<p>I am a biased Williams parent but the '62 Center and the Williamstown Theater Festival are awesome.</p>
<p>If you choose to go from Albany to Williamstown it’s about an hour. You could see Skidmore as well, which is a very good back-up/target/safety and a notch less competitive than Hamilton.</p>
<p>We stopped at Hanover, too.</p>
<p>Just my 2 cents; feel free to totally ignore.</p>
<p>I went to Barnes & Noble and bought a map of the area. I like the Quechee Gorge idea, and Woodstock sounds like a fun place for lunch. Toying with the idea of driving further north for a factory tour of Ben & Jerry’s. I think D will enjoy the idea of taking a ferry from NY to Vt.</p>
<p>You’re right, these are all selective schools. I’m trying hard to temper D’s enthusiasm. Personally, I’m viewing this more as a mother-daughter vacation.</p>
<p>If you do drive as far as Ben and Jerry’s I can give you more things to see. We share a summer cabin near Waitsfield. There’s some nice swimming holes, a gorgeous waterfall…</p>
<p>Hey, there’s something else there in Bennington that you might want to look at: Bennington College! It is at least worth a drive through the beautiful campus if you are in town. If your daughter is not that interested in Hampshire, she might not love Bennington either, but many people have been won over just by the campus! (and then they find out all the other wonderful things about the school :-)</p>
<p>I loved the town of Saratoga Springs. That alone is worth taking a look at Skidmore.</p>
<p>If you’re looking for a northeast safety and your d is interested in LACs, why not look at the Mass College of Liberal Arts? I think it’s in the Williamstown area. It might be both an academic and financial safety.</p>
<p>I appreciate all the suggestions!</p>
<p>Re: sites to see - I read that the Lippizzaners summer just north of Burlington. Has anyone visited that? That would be enough incentive to get me to drive further north. Heck, I’d skip the college tour for that! </p>
<p>I used to room with someone who drove (right verb?) the sleigh at the Trapp Family Lodge. I would love to get as far as Stowe, but from the scale of miles on my new map, I think that is too optimistic.</p>
<p>I appreciate your thoughts on the safety schools. My daughter is a very middle-of-the-road, follow-the-pack kind of kid. She shies away from schools that tend to appeal to kids that are a little out of the mainstream. We have it down pat. I suggest a school, she reads about it, then I get a firm “no, Mom, it’s not me”.</p>
<p>Since Saratoga Springs is just north of Albany, I thought that would be our first stop - for Sunday brunch and a stroll. Then north along Lake George. Trying to decide how far north to drive before crossing over to Vermont.</p>
<p>ChiSquare - I saw the Lippizzaners perform one at Sea World in Ohio of all things - simply amazing! There is too much in the area to chose from really, whatever you pick will be wonderful. Even just wandering country roads on your own will be enjoyable.</p>