Ft. Worth to Niagara Falls (Road Trip, No Trailer)

[Turn_Key]

Haven't been near this site in a good while. Don't know why but still glad to be poking around again.

The wife and I are planning a trip up to Niagara Falls for late summer/early fall. Going to be taking the Interstates for about 95% of the trip and the amount of time on the road is pretty flexible. Would like to know what would be worth seeing on our way up there and on the way back (can always take a different route on the way back and detours to see things are not a problem). As the title says, we aren't taking the "5th" on this trip so we will have more time for sightseeing. Anything y'all can think of will be worth looking into. Thanks for the input and, as always,

Happy Camping!

[lewisr]

Memphis - St.Judes, Elvis, Underground RR Museum
Nashville - Lower Broadway, Country Music Hall of Fame, Grand Ole Opry
St Louis - Arch, Budweiser brewery tour, Clydesdale Farm
Branson - tourist trap, but if you're into that kind of thing
Louisville - Louisville Slugger tour

[ken56]

The Hermitage in Nashville, Andrew Jacksons home. I second the Air Force Museum in Dayton and take the tour of the former Air Force Ones. Its located in a different hanger across the field so you will need to sign up and present your drivers license for a background check to be allowed on the base.
I also second the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the museum below it.

If you do go to northern Michigan do Sault St. Marie and the Soo locks and do Mackinac Island too. If you cut across and enter MI. at Detroit go to Greenfield Village.

[Bipeflier]

My Garage

Corvette and VW museum in Effingham, IL

[sgfrye]

Dave in TN wrote:
While in the Niagara region on the Canadian side, drive north along the parkway to Niagara-on-the-Lake. One of the most beautiful towns in North America and worth a visit.

x2 on this. wife and i spent several days in the niagara falls area this past september. we did a day trip on the canadian side and drove to niagara-on-the-lake. one of the most tranquil beautiful small towns we have been to.

[greyhook]

The American side to the Falls is a little run down but Goat Island is nice. You can drive and park there and see the brinks of the Horseshoe and American Falls up close. You can also book a ride on The Maid of the Mist--it'll take you almost to the base of the Falls(you will need a raincoat!). There's also the Cave of the Winds tour. The surrounding Park is nice and there are a couple restaurants in the area(the haunted Red Coach Inn. Hard Rock, etc.). You can also either walk or drive over the Rainbow Bridge into Canada for the Clifton Hill tourist area. There are more shops and restaurants there as well as a great view of both Falls. There is also the Skylon restaurant. It's a rotating 775ft. tower that gives you a great view of the Falls while you eat. Parking on either side shouldn't be too much of a bother.
If you're a history buff, check out Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown NY--about 15 minutes from the Falls.
Letchworth State Park is about an hour and a half from the Falls.
Always interesting to see people's reactions to the Falls or Letchworth. Having grown up here, it's always been in my backyard. We're looking to come your way this summer to see Dripping Springs and visit Luckenbach and Galveston Pier.

[Turn_Key]

Hey, thanks for all the great suggestions and keep them coming! A couple are already on our list but moist we hadn't thought of.

Keep them coming and I'll do some sifting. Happy Camping!

[ACZL]

Having never been on this planned route ourselves, how about the St Louis Arch? And good BBQ joints along the way? Hallmark card factory??????

[63-Coupe]

mowingman wrote:
Corvette museum and factory tour in Bowling Green, Ky.

The Corvette Museum has a neat 50's style cafe with decent food and reasonable prices for lunch.

Also, not too far out of the way is the Kentucky Horse Park and Museum just north of Lexington. Well worth the visit if you are into horses.

[timandsusan]

From our 2011 trip in that direction, here are a few recommendations:
1. Cuyahoga Nat. Park near Cleveland
2. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
3. Fort Niagara on Lake Ontario
4. Lockport, New York and Erie Canal
5. Thousand Islands area.
6. Wooden Boat Museum in Clayton, NY
7. Kentucky Burbon Trail
8. Churchill Downs Tour
9. Chickamauga and Chattanooga Area
10. Vicksburge Battle Field and National Military Park
Have a great trip!

[Dave_in_TN]

While in the Niagara region on the Canadian side, drive north along the parkway to Niagara-on-the-Lake. One of the most beautiful towns in North America and worth a visit.

[jkwilson]

BTW, just in case you don't know, the Canadian side of the falls is much more impressive. Be sure you have passports.

For an alternate route home, we have driven from Niagara around Huron (pretty area) and through Sault Ste. Marie with a stop at the locks then down to Mackinac Island for a day.

This also gives you the option of visiting Chicago. Surprisingly a very easy city to visit with parking right on the lake at Soldier Field with fairly easy access to the museums along and near the lake. Sue at the Field Museum is awe inspiring. Many other museums in the area. Science and Industry is my favorite, but there are a bunch of interesting museums there.

[NatParkJunkie]

+1 for the Air Force plane museum in Dayton. as well as Watkins Glen state park in NY.
There's also Falling Water, an iconic Frank Lloyd Wright house near Pittsburgh. Depending on how far east you want to go, there's all the Smithsonian museums and national monuments in DC.

[Dick_B]

Do a Google search for `_______ tourism' and put the city, state or area in the blank space.
We spent all of an hour at Niagara Falls a few years ago. Are you sure you want to travel all that way?

[DrewE]

If you time things right, you can catch a game or two or more of the Little League World Series. Games are free to watch, and concessions are reasonably priced, but finding lodging nearby might take some doing (and definitely will need reservations or a decent drive).

Watkin's Glen is neat to see. The Corning Glass museum is far more interesting than it may sound at first.