Spring break in New York is a mix of unpredictable weather and often snow. Despite the weather, we wanted a budget friendly spring break getaway to enjoy some undistracted family time. We planned an overnight in Buffalo to visit a few of the family friendly attractions and check out the renovated rooms at the Motel 6. Read on for our Motel 6 review and tips to plan your budget friendly Spring Break getaway.
When Motel 6 reached out to us to work together on sharing a budget-friendly Spring Break choice for families I was excited to learn more. We love to travel, and often finding budget-friendly vacation options for families can be a challenge.
As often as we travel, we have to plan ahead and look at ways we can save money on our family vacations. One of the ways we do that is to save on accommodations. Accommodations can be one of the biggest areas we spend our money, and often we spend the least amount of time there.
I was looking forward to planning a trip where we could focus our travel budget on experiences and attractions, and save a bit on our accommodations – and Motel 6 offers the perfect solution for families.
Why Stay at a Motel 6
Motel 6 offers no frills accommodations, so you can save more for what you travel for. The clean and recently renovated rooms are a great reason to choose Motel 6 for your next spring break getaway. The budget-friendly price allows you to spend your vacation budget on family time and experiencing your destination, all while offering a comfortable spot to stay for the night.
The rooms were more spacious than I expected. We stayed in a 2 queen bed room. One thing to be aware of is that the room does not have a pull out sofa, so depending on the age of your kids, you may need to book 2 rooms for a larger family. We did 3 in one room and 2 in the other and were fine for the night.
Would We Stay at a Motel 6 Again?
Motel 6 surprised us and we enjoyed our stay. Often during our road trips, we are looking for a place to stay for the night or a last-minute overnight trip, Motel 6 is perfect for this. It saves money and is clean and comfortable. The staff was welcoming and kind.
Upon arrival they shared a few of their favorite places to visit, even offering us maps of the area and suggestions for family fun things to do.
For a short stay, Motel 6 is a good option. And while our kids were sad that our location didn’t have a pool, many others do. We liked that it is a budget-friendly choice for an overnight getaway and it allowed us to do more activities during our visit.
Our Spring Break Family Weekend with Motel 6
We haven’t done a Mystery Day in a long time so we decided to start our Spring Break weekend getaway with a surprise. A Mystery Day is when we plan surprise stops for the kids throughout the day. We planned a few surprise stops with an overnight stay at the Motel 6 in Amherst, New York.
Stop 1: Rochester Public Market
Our first stop was breakfast at the Rochester Public Market. It wouldn’t be a proper mystery day without a delicious breakfast to start our day. We had egg sandwiches from Zimmermann’s, Churros, and a hot coffee. The day started out with rain, not exactly Spring Break feels, but we didn’t let that stop us.
Spring Break may make you think about the sand and sun but to me it is all about time together. It doesn’t matter where you are, it matters who you are with.
We quickly set up our food in the car and started our drive to the Buffalo Science Museum.
Stop 2: Buffalo Science Museum
The Buffalo Science Museum was hosting The Art of the Brick for the next month and I had it on our list to visit since it opened earlier this year. We purchased tickets the day before for a 10:15 am arrival time and hoped to explore the rest of the museum during our visit.
We’ve talked about how much we love LEGOs and the kids play with them all the time. The Art of the Brick exhibit brings a whole new life to LEGO creations and was an inspiring exhibit. The only down side is getting through the exhibit without touching anything…not easy with kids!
After seeing The Art of the Brick, we explored the rest of the museum. It had been years since I last visited, and there were a lot of interactive exhibits for the kids to explore.
As lunch time approached, everyone was getting hungry, so we finished the museum to head to our next surprise stop.
Stop 3: Surprise Visit with Family
Growing up in Buffalo means I have a lot of family that still lives there, and we had to visit! In the afternoon, we stopped for lunch and family time before we packed back in the car to check out our accommodations for the night.
Stop 4: Motel 6 for the Night
We arrived at the Motel 6 around dinner time and decided to check in before going out to dinner. This was our first family stay at Motel 6 and none of us knew what to expect. As we arrived and explored, we were all happy and impressed.
You may have preconceived notions about staying at a Motel 6, as I admit I also had, but I felt comfortable and was pleasantly surprised with our stay. The front desk was kind and accommodating, and the room was clean and comfortable. We were surprised by how spacious the room was.
After we got settled, we headed over to dinner at Anderson’s.
Stop 5: Anderson’s for Dinner
If you are from Buffalo, you know that Beef on Weck is a staple that you can’t get anywhere else. It was so good!! We also got an ice cream treat before heading home for the night.
Stop 6: Paula’s Donuts for Breakfast
Motel 6 does not have breakfast so we opted for Paula’s Donuts in the room. My husband and daughter ran out and picked out Paula’s Donuts for breakfast and they were delicious! We enjoyed complimentary coffee at the hotel, ate donuts, and watched cartoons to start our day.
After breakfast, we packed up our things and headed to our next destination.
Stop 7: Niagara Falls
Our final stop was a visit to Niagara Falls. I visited often as a kid, and I try to take the kids whenever we are nearby. Mother Nature had a surprise for us this morning and it had snowed a few inches overnight. We weren’t prepared for the snow and didn’t have boots, but we decided to visit anyways because Niagara Falls in the snow is a winter wonderland that can’t be missed.
I was so happy we decided to visit. Niagara Falls never ceases to amaze me and a visit in the winter is unique and majestic, plus it is not crowded at all! We spent a few minutes at Niagara Falls State Park before heading back to the car to make our drive home.
It’s amazing how 24 hours away can recharge you. We came home feeling a little less distracted, and a lot more connected. We also found a new budget friendly accommodation in Motel 6 that we will use again to create more family travel memories.
Looks like a lot of fun. Are those hardwood floors in the room? That’s a great idea! Niagara falls is on my bucket list.
Niagara Falls is amazing and you should visit! Yes the floors are no longer carpet! It was great!