Itinerary critique request: ME to Burlington to Niagara to Fallingwater to SW MI.

[madisonnielsen]

Does anyone know of any interesting places to stop en route? A good restaurant for dinner would be nice too. We aren't actually driving all of the way to Fallingwater as there aren't many places to stay there, but we would like to break up the 4 hour drive from Niagara to the Pittsburgh/Monroeville area.

Also any ideas about how to break up the trip from Fallingwater to Bridgman, MI (Chicago)? It's a 7 - 8 hour trip.

We are with two kids, 7 and 10

[madisonnielsen]

Hi Roadtrippers,
We're picking up our 11 yr old son from camp in Maine and trying to make the drive home to Southwest Michigan a vacation/road trip. We are 4 - including our 11 yr old son and 7 yr old daughter. The kids are pretty good travelers. We have a basic itinerary including overnights at points important to us but we also want to break up the drives between those sights with fun, interesting or unique stops along the way. I would love your critiques of these plans and help filling in the gaps for stops at small interesting towns, good restaurants, natural sights, places for picnics etc.

This is the trip:

-After 3 nights with Dad in Camden, we're going to go west from midcoast ME to Burlington VT to take the ferry across Lake Champlain to Port Kent and continue to Ausable in St. Huberts nearby, for two nights. It's a long driving day, with almost 6 hours to Burlington plus the ferry which is about an hour but which we're looking forward to. Is rte 112 through the white mountains worthwhile? Google maps is routing me through North conway on 302 to 93. But, if rte 112 is as beautiful as people say, it might make up for the length of time in the car, though we still really want to break up that 6 hours from Camden to Burlington. Is North Conway a good stop on the way?

-From Ausable (Adirondaks) we're going to Niagara Falls for a night. It's about 6 1/2 hours total drive. Routing? We pass Cooperstown, but my husband and the kids aren't too interested in the hall of fame there. That's about half way to the falls though. Have any of you heard of Chittenango Falls in one of the State parks? Do you have any favorite places near Syracuse, Utica, or Oneida that would be a good stop for running around or poking around a little town and eating lunch? We want to get to Niagara by about 5 o'clock so that we can visit an attraction that afternoon/evening.

-From Niagara we are going to Mill Run, PA to see Fallingwater. It's about a 4 hour drive to the Pittsburgh area, so after most of the day in Niagara, we're planning on stopping there just off the highway (Monroeville?) and making the final drive to Fallingwater the next morning. Where to stop along the way? I would like to break it up with dinner halfway there. Is there a fun route to take or is it best to stick to the hwys for that one? Is there a pretty drive through the Allegheny Forest?

-Finally, what have you seen in the area around Fallingwater that you liked? I have been told that the National Historic road near there isn't very interesting. Does anyone have an opinion about Fort Necessity battlefield?
I am having a hard time finding anyplace worthwhile to stop on the way home from Falling water to Bridgman/Chicago. What are the thoughts on Cedar Point? is there anything special about it or is it just a huge amusement park? Or should we head west and take the route through columbus? We're tempted to just jump on the hwy and push through to get home that last day since we can't think of where to stop.

Thanks - I would love your feedback!

[glc]

I see one problem that you need to be aware of - you are getting your drive times from a computer. These are not realistic as computers are never delayed and never have to stop for anything. We recommend you add 20% to these times to reflect reality.

Near Cooperstown, there's Howe Caverns.

Cedar Point is one of the premier amusement parks in the world.