i did a similar thing last year going up to Lake George, NY. We could’ve been there in 3 hours, but took the towns and backroads making the trip a little closer to 5 but we had the time to kill before the festival we were going to, a whole day before it, so why not take the long drive right? so many cool things to see, town names to laugh at or admire. turnpike is boring, makes the trip dull imo. also highly recommend Lake George