Vermont to Philly : where should I make a stopover? (Philadelphia: home, restaurants)

[kevinbe]

Hi all,

I plan to drive from Burlington VT to Philly and I would like to make a stop over somewhere at the middle of the journey. But where should I stop? I was looking for a place with some sighseeing to do.

Thanks for your recommandations,

Kevin

[PeeAye Native]

Southern NY state, east of I-87 is Harriman State Park and Bear Mt State Park, some good hiking and mountain views in there. Those two parks are adjacent to each other and to West Point. And it's about the halfway point on your drive. Any further south and you get into the dense, urban areas of NJ and NY.

I read the Crowne Point Bridge just recently reopened, driving that way saves time, you do the same East/West driving, but you go faster in the North/South direction on the NY Thruway vs. driving N/S on the VT highways.

What time of the year you make the drive matters. If you wait until December there could be snow in those state parks, and you'll have hunting season to deal with also.

[kevinbe]

Thank you for your advice. I'm not at all in a hurry, I'm simply looking for something to visit more or less at half way.

[Pine to Vine]

VT isn't really that far away: what - 7 hours? Depending on your route, consider Sturbridge, Providence, Newport, New Bedford, Mystic, Hudson Valley, NYC, Delaware Water Gap, or the Poconos.

[bryson662001]

Between Burlington and Philadelphia there isn’t really much to see except New York City and that may be more trouble then you are looking for. Albany is a nothing IMO. If you come down 87 you could cross over at the Tappen Zee Bridge and visit the Sleepy Hollow area in Westchester county. There are several attractions there. Then you could head south again on 87 and cross back at the Geo Washington Bridge but be prepared for unpredictable and horrendous traffic through the Bronx (or you could get lucky)
If you want to cut over on 89 to 91 south there is quite a lot to see in the Pioneer Valley starting in historic Deerfield (MA) and then down around Springfield and Hartford to New Haven and 95. If you are feeling particularly adventurous you could cut right across Queens and Brooklyn, Staten Island and back to New Jersey but again be prepared for possible traffic tie ups.

[rotodome]

The Hudson River Valley has tons to see. Beacon, NY has a really fantastic museum and some other great things very close by, like Storm King, which is amazing in the fall. There's also the Hudson Fjord. Absolutely beautiful area. There's some decent restaurants in Beacon, and in nearby Cold Spring as well if you wanted to grab a meal on your stopover. You could also pass by West Point if you went that route, which is interesting.

[bryson662001]

Originally Posted by rotodome

The Hudson River Valley has tons to see. Beacon, NY has a really fantastic museum and some other great things very close by, like Storm King, which is amazing in the fall. There's also the Hudson Fjord. Absolutely beautiful area. There's some decent restaurants in Beacon, and in nearby Cold Spring as well if you wanted to grab a meal on your stopover. You could also pass by West Point if you went that route, which is interesting.

Hyde park and FDR's home and library up that way might be interesting if you are a history buff at all.

[brattpowered]

New Paltz is a cool little town on the way-- kind of funky and crunchy, like Brattleboro. Right outside of town you can go west on Main Street (turns into route 299) and take a right on 44/55 to go up the mountain and get some amazing views.