Help me plan a trip across New England.

In My Humble Opinion
1

My wife and I are planning a trip across New England. Our initial plan is to fly from Milwaukee to Portland, Maine, rent a car, and drive through all the states up there.
Then, instead of turning around and driving back, we plan to dump the car in Philadelphia and fly home from there. Our vacation is planned between May 20 and May 31st. We plan to be in Boston for at least 3 of the days to see some friends. Which means we’ll only have enough time to see so much of the rest.

Suggestions wanted, please. :slight_smile:

2

I was going to ask why on Earth you’d plan a road trip through New England this time of year, but then I noticed the May dates. With luck the snow will be all gone by then. (you think I joke, but it snowed May 18th in 2002, and we still had mounds of snow in the yard.) :slight_smile:

If your Boston friends are willing to play tour guide to places more interesting than bars and resturants, maybe you could check out The Museum of Science, The New England Aquarium (they have some rare penguins there right now) and/or The Boston Fine Arts Museum (the BFA has the world’s largest collection of phallic pottery according to my mythology professor. There sure is a lot of it.) Those are a few places that New Englanders consider worth driving into Boston to vist. Um… you might want to take the T, really.

Call me jaded, but I can’t think of a damn thing in Maine or New Hampshire that you can’t do anywhere else - except maybe hit a Moose with your car. You could go to the Flume in the lakes region (NH) ooooh, rocks and water. wow. If you perfer to look at sand, there’s a small desert in Egypt, Maine… but maybe natural attractions are more interesting if you don’t see them all the time.

3

Ok Elfkin, you’re jaded :smiley:

You’re flying into portland eh? Get on 95 south and head to Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. Both are charming little sea towns with plenty of shopping and things to do and see.

Once you’re done there, head further south to Ogunquit, another very nice seaside town, to just ‘be’ in. A walk along the Marginal Way will be refreshing in May, but not so cold you can’t do it.
While you’re there, have lunch at Huckleberrys. A fine establishment

IMHO, there’s not much in NH, but Vermont…Hoo boy…

Mapquest your way to Stowe, via route 100, it’s a beautiful drive through the Mad River valley to a smallish mountain town that provides some of the most breathtking scenery, and offers up a damn good wood fired pizza (at Pie in the Sky) to boot . You can’t forget the cold creek cider mill, it’s a tourist trap, but they serve up some damn tasty cider and apple donuts.

If it’s less small town, more big city you’re looking for, then Burlington’s the place. It’s on the shores of Lake Champlain, and has plenty of activities for every kind of vacationer.

Smaller, and more quaint (while at the same time being high end) is Woodstock. It’s as charming and as picturesque as ever a town has been. While you’re there,. try Aubergine’s or Bentley’s, both fine places.

NE is a great place to explore. Enjoy it.

4

If shopping’s something that you or your wife like, stop in Freeport, ME. Lots of outlets, and if you only want to pop in at 2AM, well, you can still go to LLBean.

It’s close to Portland (a little North IIRC) and easy to get to.

5

The best ME experience in a nutshell is Acadia National Park to the north of Portland. But, so many vistas await along any part of the shoreline, so…

Heading a smidge S-SE of the city of Portland, first visit Portland Head Light and then hop a step S to nearby Cape Elizabeth (Two Lights State Park). Your hotel or any gas station can give you directions. Then, follow RT 1 South to the towns of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport for ocean views, shopping, and quaint dining on melt-in-your-mouth seafood. Continue South on Rt 1 to Ogunquit for rocky coves contrasted against a (rare) sandy beach. I think we did this leisurely tour in a day.

As mentioned, L.L. Bean is a nice side trip to Freeport, ME just North of Portland. If you have kids, I recommend the Children’s Museum of Maine. (Also, the one in Bangor is good, too.) A trip down to Kittery, ME is worth the shopping at the outlets - with touches of New England items your outlets at home can’t meet. Nearby Kittery is the very scenic Nubble Light House in York, ME, IIRC. It’s a treat!

  • Jinx, veteran ME visitor w/o my maps handy for more details…sorry!
6

I’ll second Freeport - and L.L. Bean is open 24 hours a day 365 days a year :slight_smile: L.L. Bean catalogues are my friend.

Also, I would take serious measures to go on the Kangamangus Highway (NH 112 E.) through New Hampshire into Vermont. You’ll end up in Wells River, where you can take VT 302 to Barre and into stowe. Then take 89 to Burlington, then back south to 91 and on to Boston. This outlined route, is one of the most beautiful in New England. Check it out on a Atlas…very nice indeed. My wife and I live in CT, but everyyear, we drive the Kangamangus into Vermont in early October…Absolutely spectacular.

7

Jaded for sure.

I’m partial to the Mt. Washington area. For a truly funky experience, stay at the Mt. Washington hotel (very grand, and no doubt somewhat pricey) and ride the Cog Railroad (everything about it is straight from the 1880s).

I’d second the recommendation of the “Kank” (Kankamagus Highway). Franconia Notch is still great, even with the departure of the Old Man of the Mountain. For a good breakfast place near there, check out Polly’s Pancake house in Sugar Hill.

I think the summit of Mt. Ascutney (in Vermont) is very worthwhile. Not completely sure the road will be drivable in late May, though.

8

If you want to do things ‘unique’ to NE, I recommend the following:

Go to Hampton Beach, NH and find a place that serves fried dough. Order with melted butter and powdered sugar. Likewise, Funtown USA has it as well, but it is an amusement park which is nothing too fancy although it is home of the greatest ride in the world, the Astrosphere.

Go candlepin bowling, almost perfectly unique to New England. Many cities have lanes, but if you are passing through the White Mountain area, stop at Funspot in Lake Winnipasaukee, NH. A touristy area for sure, but Funspot is also home to the World Championship Classic Arcade Tournament and the ‘world record for Pac-Man’ was recorded there. A great, usually well-kept three-story arcade that has the candlepin bowling.

Fanuel Hall in Boston. Touristy again as well, but great shopping along the main cobblestone streets.

LL Bean in Freeport, Maine. It is open 24 hours a day, 364 days a year. You haven’t shopped until you’ve bought flanned at 2am. Freeport is full of shopping outlets and as such can get crowded, but it is a nice town in that they have architectural standards for any buildings going in, and as such, even the McDonald’s looks nice.

I think I read that the Thomaston State Prison is gone. If it isn’t (it is along route 1), visit there as they have very nicely made wooden items for bargain prices (for obvious reasons).

Boothbay Harbor, or if you have time for the longer drive, Bar Harbor. Go out for a nightly sail (bring a sweatshirt, even in Maine) or a whale/seal/puffin watching cruise.

Sturbridge Village, CT. It is similar to Williamsburg, VA in design, but focuses more on the lives of the pilgrims and their homes.

Our last trip to Maine (I am originally from there, but spent my teenage years in Exeter, NH), my wife and I drove along route 1 photographing lighthouses. Of course MANY of them are off the route and some require a boat to get to. If that kind of thing interests you, you could spend a day or two trying to find some of the harder-to-find ones.

I don’t know if they make them anymore, but if you find a bag of Humpty Dumpty Sour Cream n’ Clam potato chips, grab them as a snack, or bring them to me here in Atlanta, with all the clam dip you can find as I have waxed nostalgic for them both.

9

Rhode Island’s main tourist attraction is Newport. There are beautiful mansions to walk through, a charming town center, and lots of ocean. It’s about an hour from Providence, so you could check out some stuff there, as well, but I don’t know what.

The New England Aquarium in Boston is nice. And I’m not saying that because I was a (tiny) part of the Omni theater there getting built. Really. I’m not.

10

I took a trip up to NE a few years ago. As others already have, I would definitely recommend a trip to Acadia NP. Check out some of the beautiful coastline there, and take a drive up to the top of Cadillac Mtn. for a beautiful view (and a beautiful sunrise, if you feel like getting up early enough).

Franconia Notch in NH is really nice as well. The Old Man of the Mountain is sadly gone, but The Flume is a beautiful area. Mt. Washington, known for the worst weather in the world (top recorded windspeed of 234 mph, I believe, and routine wind speeds of 150 mph), is fairly nearby there, as well. If you have kids along (and maybe even if you haven’t), Clark’s Trading Post is in the area, also. It’s not a huge place, they have a few rides geared towards kids (a train ride where you are attacked by The Wolfman, a slanted “gravity defying” house, that sort of thing), but the highlight for me there was the trained bear show.

America’s Stonehenge is also in NH, not terribly far from Boston. Depending on who you believe, it’s either an ancient observatory lined up with the solstices (complete with sacrificial altar) dating back thousands of years, or it’s just some bullshit dating back to the 1800’s.

I personally like seeing unique natural features, so one of the places I tried visiting on my trip was Eastport, Maine. It’s the easternmost town in the US, but the attraction for me there was one of the world’s largest whirlpools (the Old Sow Whirlpool). There’s a ferry that runs from Eastport to Deer Island, New Brunswick, from which you can get a good view of the whirlpool when it’s active, which is either three hours before low tide or three hours before high tide, I forget. The problem I had was that I was there in May, and the ferry doesn’t start running until June or July. I know you’ll be there in May as well, I just figured I’d toss this idea out there anyway. Supposedly you can see the whirlpool from land, but not a very good view; I didn’t wait around to see. I suppose you could find somebody to take you on a boat to see the whirlpool, for a price.

Also in the Eastport area is Roosevelt Campobello International Park. I’ve never been there, but I believe FDR’s family had a home up there. In fact, I believe it was here that FDR caught polio while swimming.

11

Actually, Sturbridge Village is in Sturbrige MA, not CT, although, it is only 3 miles from the CT border along I-84. If you do go there, you should plan lunch at the infamous (at least, locally) Traveler’s Restaurant (I think, exit 71 on I-84 - at least, it’s the first CT exit when you cross the border). It’s a diner/bookstore. You get a free (pre-read) book with any meal, and they have a used bookstore on the lower level. They also have some good paperback book bargain bundles at the register - all about $3 for 5-8 books on a given topic.

While you’re in CT:

Mystic Village - which is sorta like Sturbridge Village, but has a seaport theme. Mystic Aquarium is also there. Something like exit 93 along I-95

The Casinos - Why spend 3 days in Boston, when you can blow all your cash here in one? Two money traps to pick from - Mohegian Sun and Foxwoods. Too many signs to miss the exit (I think it’s off I-395, but since we’ve never been there, can’t really tell you)

The Garbage Museum - located in Beautiful Downtown Stratford, CT. Learn about garbage and recycling (exit 31 off I-95 - we used to live in Stratford, so that’s why we know about it). Also, go up one more exit (Exit 32 off I-95) and visit the Helicopter Museum. Located at the railroad station, it’s open occasionally (we have never figured out when it’s open, so we’ve never done more than peek in the windows.)

The Trucking Museum - Middlebury, CT. Near us (next town over). Never been there. Must be important because there are so many signs directing you to it. Exit 16 off I-84. If you’re over that way, stop by for coffee - we’re about 3 miles from there. Email for directions :slight_smile:

The Mark Twain House - Hartford, CT. Go look at where he used to live. Not in the safest section of town though (exit 45 off of I-84, IIRC)

The P.T. Barnum Museum - Bridgeport, CT. Yes, there’s a sucker born every minute, and they all want to see the Barnum Museum. Actually, a lot of fun. Lots of old sideshow exhibits and vintage photos of the Barnum Circus. Largest collection of carousel horses. Downtown Bridgeport, CT (exit 27 on I-95) While you’re there, you may want to see his house, too - but, it’s not in the safest section of the city.

The Bush House - Greenwich, CT. See where George Sr and Dubya grew up. (Exit 2 of I-95) Not in the safest section of town - meaning, average income is about $175,000, instead of $7,000,000

That’s all I can think off at the moment. If I come up with anything else, I’ll be sure to post it.

12

Good Lord – what are you partial to? There’s a lot here, and what you want to see can seriously shape your trip.

Salem Massachusetts – don’t miss this. Not only will you see the absurdly touristy (there are about half a dozen “witch” museums, not to mention a Pirate Museum, a Wax Museum, Two “haunted houses”, and a children’s museum), the Witch Memorial set up in 1992 to commemorate those hanged (or, in Giles Corey’s case, pressed) for the crime of witchcraft. There’s also the large and newly renovated Peabody-Essex Museum (everyone forgets that Salem rivaled Boston as a port for the China Trade in the early 19th century), the Customs House where Nathaniel Hawthorne worked, the actual House of Seven Gables, a replica sailing ship, a 200 year old candy store, and more “New Age” shops than you can shake a wand at. There’s also the too-neglected Salem Village, with its replicas of 17th century homes.

Canterbury Shaker Village, N.H. – New England has a lot of Shaker Villages. This is my favorite (it’s closest to me), but there’s also one in Sabbaday Lake, Maine (the only one still with practicing Shakers), Hancock, MA (with its wonderful round barn), Fruitlands, and a couple in New Hampshire.

America’s Stonehenge No. Salem, NH – I love it. It’s either a weird Indian Site, or a massive stone structure built by unknown pre-Columbian European Visitors, or a weird Colonial Structure. In any case, it’s a good walk through the woods.

Boston – Too much to mention. The Museum of Science, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Freedom Trail with all its sights, including the Constitution. The Aquarium, Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. The Zoo, sad to say, isn’t up to the standards of most cities. See the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, by all means. Eat at Durgin-Park. Ride the Ducks.

** Plymouth Plantation** Plymouth, MA-- Recreation of 17th century life among the Mayflower settlers (and the nearby Wampanog Indians). Bigger than the villagec at Salem. You can also go see the Mayflower II

Sturbridge Village – Sturbridge MA (not CT) – Nineteenth Century living history

Adams Historical Site Quincy (or Braintree?) MA – See where John, Abigail, and John Quincy lived

Mystic Seaport Mystic, CT – 19th century Whaling Village. Expensive – be prepared to spend the day.

White Mountains – See where the Old Man of the Mountain used to be. Cannon Mountain. Houston Rock, the Flume, the Goddess’ Bath,. Go to Lincoln and see the performing bears at Clarke’s Trading Post.

13

Not a major tourist attraction, but I have relatives in New Hampshire and every time I visit them I also go to the Old Country Store in Moultonboro, NH. It’s basically what its name says - a six room store with a number of interesting sales items. It also has some historical interest, as it supposedly is the oldest continously operating business in the country. One warning though; pickled limes may sound like an interesting idea, but don’t try to eat one.

14

You could try a whale watching trip out of Gloucester, MA (or Newburyport or Boston). It might still be a bit chilly out there in May, so I’d suggest bundling up. If you do Gloucester, you might as well try some fried clams at Woodman’s in Essex. (I think they’re a bit overrated, but some people rave about them.) Rockport is a scenic little tourist trap of a town with some galleries.

There are various harbor tours of Boston (some wind-powered, some not) that are worth the trip. The one I took was timed to watch the firing of the evening gun from the USS Constitution – a nice touch.