3700 km.

If you have any suggestions about what to see along the way or where to get a nice cheap room I´d be very thankful.

Cheers,

Peter

btw, found this site the other - looks great and I´ve already gotten a lot from it. Thanks.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

Two weeks is plenty of time to drive 2300 miles (3700 km), and spend a day or two at each of your destinations, and your proposed routing is pretty good. So, what kinds of things would you be interested in seeing, scenery along the way, historic sites, or nightlife in the cities? For starters, try using the search function here to look for posts about the cities that you'll be stopping in. Also, your use of km leads me to suspect that you are not Americans, so check with you closest American and Canadian embassy or consulate to be sure that you will not have any problems bouncing back and forth between the two countries. Moderate to cheap motels are readily available at many interstate exits and certainly around the cities that are your destinations, so this should not be a problem. You probably don't even need to make reservations, but if you want to, almost any travel website, including this one, can help you find what's available.

AZBuck

[GreatDane]

Thanks for the welcome AZBuck,

We´re interested in the obvious: scenary along the route, historry, small towns, odd and weird attractions. The night life is not of special interest.

Got CHicago and NYC covered. What´s in between is what we´re interested to know some more about.

Thanks for your input and suggestions - do feel free to keep it coming. :-)

Cheers,

Peter

[AZBuck]

OK - just a few of the possibilities along your travels that may not be obvious, but are certainly scenic and/or historic:

Put-in-Bay and Kelleys Island in Lake Erie off Sandusky, OH
Cuyahoga Valley National Park outside Cleveland
Thousand Islands Region of the upper St. Lawrence
Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth, VT (a bit off the direct route from Montréal to Boston, but worth the side trip down VT-100)
Freedom Trail in Boston
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area just north of where you'll cross from New Jersey into Pennsylvania on your way back from New York to Chicago

Those should get you started.

AZBuck

[Quebec Gen]

Hi Great Dane,

scenary along the route, history, small towns, odd and weird attractions

In Ontario if you stay on I-401, you won't see much, you have to get off and cruise secondary roads like route 2 for example. Sandbanks Provincial Park has beautiful beaches and sand dunes. Kingston and Brockville are both neat cities with lots of historic buildings. In the Thousand Islands region, take the 1000 islands Parkway and stop by Gananoque and Ivy Lea Provincial Park.

In Montreal, Pointe-à-callières museum in the old port is worth a stop if you are into history. I think the underground city and the Just for laughs museum might qualify as "odd attractions". Also, check out the various festivals and events held in July : Just for laughs, Fantasia Film Fest, Nuits d'Afrique (Nights of Africa), Mtl Jazz Fest, Dragon Boat Race, First World Outgames, Divers/Cité, etc.

For very cheap rooms in Montreal, go to universities (like summer residences at UdeM for instance) or the Oratoire St. Joseph. If you're willing to pay a little bit more, B&Bs and small hotels (ex. : Saint-André)would probably be your best bet.

Have a nice trip!
Gen