New York road trips by season

Upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region offers ample amounts of adventure and eye-pleasing landscapes. But the most delicious reason to put pedal to the metal and leave the Big Apple behind is for the Finger Lakes’ various award-winning wineries.

Hop on Highway 80 and cruise through New Jersey and Pennsylvania, passing through Scranton, the home of the American version of the TV show The Office. But don’t stop until you get to the charming university town of Ithica, New York. The leafy campus of prestigious Cornell University is a good reason to stretch your legs.

It’s impossible to separate summer in New York City with the Hamptons. Hop in your hire car and point it eastward, driving over the Brooklyn Bridge and onto the LIE – Long Island Expressway.

Cruise through suburban Long Island until you reach the chic and cool Hamptons. Sure, there’s a see-and-be-seen element to these beach towns in the summer but your main concern is picking the proper strand on which to catch some rays and battle some waves. Mecox Beach in Bridgehampton is good for families, but for the most authentic Hamptons beach experience, unroll your towel on East Hampton’s Main Beach, often included in lists of the best beaches in America for its cleanliness and number of services available.

And if all that sun soaking builds up an appetite, the Hamptons are renowned for great restaurants. Everyone from ordinary folks to celebrities flock to Bostwick’s Chowder House in East Hampton for authentic seafood, served on paper plates – from plus-sized lobsters to fried oysters, this is a real taste of the Hamptons. For something slightly more formal, grab a spot at North Fork Table for just-pulled-from-the-sea fish and grass-fed sirloin steaks.

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In the northeastern United States, leaf peeping is a deep-seeded pastime for locals and visitors alike. And it’s easy to see why with the riot of autumnal colours that explode through the low-rolling hilly landscape. Best of all, Vermont – ground zero for leaf peepers – is only a few hours drive from New York City.

As you cruise northward in your hire car, passing through Connecticut and Massachusetts, note that the colours of the trees grow deeper and deeper in reds, yellows, and oranges with each mile.

Make your base in the charming town of Stowe and then drive south down highway 100, considered to be one of the most scenic roads in the United States, absorbing New England nature at its most glorious. Continue driving south until you hit the Green Mountain National Forest, which lights up in autumn with colours galore. In the town of Warren, tuck into a gourmet meal at 275 Main, the restaurant connected to the Pitcher Inn, for delicious inspired delights like roasted duck breast with walnut gnocchi and line-caught halibut.

Sprinkled around the north-eastern United States and within relatively short drives from New York City are a legion of great ski resorts. One of the best is Whiteface Mountain. The 1980 Winter Olympics were held there. Need any other proof that this is a great place to ski? The drive to Lake Placid is an aesthetically pleasing cruise through coniferous forests and small towns, complete with charming high streets.

Take a breather about halfway through the journey in Saratoga Springs, where you can “take the waters,” as travellers have been doing for centuries. Said to have healing powers, the water flows out of public fountains or you can even take a rejuvenating mineral bath at the Roosevelt Baths & Spa.

When you arrive in Lake Placid, take a drive around town to see some of the Olympic sites, such as the ski jump and the Herb Brook Arena, where the legendary “Miracle on Ice” took place (the US hockey team upsetting the Russians).

Finally, hit the slopes at Whiteface Mountain, a 35-minute drive from the centre of town.

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