Need Hotel 3 Hours from JFK

I am looking for an interesting Mom and Pop hotel close to New York, however fun, interesting, and culturally nice. I suppose there are some Hostels in  New York of note, however I am not into planning and planning and then planning some more, I just like a life of wandering. Not planning to plan, I need to go the - do drop INN - A good way to look at it, wander around and drop in and sleep. A flop house does have some real advantages.

Need Hotel 3 Hours from JFK