New England Road Trip- RI, MA, NH, ME

Old Mar 26th, 2015, 05:18 PM
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New England Road Trip- RI, MA, NH, ME

Hello,

My husband and I are trying to plan a trip sometime in late July/early or mid August. I have put together an itenerary but am hesistant that we are trying to fit in too much in the time frame we have (especially after reading other forums on this site).
We don't mind time in the car or picking just one or two spots per destination- my goal was to really get a whirlwind tour of the area- and then if there is a specific spot we want to spend more time in than we could plan another trip later on that is more focused on that area.

We will rent a car. I have also considered limited the trip to just NH and ME but I would really like to see Newport.

Also- Was wondering if the day trip to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard would be worth it?

Day 1- Fly into Providence, RI and Drive to Newport
Day 2- Explore Newport
Day 3- Drive to Hyannis
Day 4- Day tour of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket
Day 5- Drive to Portsmouth, NH (dinner and see mkt sq)
Day 6- See Prescott Park in the morning and drive to Franconia
Day 7- Hike around and see Franconia
Day 8- Drive to S. Portland for Sea Dog Brewery and Portland Head/Spring Point lighthouses- Continue on to Freeport for stop at ll bean if time allows - then into Rockland, ME
Day 9- See breakwater and grab lunch drive into Bar Harbor
Day 10- Explore Acadia and Bar Harbor
Day 11- Explore Acadia and Bar Harbor
Day 12- Fly Home

Recommendations and advice welcome! Thanks!
aerhoward is offline  
Old Mar 27th, 2015, 02:56 AM
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Unless you plan to fly, doing bot Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket will involve mostly time on ferries and not on the islands. You can take the fast ferry to MV from Quanset Point, RI which will save you the nasty drive to Hyannis and allow you to do a day trip there

Are you planning on flying open jaw or driving back to Providence? That will be a long day of driving.
emalloy is offline  
Old Mar 27th, 2015, 03:14 AM
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I don't think you can do both Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket in one day. We did a day trip to Martha's Vineyard and took a short van tour before walking around/lunch. The old gingerbread cottages are charming.

Strawbery Banke Historic Area is right next to Prescott Park. From there you can drive rt 1B thru New Castle. Portsmouth also offers some interesting boat trips that would give you a break from driving.

I was curious to see how googlemaps would direct you to Franconia. The most boring route via Rt 101 (limited access hwy) but my preferred route is via rt 4 to Concord. I93N to Franconia is actually quite scenic. You'll be skirting beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee (see Meredith NH). I think N Conway on the east side of the mountains is prettier than Franconia (but also a tourist mecca). The Flume is a very popular expensive hike thru a gorge. There are lots of other hike choices. You might want to take the popular scenic Kancamagus Hwy thru the mountains and also see North Conway before heading to Portland.

Do not miss Camden ME and the auto road up Mt Battie with what I think is the best view in Maine when you are heading to Bar Harbor. Freeport to me is just an outlet village. The short hike to Owls Head Light near Rockland is very nice.

If you like beer, you can take a beer tour of Portsmouth. There are nano and micro breweries around New England you might like to look into further.

Long drive from Bar Harbor to Boston so hope you have a late flight on Day 12 or start driving south on Day 11.
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Old Mar 27th, 2015, 05:49 AM
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I would suggest spending another day on the Cape, and cutting one day from Portsmouth. I wouldn't drive to Hyannis, but Falmouth. Falmouth has a smaller quicker ferry to Martha's Vinyard, and it's less busy. Skip Nantucket - you'll be spending too much time on ferries. I would then spend a day exploring the Cape - the national seashore beaches are perhaps the most spectacular stretch of seashore on the east coast, and there is a wonderful visitors center. Portsmouth is a very pleasant seaport city, but one day there might be enough.
Are you flying back from Providence? Realize it's a very long drive from Bar Harbor to Providence.
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Old Mar 27th, 2015, 11:20 AM
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No, a day trip is not worth it in late july/August...traffic and crowds and more crowds. If you are planning another trip later on, do it to maybe Nantucket.

Are you flying home from Providence or from Bar Harbor/Bangor?

Reserve your car now especially if it's a one-way rental, July and August are often sold out well in advance. Providence has very high car rental add-on fees. Depending on your arrival time...it might be worth it to taxi to an off airport-car rental. For instance Avis 3 miles from the airport is about $125 less than at the airport....and you can book the car for return-to-airport-location on departure day so your taxi fee is only one-way. And due to the horrible set-up of the airport car rental center, it's actually quicker to take a taxi offsite than to walk from the terminal to the airport car center.

Lodging in Maine needs to be booked pronto as well.
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Old Mar 27th, 2015, 12:16 PM
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Thank y'all for the help!

We are planning on booking our flights and making all reservations this weekend. We plan on our return flights to leave from Bangor or Portland airport- whichever gives us the best deal.

We will take your advice to just go to Martha's Vineyard.

zootsi- thank you for the tip on Falmouth- that seems like a much better plan and cheaper fares!

dfronstnh- I will look into your advice on the route and stops in the white mnts. much appreciated!

Clargriswold- awesome advice with the rental car. When i did my search the price was cut in half! Thanks so much- that drastically helps our budget!
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Old May 23rd, 2015, 01:08 AM
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Hi, When you go to Newport there is a place called the Norman Bird sanctuary in Middletown a bordering town to Newport and the hiking there is beautiful and the views up on hanging rock are spectacular of Newport coastline. Try to stop at Sweet berry farm for a bite to eat in Middletown as well after your hike. It's a very special shop with incredible food. You can also walk on the cliffwalks in Newport for beautiful view of ocean and mansions. A drive down Ocean drive to Bellvue dr in Newport is beautiful as well. If you like Italian food there is a little Italian restaurant on Thames st called Lucia's restaurant that is delicious as well as many delicious seafood restaurants as well. Definitely make reservations because Newport is very popular tourist destination and a very special place in the summer. The beaches are beautiful in Newport and Narragansett Beach as well if you like to swim. Beaver tail at the tip of Jamestown near Newport is a beautiful spot to have a picnic and look at the ocean,lighthouse and watch the sunset. Have a great vacation!
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Old May 23rd, 2015, 03:17 AM
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If you haven't booked your flights, try returning from Manchester, NH.

That allows you to go straight up the coast from Portsmouth to wherever, then return via White Mountains (Bethel, Maine to Pinkham Notch, Crawford Notch, Franconia Notch) to Manchester rather than making a giant zigzag.

Hyannis to Nantucket is only a few minutes longer on the fast ferries than Falmouth to the Vineyard. Many tradesmen commute daily. But if you are already in Falmouth, you might as well go to the Vineyard. Try to include Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, and Menemshs. Vineyard Haven, not so much.
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