# New England travel plan ideas? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 19, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-travel-plan-ideas/766382 "2016-09-19T21:06:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-travel-plan-ideas/766382/21 "2016-09-23T00:15:23Z")
Driving up Moose Alley (Rt 16 north of North Conway) at dusk makes it pretty easy to see moose, but they just stand there and look big. Frankly, it’s not worth the trip unless you’re \*really \*into moose. There’s lots to do in NH/VT if you’re into hiking. There are big and small hikes all around, although there will still be some snow up high at that time. North Conway is a fine town to spend some time in, shopping, eating, taking the stage or cog RR up Mt Washington or the gondola up Wildcat. There are zip lines and rope courses there as well. Plenty of B&Bs in the area, or the fantastic Mt Washington Hotel (although that’s pricey). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-travel-plan-ideas/766382/22 "2016-09-23T01:05:40Z")
Blindfold your wife and take her to Mendocino in CA. You’ll be able to see whales and a place where so many New England (esp. Maine) TV shows and/or movies were filmed you’ll never know the difference. Except the weather will be fantastic every day! 😃 I always recommend a trip to Newport, RI, but might not be practical since you are focusing on northern NE. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-travel-plan-ideas/766382/23 "2016-09-23T01:28:34Z")
> [@Theodore\_Striker](#): > > This is really good stuff, and much appreciated. I am not that keen on going to Boston, so we may skip that entirely, depending on how she feels about it. My thought was to fly into Portland, and spend a few days either in that area, or in Boothbay, which looks like it’s only about on hour and half drive away. I went to a friend’s wedding in Boothbay a few years ago…I dunno, it struck me as “faux Maine.” Things get better the further Down East you go. I recommend trying to get at least as far as the Penobscot peninsula and seeing Castine and Blue Hill, as well as Brooklin, where E.B. White had his farm and wrote _Charlotte’s Web._. Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National Park are even better. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-travel-plan-ideas/766382/24 "2016-09-23T01:32:33Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > In my opinion, the best bookstore in New England is Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont. Yes, a great bookshop. I’m also very fond of The Big Chicken Barn on Route One in Maine, between Bucksport and Ellsworth. It’s a very big chicken barn, over a hundred yards long, with antiques on the lower floor and books and vintage magazines on the upper. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-travel-plan-ideas/766382/25 "2016-09-23T02:14:18Z")
> [@Theodore\_Striker](#): > > …The Moose Road is interesting actually, we’ve > never seen one in the wild, so that would actually be kind of fun. You actually see “moose crossing” signs along I-95 through southen Maine - much the same as you see “deer crossing” signs along roads in other areas :D. I always complain that it’s false advertising - 5 round trips to Portland and we didn’t see one single moose! (we have actually seen them - a long-ago trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton). Not related to anything you asked but I gather New Hampshire has no sales tax. Every time we were going to Portland, we were driving up from the Boston area, and the most noticeable thing you see along the highway in NH is signs for a huge liquor store (both directions). We finally stopped this last trip and it was indeed larger than a regular ABC store here in Virginia, and had a much larger selection. As we’re not big drinkers there wasn’t much we wanted to buy, but we did come home with a nice bottle of maple liqueur. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-travel-plan-ideas/766382/26 "2016-09-23T18:29:22Z")
NH has not sales tax; there is tax on meals and hotels. There are big liquor stores in part because only the state can sell hard liquor. Technically there’s a limit on how much you can transport out of NH. “State law makes its illegal to transport more than eight quarts of hard liquor or six gallons of beer or wine.” [http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20140105/THISJUSTIN/701059864](http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20140105/THISJUSTIN/701059864) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-travel-plan-ideas/766382.md?page=1)