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Old 11-05-2019, 01:57 PM   #1
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Toronto / Lake Erie favorites?

My family of 5 (kids are 13, 11, and 8) are planning on doing a trip that looks about like this over three weeks next summer in our Sunseeker 3170DS.

Looking for favorite campgrounds, cities, boondocking locations, stops, restraurants, and whatever else you feel like telling me. Mostly looking for ideas between Binghamton, NY and Cedar Point as we'll have about 12 days to do that part of the trip which should leave a lot of time for quality camping.

Oh, BTW, we're doing some big amusement parks on the way!


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Old 11-05-2019, 02:11 PM   #2
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Niagara falls is an obvious one. Looking for suggestions on the north shore of Lake Ontario and the south shore of Lake Erie....
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Old 11-05-2019, 07:49 PM   #3
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Your route will pass close to Cooperstown NY, the Baseball hall of Fame. The Adirondack Experience (formerly Adirondack Museum) is a full day and well worth it. Wellesley Island state park for a campground right at the border on the St Lawrence River. Use the online maps and satellite views to get a site that is NOT out in the open, geese don’t like to be near trees and the open area sites were filthy with goose crap the last time we were there. Take the 1,000 Islands boat tour (Uncle Sam’s)and stop at Boldt Castle. There is a boat museum in Clayton NY that was interesting, if you like boats. Can’t help on the Lake Ontario side, but after Niagara Falls there is really not a whole lot on the south shore of Lake Erie. Some winery tours are available. The Rock and Roll hale of fame is in Cleveland and not too far off course is the Nation Football Hall of Fame in Canton OH.

In Detroit be sure to check out the Henry Ford Museum, Lots of stuff beyond cars to see there.
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Old 11-06-2019, 12:37 AM   #4
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Be warned that the stretch through the Toronto area is horrible for traffic almost all the time.
If you take the 407 (electronic toll road) you will get a shocking bill in the mail but it’ll save you a lot of time and stress.
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Old 11-06-2019, 01:32 PM   #5
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I am probably biased, but the I think that the Canadian side of Niagara Falls is a lot better than the U.S. side. Don't miss spending some time there. I agree that Toronto traffic is some of the worst anywhere. Morning and evening rush hours are truly horrible but it is pretty bad any time of day. The 407 bypass tolls are probably the highest in North America but it may be worth it to get through Toronto with relative ease. The billing is electronic so you don't have stop and pay tolls but you will get a large bill in the mail at a later date.
Presqu'ile Provincial Park, just south of Trenton, is one of our favourite campgrounds that has a number of beautiful waterfront sites. Reservations are a must during the summer. There is a place called the Big Apple just off Highway 401 near Cobourg that is a novelty spot that is good for a lunch break and to buy excellent apple pies or related goodies. A side trip through Prince Edward County, just east of Brighton, is a very scenic drive with lots of wineries. Fort Henry, near Kingston, is a very interesting historical site to visit.
Enjoy your trip.
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Old 11-06-2019, 01:39 PM   #6
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I’m from PA and personally I’d pick Hershey Park over Dorney Park from an amusement park standpoint. Hershey is nice with shade in the summer time versus Dorney which is all concrete. Plus Hershey has chocolate world and they own a campground that gets you in an hour early to the park before regular guests. Here is a picture of our site at Hershey Park Campground. Not the most level side to side which you can’t tell from the picture. Site 61.
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Old 11-06-2019, 01:41 PM   #7
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Btw we are taking a trip to Michigan this coming summer too and stopping at Cedar Point for a day. My wife and youngest daughter are huge rollercoaster fans.
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Old 11-06-2019, 01:48 PM   #8
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Old 11-06-2019, 01:52 PM   #9
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Definitely the Canadian side of Niagara Falls is a lot better than the U.S. side... It's like a slum near Beverly Hills. If you are going to Kingston, you should take a few more days and go down the St Lawrence to Clayton on the NY side or Ganonoque on the Canadian side and catch a couple tours of the Thousand Islands out of Alexandria Bay... one of the most spectacular places we have been in our travels. Frankly, with the traffic in Toronto, I'd skip it entirely... I'd take the NY side from Buffalo thru Watertown... you can drive out to Cape Vincent and take the ferry over to Kingston for a quick visit if you really want to see it, but don't miss heading down to the Thousand Islands... just another 20 miles down to Clayton.
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Old 11-06-2019, 02:22 PM   #10
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We spent some time near Erie PA. Amusement park, water park
( https://waldameer.com)and a State park (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...nsylvania.html) that is not to be missed. There is Sarah's RV park (https://sarascampground.com/) in the middle of it all.
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Old 11-06-2019, 03:10 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by DougW View Post
Your route will pass close to Cooperstown NY, the Baseball hall of Fame. The Adirondack Experience (formerly Adirondack Museum) is a full day and well worth it. Wellesley Island state park for a campground right at the border on the St Lawrence River. Use the online maps and satellite views to get a site that is NOT out in the open, geese don’t like to be near trees and the open area sites were filthy with goose crap the last time we were there. Take the 1,000 Islands boat tour (Uncle Sam’s)and stop at Boldt Castle. There is a boat museum in Clayton NY that was interesting, if you like boats. Can’t help on the Lake Ontario side, but after Niagara Falls there is really not a whole lot on the south shore of Lake Erie. Some winery tours are available. The Rock and Roll hale of fame is in Cleveland and not too far off course is the Nation Football Hall of Fame in Canton OH.

In Detroit be sure to check out the Henry Ford Museum, Lots of stuff beyond cars to see there.
Thanks Doug! Some good stuff here... I've marked it all in Google Maps for future exploration when I'm procrastinating at work!
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Old 11-06-2019, 03:14 PM   #12
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I’m from PA and personally I’d pick Hershey Park over Dorney Park from an amusement park standpoint.
I would too... but we bought the platinum passes for Cedar Fair amusement parks this year (Kings Dominion - richmond VA, Kings Island - Cincinnati, OH, Cedar Point, Dorney Park, Canada's wonderland - Toronto, Carowinds - Charlotte, NC, etc...) So we're going to get our money's worth out of that pass this summer and slum it at Dorney park. =)

We have done Knobels a few times recently too and enjoyed that, but my kids are getting a bit older now and are ready for serious coasters.
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Old 11-06-2019, 03:16 PM   #13
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We spent some time near Erie PA. Amusement park, water park
( https://waldameer.com)and a State park (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...nsylvania.html) that is not to be missed. There is Sarah's RV park (https://sarascampground.com/) in the middle of it all.
I already had Presque Isle marked for further exploration. Good to know about Sarah's RV park... thanks.
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Old 11-06-2019, 03:29 PM   #14
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From Kingston, drop down into Prince Edward County, 2 great provincial parks, cheese farms, biking, water, wineries.all at a great pace.
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Old 11-06-2019, 03:30 PM   #15
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There are some nice NY state parks along lake drive. We went across this road three years ago looking at the views and driving the wine trail. Rt 5
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Old 11-06-2019, 03:31 PM   #16
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We stayed at Lake Erie state park. Ny
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Old 11-06-2019, 04:35 PM   #17
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If basically passing through Toronto area the 407 is the quickest route. Although it is an expensive toll route, it is the least painful. The cost is not cheap, but the alternative, Hwy 401 is a crap shoot.

The 401 has one of the heaviest traffic volumes in North America. During rush hour traffic crawls, and the rest of the time it can be ok one minute and a parking lot the next if there is even a minor accident.

If you're planning to stay near Toronto, Milton Heights Park in Milton (west side of Toronto) is one of the better private parks or Darlington Provincial (east side of Toronto near Oshawa on Lake Ontario). The Cookstown KOA (north of Toronto) is probably the closest to Wonderland Amusement Park. If you are planning on visiting Downtown Toronto or Toronto Island, it is probably best to pick a park to stay in and take the GO Train into the city.
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Old 11-06-2019, 08:26 PM   #18
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Looking at your map route....

Greenfield Village in Dearborn Michigan

Frankenmuth Michigan

USS Silversides and LST 363 in Muskegon Michigan

Muskegon State Park and Pere Marquette Park in Muskegon Michigan

Ford Presidential Museum, John Ball Zoo and the Grand Rapids Public Museum in Grand Rapids.

Air Zoo Aviation and Space Museum in Kalamazoo Michigan

Auburn-Cord-Dussenberg Car/Truck Museum in Auburn Indiana

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Old 11-06-2019, 08:36 PM   #19
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If basically passing through Toronto area the 407 is the quickest route. Although it is an expensive toll route, it is the least painful. The cost is not cheap, but the alternative, Hwy 401 is a crap shoot.

The 401 has one of the heaviest traffic volumes in North America. During rush hour traffic crawls, and the rest of the time it can be ok one minute and a parking lot the next if there is even a minor accident.

If you're planning to stay near Toronto, Milton Heights Park in Milton (west side of Toronto) is one of the better private parks or Darlington Provincial (east side of Toronto near Oshawa on Lake Ontario). The Cookstown KOA (north of Toronto) is probably the closest to Wonderland Amusement Park. If you are planning on visiting Downtown Toronto or Toronto Island, it is probably best to pick a park to stay in and take the GO Train into the city.
Tiguan nailed it. I hate the 401 and 407 will cost around $50 CAN from one end to the other, totally worth it. Looks like a great trip. Enjoy.
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Old 11-06-2019, 10:28 PM   #20
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If you're looking for a nice campground on the south side of Lake Erie, I would suggest Maumee Bay State Park. Sites are large, excellent bike paths around the campground and right against the lake, small ponds for kayaking/swimming, etc..
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