Looking for a kid-friendly road trip from Buffalo, NY? We’ve got a list of locations that are within a 3 to 4 hour driving distance from Buffalo! If we’ve received feedback from the Fun 4 Kids community on how to visit these places with kids, we’ve included their tips.
Kid Friendly Road Trips from Buffalo, NY by Location
Location – Pennsylvania:
1. Splash Lagoon (Erie): Stay at a hotel not connected it is a lot cheaper. There are tons of restaurants by there where you can eat at cheaper.
2. Presque Isle State Park (Erie)
3. Waldemeer Park & Water World (Erie): Waldameer amusement park is next door (to Presque Isle State park) with lots of great toddler rides, no smoking & you can either pay for each ride or get an unlimited pass. Very family friendly, lots of decent major brand hotels (with suites & kitchenettes which help with little kids on trips!)
4. Sesame Place (Langhorne)
5. Crayola Experience (Easton)
6. Living Treasures Wild Animal Park (New Castle)
7. Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (Pittsburgh)
8. Carnegie Science Center (Pittsburgh)
9. Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
10. Hershey Park (Hershey)
11. Knoebels Amusement Resort (Elysburg)
Location – Rochester, NY:
12. Strong National Museum of Play: Get a hotel with an indoor pool in the winter in Rochester, then hit the museum of play.
13. Rochester Museum of Science
15. Seneca Park Zoo
Location – Western, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier NY:
16. Camping at Jellystone (Java)
17. Letchworth State Park (Castile)
18. Sciencenter in Ithaca: There is lots of nice outdoor stuff not far away from here to do as well!
19. Peak n Peak (Findley Lake)
20. Allegany State Park (Salamanca)
21. KOA
22. Water Safari Enchanted Forest (Old Forge)
23. Branches of Niagara (Grand Island)
24. Ithaca State Parks (includes Buttermilk Falls State Park, Robert H. Treman State Park and Taughannock Falls State Park)
25. Darien Lake (Darien Center)
26. Hope Lake Lodge (Cortland)
Notes: *Check out Hidden Valley Animal Adventure in Varysburg…it’s a bit of a drive but not as long as the above ideas. *Don’t forget Rock City Park in Olean and the Renaissance Festival in Sterling, NY!
Location – Ohio
27. Cleveland Botanical Gardens
29. Greater Cleveland Aquarium
30. Cedar Point (Sandusky)
31. Kalahari Resort (Sandusky)
32. Great Wolf Lodge (Sandusky)
Notes: *While in Cleveland, stop by the house from “The Christmas Story”! Preston’s H.O.P.E. playground in the suburb of Beachwood, just off the highway was recommended as a “must see”. It’s apparently amazing – SO HUGE and fully accessible for kids in wheelchairs too! It’s basically 5-6 different playgrounds together with a preschool zone, sand zone, play houses, swings, etc. It’s a great place for a picnic and (best of all) it’s free! ***Swing by the Children’s Museum of Cleveland while in town (reviews seem to say best for ages 8 and younger) Lots to do and play with, including a large sand area and a large water table.
Location – Ontario, Canada:
33. Legoland Discovery Center (Toronto, Ontario)
34. Great Wolf Lodge (Niagara Falls, Ontario)
35. Toronto Zoo (Toronto, Ontario)
36. Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada (Toronto, Ontario)
37. Ontario Science Centre (Toronto, Ontario)
38. Safari Niagara (Stevensville, Ontario)
39. African Lion Safari (Hamilton, Ontario)
Notes: If you’re headed to Niagara Falls, Ontario be sure to stop and visit the Butterfly Conservatory!
Location – Binghamton, NY
40. The Discovery Center (Binghamton)
41. Roberson Museum and Science Center (Binghamton)
42. Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park
Notes: *Just before you get to Binghamton make a stop in Vestal NY at the Kopernick Observatory. **While in Binghamton, NY visit – Cider Mill Playhouse, Endicott Performing Arts Center, Tri-Cities Opera, and many other theatrical venues – Binghamton Mets Baseball and Binghamton Senators Hockey – Otsiningo Park and Greenwood Park (and many others great for picnicking and outdoor recreation) plus Ride the Carousel Circuit.
Have you taken any of these kid friendly road trips from Buffalo, NY? Send us your tips!
We spent 4 fun filled days in Pittsburgh this month and I would like to add to the list. We also visited the National Aviary, Natural History Museum, and the Phipps Conservatory.
Did not see Watkins Glen state park or Corning Museum of Glass in this article, both are awesome.
Just an hour south of Buffalo is Ellicottville and Holiday Valley, where everyone can be a kid! From Sky High Adventure Park – Aerial Park, Mountain Coaster, Climbing Forest – to the pool complex to the golf course and practice range to biking and hiking to the family friendly Village of Ellicottville, there are adventures for every member of the family. It is so close to Buffalo your kids won’t even have time to get cranky in the car!
Akron, Ohio zoo is awesome! Spent a day with the family last weekend – adult children down to our 8 year old daughter, and it was really nice. It’s on the small side, but the walkways are lovely, with beautiful plantings, the (extra fee) animal show was a lot of fun, and there is an indoor exhibit with live undersea creatures that was really impressive. Everyone (all ages) had a great time, and we highly recommend it.
Syracuse NY MOST science museum is fun there’s a huge indoor playground my boys loved and an earth science cave where they can dig for fossils in the sand. It’s near Dinosaur barbecue where we had a yummy lunch. The Rosamund Gifford zoo is nice too.
Corning Museum of Glass is awesome! Highly recommend it as a daytrip or stay overnight and enjoy charming town of Corning. Great for all ages of kids.
Cleveland has a great kids museum too. Just outside one of the college campuses. Lots to do and play with, including a large sand area and a large water table.
Great- thanks Gregg!
Binghamton, NY!
– Ride the Carousel Circuit: 6 beautifully restored antique carousels located in parks around the city.
– Ross Park Zoo
– Discovery Center
– Roberson Museum and Science Center
– Cider Mill Playhouse, Endicott Performing Arts Center, Tri-Cities Opera, and many other theatrical venues
– Binghamton Mets Baseball and Binghamton Senators Hockey
– Otsiningo Park and Greenwood Park (and many others great for picnicking and outdoor recreation)
– Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally – July 31 August 1-2, 2015 (Food, music, and hot air balloons!)
Rochester Museum of Science is excellent too. The kids loved it more than Strong. So much that we stayed an extra night to go back a second day.
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