New York and Autumn leaves

[BottomlessPit]

Hi,
Im contemplating a family trip to New York next October. We’re in Scotland so the holidays are 2 weeks and early in October. I’d also like to see the autumn leaves.

Any recommendations on places to stay for a family, please, in NY and any advice? Any ‘must dos’? And then has anyone gone on to do a (driving?) trip through Vermont, New Hampshire and/or Maine? Kids will be nearly 12 and nearly 14. Thanks very much

@BottomlessPit
The areas you are talking about are quite a long way from NY. NY has better access to NY state woods and forests. I think I would start in Boston. Then hire a car to travel into New England. Be prepared for quite a lot of driving though! Or consider getting the train to Boston and doing it that way. Boston is a great destination though.

An alternative would be Philadelphia. Pennsylvania and Virginia have glorious drives and sensational autumns. History as well. We did the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Check out prime leaf peeping times though!!

There’s a train line that goes between Montreal and NYC with stops along the way in the Catskills and Adirondacks, as well as other commuter lines that maybe go as far north as Catskills? It follows the Hudson River and has some lovely views.

my mom is in the Adirondacks, I did high school in Connecticut and then university in Vermont. If you are keen to drive (which will give you the most flexibility to explore) check out drive times - not sure what you would be up for, but it is probably about 4 hours driving from NYC to the Adirondacks, half that (or less?) to Catskills, and Vermont would totally depend where you want to go. All have some lovely little towns, lots of opportunities to hike, as well as small but quaint tourist attractions. A big part of road tripping in the US is taking your time and enjoying lots of little experiences rather than a big destination.

Pre-kids, we did a 3-base holiday with 5 nights staying in Manhattan NYC, 4 in Boston and 2 in Philadelphia, using the train / Greyhound buses. It was a wonderfuĺ holiday. Boston in particular is beautiful and very green, the train journey from NYC was lovely and only a few hours.

Thank you all for taking the time to send me these ideas. So many lovely things to do! I think I need a gap year 😂 I will have a look and thank you again for the ideas x

I would do similar to suggested by @Labraradabrador (Where is your Mum by the way? My extended family are around Saratoga and Schroon Lake. I love the Adirondacks)
Do a few days in NYC then get the Adirondack train www.amtrak.com/adirondack-train
You could probably rent a car locally at one of those stops (Albany is the state capitol and biggest city on the line, but not the most beautiful). You can get the ferry across Lake Champlain from near Plattsburgh to Vermont and then it's a really beautiful drive down through Vermont and New Hampshire to Boston - where you could spend another few days, then fly home from there, or get the train back to NYC.