So… I am starting to plan our summer vacation. Our plan is (as always) to head north. This time - to Ontario and the Western NY state. (see link at the bottom). looking for any and all ideas and “must see - must do - must eat” recommendations as well as hikes/hotels/museums. (this would be early to mid august)
thanks in advance. Paging Toronto Mike 
thanks Todd… i think? 
It’s the cure, like Menudo. It is a rite of passage.
I would suggest a detour to Watkins Glen State Park. It’s a spectacular gem on the Southern Tier of NY. Watkins Glen State Park
Drive down the west side of the lake on Route 14. The ride overlooks the lake from high up for much of the trip.
Not much to do in Ithaca. I’d blow it off. And in spite of how the map looks, there are few places to view the lake as you drive south.
If you’re driving down I-81, a few exits south of the NY state line, there’s a diner/restaurant cake and pie place. I don’t recall the name, but the pies are 
.
Google was my friend > https://www.binghamsrestaurant.com/
thanks Dan! will do!
Lots to see on that route Mikhail. How many days for each area? I know (and live on) everywhere on your route this side of the border. Just you? Kids?
Chris - 3 of us (my wife, my 10 yearold son and myself.)
about 2 weeks + for everything - but we tend to get a lot done each day.
would love to hear any and all suggestions
Hey Count, glad to hear you guys are on your way up to our side of the fence
there are a few threads for Finger Lakes, I think, that would be much more reliable than my hazy memories. Chris, maybe you can give them a few of your favourites on this side of the border. For the rest, I will PM you and we can chat about coordinating stuff. I should definitely be able to come out and shepherd you all around for at least a day in the Niagara region, but want to make sure it’s not all wine and that you, Sveta and Zach have enough else to keep you busy and interested. That time of year tends to be peach-picking time.
Not sure if the interest is up your alley, but if it is, the Corning Glass Museum is incredible. Finger Lakes itself is lovely and Ithaca very pretty.
Talk soon
Mike
Yes Zach had heard of the glass museum in class a few years ago and has been begging for it since. So that’s a go for us glad to hear it is as interesting as it sounds to him.
Looking at maps - from Ottawa do I do southern route and follow lake Ontario or do I head toward Algonquin park and Georgian bay national park and then to Toronto? So much to see…so little time
Only a few suggestions, not much wine related, since you have your son I assume you’ll be looking for family fun, not just wine touring.
Wine related - In Niagara region, I’d stop at Tawse & Leaning Post, slightly different ends of the scale in production, but both premium. Both closer to Hamilton than Niagara. Leaning Post is my new fav. Small portfolio, but stellar across the range.
Everything else -
Toronto is worth two days for a few good meals & some touristy spots AGO, ROM, maybe Ripley’s Aquarium or the tower for the 10 year old. If the Jays are in town, take in a game as it’s close to lots of attractions. Toronto has a good chinatown for food, if you like it. AGO is in Chinatown.
Heading north in Ontario, is great once there, but will add a few days, so maybe head out of town when you get to Quebec or along the way. I’d take a day or two in Prince Edward County (on your route between Toronto & Montreal). Easy to hit a few highly regarded smaller PEC wineries (Hardie, Huff, Closson Chase, etc) and go to Sandbanks for a day with your son. Awesome beach & dunes.
A few nice places to stay, but they book up early. Drake Devonshire is cool but there are a # of b&b’s around the county. When you get to Montreal, after your city stay, I’d head north into the mountains before going to QC. We stayed at Manoir Saint Saveur last year and went to the waterpark on the mountain. Our boys had a blast (so did we). Quebec always ratchets everything up a notch or two vs. Ontario. It’s close to Montreal, so you don’t lose much driving.
We also did QC last summer, so you can search the Quebec city thread. My wife & I will likely go back for a long weekend this spring. A great city to walk around, eat and explore. The SAQ signature store there is great vs. anything else in almost all of Canada for premium wine. Not sure this is a consideration as you live in NYC.
Plenty of threads on wineries and restaurants, plus many are more knowledgeable and up to date than me anyway. But some family oriented suggestions:
Definitely Watkins Glen as was mentioned.
Blue Jays is a great idea, but if you’re real baseball fans I recommend a Red Wings game in Rochester if they’re in town. The stadium is nice, and food is okay by ball park standards (and if you like fried Twinkies it’s a no-brainer). At a minor league game you get to experience baseball the way it should be experienced, and at the AAA level the quality of play is good. If you do go, buy a program and keep it. In a few years you’ll be able to show your son the names of the MLB players that he got to see before they were famous.
Seneca Falls: Women’s National Historical Park. A very well spent couple of hours. Also, the Susan B Anthony house is worth a visit if you’re in Rochester.
If you’re into family biking, there’s a lovely stretch of the Lake Erie Waterfront trail that runs from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Niagara falls. It’s 22k and not too challenging, though obviously it’s going to be double that distance if you have to bike back. Niagara-on-the-Lake itself is nice, but very expensive and very touristy. If the Shaw festival is putting on something of interest, they are first class.
Your son is probably a little too young still, but signing up for the tour at Cornell may be worthwhile. From the time our kids were in Middle School, we always took the opportunity to do the tours of local universities in the places we visited.
Okay, one food suggestion. If you are going by the Depew exit on the Thruway (just east of Buffalo) get off and find your way to Antoinette’s. You probably should call ahead to make sure they are still open, they’re a family run, old fashioned ice cream parlor and those have a way of disappearing overnight these days.
Thanks guys ! Taking notes and putting up pins
I’d forgotten about the Niagara Parkway bike ride—I haven’t actually gotten around to doing that myself yet, but want to. It’s just it cuts into the time I could be visiting wineries
I haven’t been to Leaning Post yet, Chris—will definitely check it out on my next rotational visit, thx
Algonquin Park is a magical place to do some camping and canoeing if you’re in for that.
Sadly my son is the only one who rides a bike for fun (with his grandfather) but we hike a lot on foot
To be honest the niagara parkway isn’t that interesting to ride. You’ll miss nothing, especially if you drive it (15 minutes).
This network of trails is kind of fun, not super well maintained, but many paths through the vineyards of several neighbouring Niagara wineries. We started at Angel’s Gate, wound up taking the Bruce Trail (steep and uneven footing in places) and looping back to the main road just south of Hidden Bench. Which we then visited - single vineyard Rieslings (Felseck and Roman’s Block) highly recommended.
http://www.grazethebench.com/wp-content/uploads/BBVT-Trail-Notes.pdf
thanks Boris!