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Best Road Trips from Staten Island

Hit the Road This summer!

11 Best Road Trips from Staten Island

BY JESSICA ALLEN & BARBARA RUSSo

Looking to plan an exciting road trip with the family this summer? Consider heading to one (or more!) of the many destinations located not far from Staten Island. Take a look at our roundup below and start working on your action-packed getaway! Although most venues and locations are fully open, it’s a good idea to confirm availability when it comes to activities and restaurants. Everything from opening hours to the reservation process can change or be different from pre-pandemic times. We highly recommend contacting individual venues before heading out.

Adirondacks - Fort Ticonderoga

The Adirondacks visitadirondacs.com

APProximATE DrivE: 6 hours hErE’S A Fun FACT: Adirondack Park is larger than Glacier, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Great Smokey Mountains and Yellowstone put together. At 6 million acres the Adirondacks are truly awesome, in every sense of the word.

STuFF To SEE AnD Do:

• Check out the Ausable Chasm, a deep Ice

Age-era gorge often called “the Grand

Canon of the East.” • Summit a high peak. With 46 mountains to choose from, the Adirondacks High

Peaks have options for everyone, from the little hikers to individuals with physical disabilities. • Visit Fort Ticonderoga, a key location during the French and Indian

Revolutionary Wars.

The Berkshires, mA

berkshires.org

APProximATE DrivE: 4 hours This rural swath of western Massachusetts couples adventure and art, an irresistible blend for young and old alike.

STuFF To SEE AnD Do:

• Drive the Mohawk Trail. This trail was once used by members of the Five Nations to travel between Connecticut and upper

Hudson Valleys. • Enjoy art at kid-friendly museums and art spaces, including Kidspace and ArtBar. • Visit Magic Wings, an 8,000-square-foot sanctuary dedicated to Lepidoptera in

South Deerfield. • Go butterfly watching. The Berkshires is home to nearly 4,000 native and tropical butterflies. • Hike Mount Greylock, the highest peak in

Massachusetts. This mountain has approximately 70 miles of trails for hiking, biking, skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing.

Bucks County, PA

buckscounty.org

APProximATE DrivE: 1 hour, 30 minutes Bucks County blends small-town charm with big-time fun. In addition to well-known attractions, like a Sesame Street-themed park, you’ll find natural wonders and Americana galore.

STuFF To SEE AnD Do:

• Hit the park! Visit Sesame Place, Hershey

Park, or, for the younger kids, Dutch

Wonderland. • Visit Ringing Rocks Park. The boulders at this 8-acre site make music and “sing” when hit with hammers, hands, or other rocks.

The Catskills

visitthecatskills.com APProximATE DrivE: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Catskills - Kaaterskill Falls

For years, the Catskills have been synonymous with recreation, relaxation, and resorts. Some things never change, as you’ll discover over a long weekend. Parts of it feel charmingly retro and happily hipster, while other parts, such as Kaaterskill Falls, no doubt look as beautiful now as when the first people stumbled upon its rushing waters.

STuFF To SEE AnD Do:

• Immerse yourself in nature by biking down Plattekill Mountain, picnic at Lake

Superior State Park, and wander the Dove

Trail in Sullivan County.

The Finger lakes

fingerlakes.org APProximATE DrivE: 4 hours, 30 minutes According to Native American legend, the Finger Lakes are the result of the Creator blessing the land by touching it, leaving a handprint behind. Today, the region is known for its perfect grape-growing micro-climate, huge number of child-friendly activities, and opportunities for waterfalling, which is totally a thing.

STuFF To SEE AnD Do:

• Visit the Strong National Museum of Play.

Kids can grab whatever they see because exhibits are designed to be tweaked and touched. • Visit the Corning Museum of Glass. Kids ages 4 and older will get a kick out of learning to sandblast and blow glass. • Check out the wildlife. Meet more than 700 animals at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse.

The hudson valley travelhudsonvalley.com

APProximATE DrivE: 2 hours What is there not to love about the Hudson Valley? With great art, creative food, incredible hiking, and close proximity to New York City, this area really has it all. You might never want to leave.

STuFF To SEE AnD Do:

• Dine at the Culinary Institute of America.

Explore the campus’ sprawling grounds, stay at a quaint hotel or bed-and-breakfast nearby, and—of course—dine at one of the school’s prestigious restaurants where you’ll enjoy American and French cuisine prepared and served by culinary students. • Visit a mansion. Check out the ruins of a once-grand estate. A hike through

Hudson Highlands State Park takes you to a mansion that’s fallen on hard times since

its early 1900s heyday. • Cross the Walkway Over the Hudson, the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge.

mystic, CT

thisismystic.com APProximATE DrivE: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Mystic - Mystic Aquarium

You can’t get much more charming than Mystic, CT. As you’d expect from this seaside town in Southern New England, aquatic activities rule.

STuFF To SEE AnD Do:

• See a variety of aquatic wildlife at the Mystic Aquarium • Visit the Mystic Seaport Maritime

Museum. Climb aboard various ships and watch as others are rehabilitated in the fully functioning shipyard. • Shop Olde Mistick Village, where you’ll find an array of charming shops and boutiques.

Philadelphia, PA

visitphilly.com

APProximATE DrivE: 1 hour, 30 minutes Philadelphia oozes history. From Betsy Ross to Ben Franklin, the Liberty Bell to the signing of the Constitution, this Pennsylvania city is a must-visit for anyone interested in early America.

STuFF To SEE AnD Do:

• Visit Liberty Bell Center and explore the

Historic District. • Pop into a number of different museums, including the Benjamin Franklin Museum, Museum of the American Revolution, and many more.

Cape may, n.J.

capemay.com

APProximATE DrivE: 2 hours Visit this seaside resort area located at the tip of southern New Jersey. It’s a beautiful city known for Victorian houses.

STuFF To SEE AnD Do:

• Shop the Washington Street Mall. You’ll find lots of stores and restaurants at this outdoor walking mall that spans three blocks. • Visit the Cape May County Zoo. See amazing wildlife including lions, snow leopards, American Bison, bald eagles, and more. • Hop aboard the Cape May Whale Watcher.

Keep a lookout for whales and dolphins when you take a ride on this schooner.

The Jersey Shore

APProximATE DrivE: Depends on the destination along the shore The Jersey Shore stretches for approximately 140 miles along the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy to Cape May. Along the way you’ll find soft-sanded beaches, millions of games, and tons of opportunities for fun in the sun.

STuFF To SEE AnD Do:

• Visit the Silverball Retro Arcade, an

Asbury Park museum dedicated to pinball. • Do a double-take at Ripley’s Believe It or

Not!. See the curious curiosities and the oddest oddities at this popular Atlantic

City Boardwalk locale. • Visit the Absecon Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey.

howe Caverns

Cobleskill

howecaverns.com APProximATE DrivE: 3 hours, 20 minutes Journey more than 150 feet below the Earth’s surface, where you’ll take a tour of an underground cavern 6 million years in the making.