NY Route 5

Taking the Scenic Route: EV Road Trips in Upstate New York

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Above: Seneca Lake State Park, parked along the former Route 5

“It’s a road trip… stay off the interstate!”

That advice, given to me by an old man I met on the Blue Ridge Parkway during a road trip in ‘22, is sound advice. Whether you’re traveling cross-country on an epic #EVroadtrip or living your best #vanlife, avoiding interstate highways and toll roads makes for a slower, and I daresay more authentic, trip.

In New York, several highways criss-cross the state, taking you anywhere you want to go.

There’s Interstate 81 runs north-south from the Canadian border at Thousand Islands to the Pennsylvania state line near Binghamton.

Or Interstate 84, which runs east-west from the Pennsylvania state line near Port Jervis to the Connecticut state line near Brewster.

And Interstate 86, running east-west from the Pennsylvania state line near Lake Erie to the Southern Tier.

And then there’s Interstate 90, the New York State Thruway, which runs east-west from the Pennsylvania state line near Buffalo to the Massachusetts state line near Albany.

The Interstate Highway System was officially created with the passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, signed into law on June 29, 1956. Construction began immediately. The first section of Thruway, a 115-mile stretch from Lowell to Rochester, opened even before that, on June 24, 1954; by December 23, 1960, all 559 miles of the Thruway system were open. Most of New York’s four-lane interstates would be completed in the years that followed.

Meanwhile, the Boeing 707 would be introduced with its maiden flight in December 1957, officially entering commercial service in October of the next year and ushering in the ‘jet age’.

The way American travel would be changed forever. Before all of that, though, Americans embarked on road trips across America, traveling on the nation’s two-lane ‘highways’, eating at roadside stands and drive-in restaurants and staying at motels and campground along the way. Travel was, up until the speeds offered by interstate highways and the speed and altitude offered by jet aircraft, a slow-going, the-journey-is-as-important-as-the-destination experience.

And for many Americans traveling through New York State, those journeys happened on New York Route 5.

New York Route 5 (NY 5) runs 370.80 miles (596.74 km) across the state of New York. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley, passing through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and Albany, where it terminates at U.S. Route 9 (US 9). Prior to the construction of the New York State Thruway, Route 5 was one of two main east–west highways crossing upstate New York.

West of New York, the road continues as Pennsylvania Route 5 (PA 5) to Erie, PA.

NY 5 overlaps with US 20 twice along its routing. The second, a 68-mile (109 km) overlap through western and central New York, is the second-longest in the state, stretching from Avon in Livingston County east to the city of Auburn in Cayuga County. The concurrency is known locally as "Routes 5 and 20".

This section of the world is where I call home.

Even before I began taking Tesla road trips, I’ve taken many, many road trips - and many have taken me along Route 5.

Sometimes it was just to avoid paying the tolls on the New York State Thruway, where a trip from Buffalo to Albany (the full length of Route 5) can cost you as much as $33 round trip - or just $23 if you have the E-Zpass ‘green pass’ for electric vehicles.

Other times it was to enjoy a nice, slow Sunday drive. (I believe in taking Sunday drives any day of the week).

I’ve taken Route 5 west to Canandaigua, and west-er still to Buffalo. And I’ve driven east to Syracuse, and Canastota and Oneida, many times.

In 2021 my friend Ben and I embarked on my first-ever Tesla road trip, taking Route 5 along Lake Erie all the way to Erie, PA. We stopped for an ice cream and a photoshoot Super Freeze Drive-In in Derby, and did a little photoshoot at Memorial Park in Dunkirk.

But mostly, I take Route 5 every day, to get - well, just about anywhere.

My Tesla road trips have taken me up and down the Atlantic coast - I visited Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, South Carolina’s low country, and criss-crossed Florida, heading all the way down to Key West, on one. I drove along Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Tail of the Dragon on another. I’ve done some of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, and taken less-scenic routes to Chicago, through Michigan, and Ohio. Ask me for a campground recommendation in the Florida Keys or on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and I can help you out.

Ask me about camping in areas more local to me, though, and up until now I’ve been lost…

But I know Tesla road trippers who have sped past me on the Thruway - mostly because they’re racing to Niagara Falls from New York City and don’t understand how much New York has to offer in between - who have asked about camping in my area.

I tell them that Route 5 is an ideal way to bypass Interstate 90. And that the scenery is beautiful, and definitely road-trip worthy.

On this page I will do my best to give EV road trippers, Tesla campers, and van lifers an overview of what they’re missing by paying that toll… and things they might want see or do on NY-5, should they decide to include us on their next road trip.

I’ll “eat with the locals, and hang with the yokels” as much as I can.

LAKE ERIE LINE

BUFFALO

It’s the second-largest city in New York - thus called the “Queen City” - and it has a storied past.

Its ‘Millionaires Row’ got its name from the huge number of millionaires living on Delaware Street in the early 1900s, when Buffalo had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the United States. Chicago is the only city in the country that can claim they have more Frank Lloyd Wright buildings than Buffalo. And Buffalo played a huge role in the early stages of the automobile industry by heavily influencing the first brass cars, also known as the horseless carriages. More recently, Buffalo is now considered part of the “rust belt,” an area of the country with a steadily decreasing population due to the shrinking of the industrial sector.

I’ll visit Route 5 in Buffalo with my friends Michael and Rob, who are members of something related to Frank Lloyd Wright and are excited to show me some of his buildings in the area. We’ll travel down the Great Lakes Seaway Trail - NY-5 is actually a portion of it - and take a 10-minute drive east to view Tesla’s Gigafactory 2.

LEROY

I’ll visit LeRoy with my friend Nick, who has lived there all his life. He’s excited about taking me to see the world-famous ‘Jello Museum’ - the Jell-O gelatin dessert was invented and first manufactured in LeRoy. General Foods closed the Jell-O factory in 1964 and relocated to Dover, Delaware. They can take the means of production, but they can’t take the pride that LeRoy-ians feel free for their part in the history of the iconic dessert.

LeRoy also has a 100-inch tall, 290 lb. replica of the Statue of Liberty located on Wolcott Street on the banks of Oatka creek. Ny-5 is a cross street of Wolcott Street, so we’ll definitely take the short drive off the route to check that out.

CANANDAIGUA

This area of New York was a center of activism for the women's suffrage movement. In 1873, the Ontario County Courthouse, located in the city, was the site of the trial of Susan B. Anthony, who was arrested for voting at a time when only men were allowed to vote. She was found guilty and fined $100, which she did not pay.

John Willys, born in Canandaigua in 1873, operated a bicycle sales and repair shop there, before later becoming a successful automobile manufacturer.

I’ll take a drive out to Canandaigua with my friend Ryan. We’ll tour Sonnenberg Gardens, a Victorian mansion and 50 acres (200,000 m2) of gardens. On the National Register of Historic Places, it is now a state historic park; it is open from May through mid-October and requires an admission fee. We’ll also visit the lakefront of Canandaigua Lake, one of the Finger Lakes.

GENEVA

If you’ve ever had a female doctor you can thank Genevan Elizabeth Blackwell and her joke-loving classmates, as the concept of women in medicine began right here in Geneva, New York.

Blackwell's interest in medicine was sparked after a friend fell ill and remarked that, had a female doctor cared for her, she might not have suffered so much. Blackwell began applying to medical schools, but was rejected from every single one - except Geneva Medical College, where the male students voted in favor of her acceptance - as a joke. She began her studies in in 1847. Her thesis on typhoid fever, published in 1849 in the Buffalo Medical Journal and Monthly Review, shortly after she graduated, was the first medical article published by a female student from the United States.

I live in Geneva, so I’m here pretty much all the time that I’m not road tripping somewhere else. I’ll snap some photos of the area, including Seneca Lake State Park - where most of my car pics are taken - and along the historic South Main Street, with its beautiful row houses. I’ll visit the New York State Welcome Center, i.e. the Finger Lakes Welcome Center - it’s on the lake shore at Lakefront Park, and is where visitors to the Finger Lakes can begin their trip and learn about the area. (It also offers free EV charging!) I’ll share a few of my favorite spots to eat here, as well.

ARE YOU VISITING GENEVA, NY? If you’re coming through my area on an EV road trip, send me a message - I love to meet fellow EV road trippers and Teslacampers!

WATERLOO

The Village of Waterloo is known as the ‘Birthplace of Memorial Day,’ having celebrated the holiday in 1866. It was official designated such by in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Memorial Day Museum is in the village. However, there is some dispute, with other cities laying claim to the title claiming records show Waterloo celebrating their first Memorial Day in 1868, and claiming others had celebrated it first.

Still, ask the locals here in Waterloo, and they’ll roll their eyes and tell you that it 100% got its start as a tradition here. And that tradition is carried on every year with a parade and field days that take place around the holiday, as well as signs that welcome you into the village from both directions on Route 5.

SENECA RIVER RV PARK

1036 Waterloo-Geneva Road Waterloo, NY 13165

Website | Email

$50/night (50-amp electric), 3 night minimum

Tesla & EV’s Welcome!

Seneca River RV Park is a private campground in Waterloo, New York. It’s equidistant between Geneva and Seneca Falls, at just over 5 miles down Route 5 from both communities.

The property sits on the banks of the Seneca-Cayuga Canal, part of the New York State Canal System. The canal connects the Erie Canal to Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake and is approximately 20 miles (32 km) long. A multi-use trail runs beside a portion of the canal. Seneca River RV Park is approximately half way between each of the lakes.

I decided to give this campground a try because the owner advised me that they welcome Tesla vehicles - that’s something of a rarity in the world of private campgrounds.

Also, the campground is just a stone’s throw from Mac’s Drive-In - see my write-up on that below.

Those who prefer tree-lined campsites with scenic views may want to skip this one and head for one of New York’s state park campground - you’ll find Cayuga Lake State Park approximately three miles off of Route 5 in Seneca Falls, a short drive down the road.

For Tesla owners on a road trip, though, or anyone following US Route 20 or New York Route 5 on their #vanlife journey, Seneca River RV Park offers a simple grid adjacent to the road, with neatly-designed sites, 50-amp service and water at each, and a bathhouse with toilets, showers, and coin laundry.

I found the gravel pads to be spacious, and the picnic table perfectly-placed for unloading my gear and converting my car into the little sleeping-pod-on-wheels for the slumber portion of my journey. I liked that the bathhouse is a short walk from any of the sites. When the park is full I can imagine Tesla owners might feel a little cramped between larger RVs, so check the map and opt for one of the sites on an end, if available.

For Tesla road trippers (and anyone living that van life), this campground is perfectly situated between two major wine trails in the Finger Lakes: Seneca Lake Wine Trail to the west, and Cayuga Lake Wine Trail to the east. Those who are traveling with canoes or kayaks can take advantage of the park’s location right along the canal. (Some sites even offer a view of the water, although I chose one closer to the road for my stay). And campground owners Stivers Seneca Marine offer pontoon boat rentals, as well as boat tours of Seneca Lake and bike rentals - you can bike right along the canal. Nearby Paddle Waterloo offers kayak rentals on the canal, as well.

MAC’S DRIVE-IN

1166 Waterloo Geneva Rd, Waterloo, NY 13165

315-539-3064

Mac’s Drive-In is just up the road from the campground mentioned above - in fact, it’s so close I’d dare say you could walk to it, if eating in your car wasn’t half the fun. Mac’s is a legit old-time drive-in restaurant offering table service and ‘car hop’ service - though they don't wear roller skates anymore. Pull up, check out the menu posted on a board hanging in front of you, and then honk your horn when you’ve decided - one of the servers will be with you shortly! They’ll take your order at your window, and serve your food the same way, placing it on a tray they’ll leave hanging from the driver-side door. (During my visit it began raining… sigh). Table service in their indoor-outdoor dining area is also available.

Menu options include hot dogs, chili dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, Italian sausage sandwiches, clubs, subs, Phillies, grilled cheese, chicken, shrimp, fish, and even pizza. Sides include fries, onion rings, chef salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, cabbage salad, and… well, you get the idea. Popular favorites include ice cream floats made from Richardson root beer, and their famous honey buns.

Mac’s is only open April - September, and they’re closed on Mondays. Also, cash only, and there’s no ATM, so come prepared!

SENECA FALLS

The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women's rights convention. Advertised as "a convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman", it was held in the Wesleyan Chapel. Spanning two days over July 19–20, 1848 and attracting widespread attention, it was soon followed by other women's rights conventions in the following weeks, and the first national women’s right convention just two years later.

Seneca Falls is also thought to be the inspiration for the town in Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life movie. A bridge in Seneca Falls - which Capra is said to have visited in the years before he made the movie - is believed to be the inspiration for the bridge scene. Seneca Falls has truly embraced this, naming businesses in the town after characters in the movie and hosting an annual running event called It’s A Wonderful Run.

I’ll visit the village and take some pictures along the locks of the New York State Barge Canal - they offer over a dozen free slips for those traversing the locks to spend a day or two on their voyage through. I’ll snap a few pics at the Wesleyan Chapel, and will visit the National Women's Hall of Fame, incorporated in 1969 and first inducting honorees in 1973; as of 2024, the Hall has honored 312 inductees. All of these sites sit right along or adjacent to NY-5.