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State park series #1: Letchworth State Park: Space, Movement, and Easy Logistics
55 Plays7 days ago
“Travel becomes different when families stop trying to force themselves into vacations that leave everyone overstimulated, exhausted, and overwhelmed.”
In this episode, I kick off a special summer state park miniseries for families raising children with ADHD, autism, anxiety, and other behavioral differences with a visit to Letchworth State Park in Western New York. This conversation explores why travel feels different when families stop trying to force packed itineraries and start choosing experiences that leave room to slow down, regulate, and actually enjoy being together.
I share why Letchworth has become one of my favorite family travel destinations and how quieter nature spaces, flexible activities, and lower-pressure environments helped our family feel calmer, more connected, and less overwhelmed while traveling.
This episode is a reminder that meaningful family travel is not about doing the most. It is about creating experiences that genuinely support your family.
Topics Covered:
- 00:00:00 – Introduction
- 00:00:16 – Welcome to Family Travel that Supports ADHD, Autism, and Anxiety
- 00:00:48 – Summer state park miniseries introduction
- 00:01:39 – Benefits of state park travel
- 00:02:40 – Introduction to Letchworth State Park
- 00:04:19 – Reason #1: Open space and slower pacing
- 00:05:18 – Reason #2: Wide variety of activities for all ages
- 00:06:37 – Reason #3: Easy logistics and low-stress travel
- 00:07:09 – Why waterfalls can feel therapeutic for kids
- 00:07:55 – Returning to Letchworth through every season
- 00:08:25 – Closing
About Your Host:
Dr. Josette Bianchi is a board-certified pediatrician, mom of three, and a travel lover who believes families should feel confident exploring the world together. Through Family Travel that Supports ADHD, Autism, and Anxiety, she shares practical tips, real-life experiences, and encouragement for families raising children with big feelings, sensory needs, or behavioral differences.
Combining her medical background with her perspective as a parent, Dr. Bianchi helps families plan flexible, sensory-friendly trips. Each episode offers simple ideas, honest stories, and helpful tools to make travel more manageable and more meaningful for neurodiverse families.
Connect with Dr. Josette Bianchi:
- Email: familytravelsupport@gmail.com; josettemarie@gmail.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josette-bianchi-40902943/
- Instagram: @familytravelthatsupports
Resources:
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to the Summer Miniseries
00:00:00
Speaker
Need a last minute idea for summer travel? Feeling overwhelmed with the thought of planning travel on top of camp, activities, appointments, and helping to regulate your kids?
00:00:10
Speaker
This summer mini-series might be perfect for you. Welcome Family Travel that supports ADHD, autism, and anxiety, podcast for families who love to travel and have children with big feelings, challenging moments. I'm Joseph Bianchi, a mom to three children, board-certified pediatrician, and a travel lover. If you're raising children with ADHD, autism, anxiety, or other behavioral differences, and the idea of travel feels both exciting and overwhelming, this podcast is
Why State Parks for Neurodivergent Families?
00:00:40
Speaker
for you. So let's grab your crew, your luggage, and your love of adventure, and let's hit the road together.
00:00:47
Speaker
Welcome back to the podcast and to the first episode in our summer miniseries. Today, I'm starting a short summer miniseries focused on state parks that have worked especially well for our family while traveling.
00:01:00
Speaker
No more gatekeeping, guys. These are fantastic places, and we're going to be sharing all of our favorite things to do there. I'm choosing now to do this because, let's be honest, sometimes when kids' family life are challenging, planning a complex trip in advance falls to the bottom of our list.
00:01:17
Speaker
These are places you could do in a day trip, a long weekend at the last minute if you're a few hours from these parks. That's also why we're going to be covering five different locations across the country to make it accessible for as many of our listeners as possible to use this for last-minute planning.
00:01:33
Speaker
National parks are great, but they often involve more logistical planning in advance. State parks are more affordable, more accessible, and easier to build a plan around at the last minute.
00:01:44
Speaker
They're some of the best kept secrets around. I've seen some of the best views and had some of the best memories of my life at state parks, both as a kid and as a parent. Again, no shade thrown to national parks at all. We love those two on the show. But state parks are hidden gems that should be celebrated and can work really well for families with neurodivergent kids and also work really great for these last-minute summer trips when you may not have had time to plan other stuff ahead of time.
00:02:12
Speaker
Okay, so we'll be covering five of our favorite state parks across the country in this summer
Spotlight on Letchworth State Park
00:02:18
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bonus series. These are going to be shorter episodes and a departure from our regular 3-2-1 episodes that we typically do every other week.
00:02:25
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It's the perfect length for a short commute, a trip to pick the kids up from school, or if you want to listen back to back and binge on a run or a walk. I hope you love this miniseries as much as I do and find a place to build a last minute itinerary around.
00:02:40
Speaker
Okay, so for our first mini summer episode, we're going to Letchworth State Park in Western New York. This was absolutely hands down number one on my list when I made this series. As a born and bred Western New York girl, I am partial, but Letchworth is fantastic. It's gorgeous.
00:03:00
Speaker
Letchworth is located in western New York, about an hour south of Rochester. It's known as the Grand Canyon of the East. It has waterfalls, awesome scenic overlooks, plenty of great hiking trails, picnic areas, rafting opportunities for older kids, playgrounds for your younger kids, and some great nature programs.
00:03:20
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It was actually voted in 2015 the number one state park in the United States. It also has a great innovative autism nature trail that's really unique and cool.
00:03:31
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And what stood out most for our family wasn't just the gorgeous scenery and it truly is beautiful. It's just how manageable everything felt for us. It's pretty easy logistically.
00:03:42
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We've been in every season, including the dead of winter, and each one has been amazing in its own unique way. There are several entrances to this park. The visitor center is located near the south end of the park, closer to the Portageville and Castile entrances. But you really can't get it wrong because there's just basically one road through the park.
00:04:03
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It's only $10 per vehicle from May through October, which is a pretty amazing deal as well. Okay, so let's talk about why Letchworth works so well for a family like ours and hopefully for yours too.
00:04:18
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I have three great reasons and my first is space. Even though it's a popular park, it rarely feels chaotic in the way some other tourist destinations can or some bigger parks can.
00:04:31
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There's lots of long scenic drives, tons of overlooks, trails spread throughout the park, and lots of opportunities to step away from busier areas. If one area is crowded, you could just go to another spot.
00:04:43
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There's lots of options. And sometimes on the weekend in the midst of summer or maybe early in fall, it might be a little crowded, but it never really feels crazy. The environment also really just encourages like a nice slow pace. You don't feel rushed while you're there.
00:05:00
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And for me and my kids, there's something really just regulating about being around water and the sound of the waterfalls, the open space, the trails. It's just really nice. For my kids, they will ditch a hike on any day for a waterfall. They love them. And there are over 50 to pick from here.
00:05:18
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Okay. So the next tip about why Letchworth works so well for family like ours are just the breadth of activities. They offer a variety of activities, including camping, fishing, swimming. There is a pool on site that's heated. They offer whitewater rafting and hot air ballooning for older kids and adults. There's also a great nature center, the Humphrey Nature Center, and plenty of hiking.
00:05:44
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They also have the Autism Nature Trail here, which is really a unique and cool experience. It's the first of its kind. It's designed for visitors on the autism spectrum, and it's located right near the Humphrey Nature Center. You want to use the Castile entrance to access this most easily.
00:06:03
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It's a one-mile looped trail, and it has eight stations at different intervals that have a range of experiences, from like quiet engagement to more active exploration and adventure, and it's designed for kids on the spectrum.
00:06:18
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Our favorite activities when we're in Letchworth are hiking and checking out the waterfalls. And of course, we love to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy that as well while we're looking at some of the falls.
00:06:30
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I'm definitely curious about the rafting though when my kids get older and I really want to check that out because it looks very cool. The other thing that makes Letchworth great and why it works for us is just the practicality and the ease of the logistics.
00:06:44
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I really appreciate how straightforward the park is, how easy it is to drive through. Parking is generally really easy. Navigating is easy. There's plenty of clean restrooms throughout the park.
00:06:57
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There's lots of places to reset. Again, you're not dealing with huge crowds. So it just works really well and feels easy. And that's kind of nice for us when we're traveling.
00:07:08
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I think Letchworth is a best fit for families traveling with a person who has autism that's interested in nature or hiking because it does have the Autism Nature Trail, which is really innovative and unique. I think it's also great for families that are looking for less crowds while they're hiking and other options like rafting, fishing, camping, or especially if you want that hot air balloon experience that is very unique to this park.
00:07:35
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It's also great for families and kids like ours who love waterfalls or find the sound of water therapeutic. If you are in the area for maybe a family event or a trip to Rochester or Buffalo and you're looking for a day trip that's like a great nature reset, this is also perfect for that.
00:07:55
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I grew up going to Letchworth and I never really appreciated it until I moved away and came back. It offers so much for families and I love how different yet amazing it feels regardless of the season.
00:08:09
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Letchworth really reminds me why state parks have become such an important part of how we travel in our family.
The Importance of State Parks in Family Travel
00:08:15
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Thanks for listening to this first state park mini episode, guys. I'll be sharing a few more parks throughout the summer that have worked really well for our family and I hope work for yours too.
00:08:25
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Remember, travel doesn't have to look like anyone else's version to be meaningful. Meet your family where they are and keep wandering without limits. You've got this.
Listener Engagement and Feedback
00:08:34
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If this episode resonated with you, please follow or subscribe to the show and share it with another parent who might benefit as well.
00:08:41
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We'd also love to hear from you. Feedback, questions, places you'd like us to cover on the show. And you can find us on Instagram at Family Travel That Supports. Here we share tips, info on upcoming episodes, and we also ask for your input about what we put out on the show. And remember, this podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered medical advice for any patient.
00:09:05
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Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next time.