Road Trip: New Jersey to Michigan, The Northern Route

We travel from New Jersey to Michigan every summer and over the past 7 years we have figured out stops we love and stops we avoid at all costs (I’m looking at you PA/OH crossing). There is a southern route that we have done, but in general, we prefer the northern route above.

Our first stop is always Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, NY. Remember April the Giraffe, who we all watched on live stream in 2020? This was her home. Sadly, she has since passed, but they have a lovely statue in her memory and plenty of other giraffes to visit. I will do a full write up on Animal Adventure and link it here because there is really so much to see and do.

Since we usually spend several hours at Animal Adventure Park, we like to stay at the Best Western in Hammondsport, NY which is about 2 hours away. It’s a nice slow start to our journey, and that gives us time to head to the hotel and have a swim before dinner. We absolutely love this property. The price is reasonable (although we usually stay using points), the property is new and well maintained, and the staff is top notch. If you wanted to explore the Finger Lakes for a few days, this is a great home base, located at the southern end of Kueka Lake. There are wineries up and down the lake and there are some great destinations in the area including: The Women’s Right National Historic Site (66 min), Watkins Glen State Park (29 min), and Letchworth State Park (69 min).

From Hammondsport, head northwest to Niagara Falls. Your first stop should be Niagara Whirlpool State Park. This is a great spot to watch the speed boats that take visitors into the whirlpool. There are some easy walking trails, a small playground and places to picnic. If you are looking for more adventurous hiking, head down the gorge via the staircase and explore the park at the river level.

If you head further north, Fort Niagara State Park features a large playground, a public pool, and access to Lake Ontario. If you choose to stay in the area for more than the day, you could easily make a day out of this park. Old Fort Niagara is a historical site that features reenactments, tours of historical building and hosts various special events throughout the year.

When it comes to the falls themselves, I do not care for the American side. We went once when the border was closed and never again. It is seedy at best. There are few places I feel unsafe, and this was one of them. A women very boldly tried to hustle us for money in the gated parking lot and the entire area just felt dirty. If staying the night or viewing the falls, the Canadian side is always my first choice.

On our last trip, we splurged and stayed at the Sheraton Fallsview. We had a beautiful view of the falls from our Juliette Balcony and got to watch the nightly fireworks from the comfort of our room. The rooftop pool and game area was so much fun and also had sweeping views of the falls. The hotel is located at the bottom of Clinton Hill where you can find chain restaurants, arcades and all things tourist attraction. It is a short walk to the falls where you can take one of several tours, zipline, or enjoy the gardens.

If you prefer a quieter place to visit, head north up the Niagara River to Niagara-on-the-Lake, where you can find a quaint downtown surrounded by dozens of wineries. If you have the time and the weather cooperates, I highly recommend renting bikes to explore the area. Check their website to see if your visit coincides with any of the tasting experiences. In years past we have enjoyed Wine and Herb in the spring (now Sip and Sizzle) and Taste of the Season in the fall. These passport style programs are a great way to sample your way through wine country. Once you figure out what you do and do not like, you can plan your next visit with your favorites in mind. One of the surprise standouts for us was Wayne Gretzky Estate. We went in with very low expectations and were proved wrong with a beautiful winery, tons of space for hanging out and enjoying good food and drink, as well as some great wines and whiskies.

Note: We have yet to visit Niagara-on-the-Lake with our kids. We are planning a visit with them Summer of 2023. I will update our thoughts and recommendations after our visit.

After Niagara, we head west to re-enter the United States in Michigan. On our way, we stopped for a few hours at Grand Bend Beach. This is a beautiful beach located on Lake Huron. Besides the beach, they offer easy parking, picnic tables, a playground, splash pad, restrooms and life jacket rentals. There were hotels and house rentals in the area if you decide to make it an overnight stop. They also had a cute downtown with shops and restaurants that we plan to better explore on our next visit.

When we crossed back into the U.S., we checked in to St Clair RV Resort. We spent 4 days in the area, using our Thousand Trails Cabin Pass. Sadly, this was our least favorite cabin to date. It seemed like the entire park was under construction and the cabin was not maintained to the standards we were used to at other parks. The upside was the pool was great and it was a good place to spend a few days exploring eastern Michigan. We are willing to give it another try at some point, and hope once the construction is done they will give some much needed attention to the cabins.

From our home base in St. Clair we enjoyed two beach days at Lakeside Beach and Park in Port Huron. This was a large park that included a playground, splash pad, concession stand, bathrooms, picnic areas and, of course, a beach. There is a $20 per car entrance fee and you are not able to exit and re-enter. I know many people would scoff at that, but we are from New Jersey and pay a small fortune to access beaches in our home state. Just a heads up for those of you lucky enough to hail from free beach states. One of my favorite parts of this park, was the view of the giant cargo ships coming in and out of the St. Clair River. I planted my beach chair at the edge of the water and watched my kids play as the ships navigated the waters just a little ways out from where I sat.

Since we had a rainy day during our stay, we ventured up to the Bavarian town of Frankenmuth. It is a favorite of ours and a must-do during our annual NJ to MI pilgrimage. Luckily the rain let up enough for us to stroll around town and enjoy one of Frankenmuth’s Famous Chicken Dinners on the patio at Zehnder’s. I am going to be honest with you, we have had the chicken dinners at both the Bavarian Inn and Zehnder’s, and I just don’t get the hype. It’s not awful, but it doesn't feel like a “we are known far and wide for this meal” kind of meal.

When you visit Frankenmuth, be sure to head just outside of the downtown area to visit Bronner’s - Worlds Largest Christmas Store. If you are a Christmas lover, or just love a good roadside attraction, this is the place for you. It is HUGE, there are displays and decorations everywhere and you can purchase any type of Christmas ornament you could think of. This is another stop we make annually. No matter how many times we visit, it never gets old.

On our last day as we set off for our final stop near Traverse City, we stopped to walk along the St. Clair River. The St. Clair River Boardwalk is the largest freshwater boardwalk in the world. Adjacent Palmer Park is a great place to relax with a picnic and watch the cargo ships navigate up and down the St. Clair River.

My next post will be about the southern route from New Jersey to Michigan. While it is not my preferred route, there are still some great stops and unique things to see along the way.

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