Drive from Kennebunkport to Bennington, VT

Old Aug 10th, 2015, 12:41 PM
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Drive from Kennebunkport to Bennington, VT

Hi, I'm flying into Boston and driving up to Kennebunkport with my mom. She has never been to Maine so we're going to take just one day there then head over to Bennington, VT. That's about a 200 mile trip and we are hoping it will be beautiful and full of color by then. (early Oct.). We are going to have to make the 200 mile trip in one day so there won't be a ton of time to stop but I'm just wondering what the most scenic route would be and if there are any kinds of "must see" things along that route. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
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Old Aug 10th, 2015, 01:15 PM
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GPS and google maps will point you to Rt 101, a limited access hwy from the seacoast to Manchester NH. I always recommend Rt 16/4 to Concord. After you leave Portsmouth NH traffic circle and start heading west, you will cross over the bridges that go across Great Bay. Not long after that you will pass Wagon Hill farm which is now a conservation area. If you need to stretch you legs, there are hiking trails.
Rt 4 skirts downtown Durham and the UNH campus. It's pretty rural with a section in Northwood called Antique Alley. Lots of antique shops.
You can bypass Concord NH's commercial mess by taking I393. Downtown Concord is being redeveloped as a pedestrian paradise. It is a nice downtown. It looks prettier on the one side that has been finished but don't know if you will be able to go south on Main street by October.

Follow the detour if necessary so you can go west on Pleasant Street out toward the hospital. If you want a very nice restaurant for lunch, it's the Centennial Inn on Pleasant Street (not open for lunch on Sat). Continue thru lovely residential/rural area. This route will take you past St. Paul's School, one of the top private schools in the US, then thru the villages of Hopkinton and Contoocook. If you want to make a slight detour, follow signs to Gould Hill Orchard. Very nice view from their small parking lot and very pretty ride. In downtown Contoocook, turn left to follow Rt 127. It will take you thru some farm country and across the top of a flood control dam. Turn left. When you come to Rt 202, turn right and head for Keene. You will bypass downtown Keene but there's some good restaurants there if it's time for lunch. Pretty downtown. Head to Brattleboro VT and then over Hogback Mountain to Bennington.

The only other sensible east/west route through NH would be to take Rt 101 from Manchester and then over to Keene. It goes thru the pretty towns of Peterborough and Dublin NH but Rt 101 between Manchester and the seacoast is a boring limited access highway. If you took this route and wanted to detour for a most unusual lunch, you could go to Pickety Place in Mason NH for an herbal luncheon. You should reserve a few weeks ahead.
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Old Aug 12th, 2015, 07:42 AM
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This is such a great and thoughtful response and it sounds lovely. Thanks you so much!
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Old Sep 17th, 2015, 09:22 PM
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Since you are going to Kennebunkport, I thought I would throw this out as "food for thought." I have no lobster (roll) in this fight as they aren't my favorite food. In case it doesn't come through, the link is an article to the best lobster roll in Maine, The Crab Shack in Kennebunkport. http://www.eater.com/2014/5/23/62194...bunkport-maine
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Old Sep 27th, 2015, 05:12 AM
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Unfortunately you are not likely to see good color in VT except perhaps in the highest elevation (going over Hogback Mt on the route 9 as dfrost has recommended). We have had a lot of warm weather in September, and the foliage is very late.

You should still see some beautiful scenery.

Here is info on Hog Mountain
http://www.hogbackvt.org/
and a link about the Molly Stark byway
http://www.mollystarkbyway.org/

If you have time in Bennington and are interested in folk art, the Grandma Moses collection at the museum is excellent.

I hope you and your mother have a great trip!
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