Travel time from Westchester to Niagara Falls by car is just over seven hours. That’s a long time for children to sit quietly without driving themselves and their parents insane. Unwilling to spend that long hearing “How much longer?” every five minutes, my wife and I pulled out all the stops to find ways to pass the time.
There are two basic routes from Westchester to Niagara, one goes through Syracuse, and the other stays south and runs through Binghamton, and then Corning, NY. The Corning route is a little longer, but is a much nicer drive, and has the added bonus of passing through Corning at just about the half-way mark of the trip. We stopped in Corning for lunch and visited the Corning Museum of Glass, which was a huge treat. We had registered the day before to take part in one of their hands-on sessions and the kids and I created some amazing glass sculptures, and my wife made a beautiful one-of-a-kind pendant. It was a great way to break up the trip, and we stopped a couple of other times on either side Corning as well. A number of smaller jogs are a lot easier for kids to handle than one big long one.
In the car, we didn’t want to just plug the kids into a portable DVD player or give them our iPhone, so we planned ahead. We packed plenty of snacks and some of their favorite toys, but on a journey that long, more is needed. Here are a few of the things we did on the trip and have done in the past to help pass the time and keep the entire family entertained.
The Bag of Treats – In the days leading up to a long trip, my wife will pick up a few small things for each kid. Then, with this secret bag safely up in the front with her, she will bring out something simple but special for each kid a couple of random times during the trip. The treats are always small, a matchbox car for him and a small crafty book for her, for example. Nothing expensive, but something new that grabs their attention for a little while.
Mad Libs – An oldie but a goodie, and something that has popped up in the Bag of Treats. The kids absolutely love them, and can’t help but giggle when the final stories are read aloud.
Show Tunes –These will keep the energy up while keeping the whole family entertained for 45 minutes to an hour each. Some of our favorites include Annie, Mary Poppins (both the movie and the Broadway musical), and Phantom of the Opera.
Books on CD – Earlier this summer, both kids were absolutely mesmerized for nearly an hour by a series of Greek myths recounted over the car speakers. While I’m not sure if my five year old would have the patience to stick with a full-length novel, a series of mini-stories such as these myths hit the spot.
The License Plate Game – This game works great on a long trip on a major highway. How many different state license plates can you spot on your travels? My daughter and I played it once on a trip to New Hampshire and got all the way to 23. Can you spot the elusive Hawaii? A helpful tip- massive, 18-wheeler trucks often have great out-of-state plates!
I Spy (and various other word games) – This generally doesn’t work for that long, but is worth keeping in your back pocket none-the-less. The best is when two or more kids take over and start running the game on their own, without any input from you!
Arm Farting – I wouldn’t even suggest this incredibly immature activity, but when your kids are a certain age, there is nothing funnier than blowing a fart on your own arm. My wife joined in and the kids were entertained for over thirty minutes.
