7 Fall Road Trips In Upstate New York
There is no denying that autumn is the best time of year up here in Plattsburgh NY. One look outside and you’ll see tons of flannels, uggs being broken into and overall people everywhere; us SUNY Plattsburgh students need to enjoy the time outside before it hits negative temperatures! If you’re willing to drive a bit in the car, there are tons of things only a couple of hours away from campus that you can do with friends, lovers and visiting family! Here are 7 fall road trips in upstate New York that SUNY Plattsburgh students can take before we are all cooped up in our rooms snuggled into blankets and counting the days until it reaches above ten degrees.
1. Get scared at Six Flags Great Adventure Fright Fest!
Ah October, when the only things on my mind are Halloween and pumpkin spiced lattes. Halloween is pretty fun here at SUNY Plattsburgh, but I do have to admit we lack a bit on the scary aspect of the holiday. So, if you need more scares this Halloween season, Fright Fest at Six Flags in Queensbury NY is perfect for you! Only being 1 hour and 45 minutes away from campus by car, grabs some friends and prepare to be terrified! After 5pm is when the madness begins and with this year’s theme being Suicide Squad, it’s predicted to be the best Fright Fest ever. October 29th is the last day to explore the horror filled park, awesome scary rides and a crazy horrifying haunted house, so make sure you get down there soon!
2. See the world from an animal’s point of view at Wild Walk!
Calling all nature lovers, this is one hike you cannot miss this autumn. The Wild Walk at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake NY lets you explore animal habitats with manmade nests, spider webs and more made especially for humans! It’s basically a huge adult playground in the middle of the woods, talk about relaxation.
Only an hour and a half away by car can get you a once in a lifetime chance to see the world from an animal’s point of view. The Wild Walk is offered from 10am to 5pm everyday but starting on October 10th, it is only offered on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5pm but that’s perfect for a weekend day trip! The Wild Walk ends for the year on October 30th so don’t put this awesome trip off for long! If you’re a fan of breathtaking pictures, this is the best of the fall road trips in upstate New York for you!
3. Have ice cream at the first ever Ben and Jerry’s at Church Street Market Place.
Burlington VT is such a popular tourist town, especially for SUNY Plattsburgh students when sticking around in New York gets a little bleak. Anybody who has been to Burlington will tell you the first place you have to go is the Church Street Market Place. Church Street is a huge strip of restaurants, bars and stores that are tourist friendly and also holds the very first Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop ever built! Getting to Burlington is super easy when you take the ferry with your car and then drive into Burlington which only takes an hour overall, but different ferries have different departure times so make sure you check times before leaving! Church Street has the best craft beers during the fall season, making this one of the fall road trips in upstate New York you have to take before winter arrives!
4. Take a facory tour of Lake Champlain Chocolates!
One specific stop on Church Street that everybody really needs to make is the Lake Champlain Chocolates Factory. This shop sells store made chocolates, hot chocolate and fudge and they even give factory tours with free samples, yes I did say FREE SAMPLES OF CHOCOLATE! Tours are sit down and first come first serve starting at 10am and ending at 2pm and all tours are free, making this factory tour very popular so hurry down and get a seat before they fill up! It has to be one of the best fall road trips in upstate New York! Only an hour ride from The SUNY Plattsburgh campus by car and ferry, this sweet spot is perfect for a girl’s day or a romantic date because nothing says romance better then rich chocolaty truffles *wink wink boys*
Disclaimer: The following fall road trips in upstate New York are in Canada, so a passport or enhanced license are necessary to cross the border. Also plan accordingly because crossing the border can be time consuming.
5. Snap the best pictures at The Garden of Lights.
The Gardens of Lights at the Montréal Botanical Gardens is a beautiful sight that everybody should see at least once in their life. The whole garden is filled with traditional Chinese lanterns and architecture engulfed in colored lights that illuminate the entire area. The drive to Montréal is about 1 hour and 15 minutes including crossing the border, assuming there are no issues while crossing. The Garden of Lights exhibit is open until October 31st and is showing every day until then. The garden closes at 9pm and just a tip, go in the evening when it’s dark out so you get the full effects of the lights!
6. Have delicious coffee while petting cats at Les Café des Chats; Cat Café Montréal.
As you probably guessed, this cat café is located in Montréal and is the perfect road trip for cat lovers. Upon arriving, the café has friendly cats roaming around freely making your coffee date way cuter than any man/woman. Driving 1 hour and 15 minutes seems like a lot for coffee, but do it for the cats…plus Montréal coffee is way better than Plattsburgh coffee. And don’t worry about eating and drinking around our fluffy friends! They are bathed and trained so they know how to make anybody of any age comfortable.
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7. Embrace your inner zombie at Zombie Walk in Montréal.
Every year the Place des Festivals in Montréal QC holds a Zombie Walk for people who want to be one with the dead! Free for everyone, just show up dressed as a zombie and the flood of zombies march around Montréal showing off their love for the creepy undead. The Zombie Walk is on October 29th at 4pm, making your kick off to Halloween weekend unforgettable! Only 1 hour and 15 minutes away from campus isn’t too far when you get to meet tons of people who love zombies as much as you do. Although I’ve never created a zombie face with makeup, people swear up and down it’s not as hard as it seems, so now you have no excuse not to go walk with the undead!
