So the bf and I are off to NYC mid June for 15days and I had asked a few weeks/months ago about options for a 4-day break away from the city. While I originally dismissed Provincetown, the bf now seems to have changed his mind (I think finding an amazing place via airbnb did the trick) and this we are making a 4-day trip up to Provincetown.
While I understand that once we get to the cape we don’t have many roads to choose from but what would be most scenic way to drive from NYC to P-town? I believe we have the house from Sunday (23rd) so how much drivingtime can we expect/should we take into account? What are the prettiest places to stop off along the way if we plan to leave early and take our time getting to P-town?
You’re talking about 6 hours minimum drive time, count on more than that on a nice day in the summer. You might want to veer off and take a ride around Newport to see the mansions.
Google says that I95N will take us there and seems to be closest to coast…is there a non-Interstate that we should look into? Or will we be screwing ourselves big time and end up 24hrs in the car?
95 takes you along the coast through Connecticut. After that you head inland. You can travel across Newport to Rt. 6 in Massachusetts and take that up to 495 to get to the Cape. Otherwise you’d have to get on 195 in Providence and follow that to 6, or take 95 up to 495 in Massachusetts. The side roads in Mass. are generally awful, and anything particular to see will be out of the way, and there really isn’t much in the way of alternate routes in RI. A trip through Barrington and Bristol can be nice, but out of your way. I wouldn’t get off the main roads unless you have something in particular to look for, but you may find some of the scenery I find common to be more interesting.
You should probably take the Bourne Bridge instead of the Sagamore Bridge to get onto the Cape. There will likely be less traffic, and the scenery is better. Yes, it’s a longer way around, but depending on the traffic it might still be faster.
Just take I-95 to Providence, spend your sightseeing time on the Cape. A possible stop in Newport would be nice but you should really devote a full day to see the sights there. If you only have time for a brief stop I’d pass.
Once you get on the Cape the main route is 6 but if you don’t mind wandering a bit take 6A on the bay side. It goes through all the small towns so it’s definitely slower but a nice trip. You can also stop at Salt Pond, part of the CC National Seashore in Eastham. I love walking on the boardwalk there. I’d also stop in Wellfleet and head out for a walk on beach on the far side of the harbor. The village of Wellfleet is pretty quaint as well.
What TriPolar said along with RT6A when you get to the Cape. It is more scenic. If you can time the drive for very early morning and arrive at the start of the Cape by sunrise you will miss a LOT of traffic. Truro is very nice but find the dunes starting around there. They are beautiful.
Here are a couple of suggestions. Either of these is going to be a long day’s drive, so start early. (In fact, even if you just take the interstates all the way – that is, I-95 to I-195 – start early, because traffic gets horrible quickly, especially during the summer.)
Take the Merritt Parkway through western Connecticut instead of I-95. It’s prettier and there are no trucks. Check out the Art Deco bridges. Then take Exit 54 (Milford Parkway) to get to I-95; take that to Connecticut Rte. 2 (Exit 92), just before the Rhode Island border. Take Rte. 2 into Rhode Island, then Rte. 78 to US 1 north. Take that to R.I. Rte 138 East, which will take you to Newport. From Newport, take R.I. Rte. 114 to Rte. 24, which will take you to I-195, which basically takes you to the Cape.
Go via Long Island and take the Orient Point ferry to New London; then get onto I-95 north. You can then take Exit 92, etc., as described in #1 above, if you want.
The ferry from Orient Point is a good suggestion. Spend some time driving out to visit the wineries on the North Fork of Long Island before you catch the ferry; the wines are quite good and we can provide suggestions if you want. Make a reservation for the ferry once you know your rough schedule; they run every hour and during the day you should have trouble moving to an earlier or later ferry. They fill up early and late.
On my visit to Cape Cod, I found Route 28 *extremely *slow because it was mostly only two lanes – I got stuck behind a lot of people making left hand turns.
If you’re looking for some roadside-attraction-type-fun, stop in for a round of mini-golf at Putters Paradise in West Yarmouth.
It’s 4 lanes for most of the way. 28A is 2 lanes but it’s not crowded. When they merge near Teaticket then it’s back to two lanes, and yes it gets very slow. One good alternate might be to take 28A and then turn left onto 151.
If you do this you’ll drive right through my hometown, Fairhaven, MA, where I’m the tourism director. We have some very unique European style architecture here, but you’ll have to get just a bit off Route 6 to see it. Our Visitors Center is at the first right off 6 when you come over the bridge from New Bedford, right next door to Fairhaven High School. Stop by and say hello.
Thank you everybody - you definitely have given us plenty of options to explore… @Telemark The Long Island/ferry option sounds interesting as my other half has an unhealthy fascination with the Hamptons
@TDN/TriPolar/
If we take the Bourne Bridge we end up on rte28 - would rte28a -> rte151 -> rte28 -> rte149 -> rte6a -> rte6 be the best option from then? Or stay on 28, go past rte149 and then use what to get to rte6??
The ferry of course runs off the north shore of Long Island and the Hamptons are on the south shore. The ferry while pretty and relaxing takes about the same time as the land trip to New London (with Manhattan as your starting point), maybe a little longer (waiting, sailing, disembarking, etc.) and is extremely more expensive.
The Cross Sound Ferry is about $65 for car and driver. The Hamptons are out on the South Fork as mentioned, the ferry is on the North Fork. It will add time to your trip but it’s not impossible. There’s a ferry to and from Shelter Island to each fork, that’ll add $15 for each leg of the trip but it saves some driving. That’s the quickest way to get from Montauk to Orient Point but it’s a bit of a logistical mess.
You’ll also miss most of wine country which is mostly on the North Fork.
@Pseudotriton - we’re planning on early start and for our trip to take most if not all day. Am sure that given the option my other half will have no issues knowing taking ferry will be more expensive than just driving
I remember taking that Shelter Island ferry. As I recall, it was this tiny little raft-like thing that fit about 4 cars… I thought it was cool.
On that same trip I stopped at Fire Island National Seashore, which I thought was quite gorgeous… it might have just been that I happened to be there at a time when the light was superb – sort of this shimmering mist.
