Hello I'm driving from Niagara Falls to Boston and would like to take in 2 night stays at recommended places. My Mum wants to see a pilgrims settlement and I'd like to see a bit of Salem or Mystic but what to do??
We're coming over from England and I'm the driver so please keep it simple!
niagara falls to boston
Recent Activity
View all United States activity »
- 1 Honeymoon to Kauai and Maui from the East Coast
- 2
Air Bnb Declared Illegal in NYC
by
Doug_Stallings
|
19 responses; most recent on May 22, 13 at 07:50 AM
- 3 Boston and surrounding area
- 4 New Orleans - Alligator Cheesecake???
- 5 Pick up north of Boston Logan
- 6 Yellowstone Hiking Suggestions for a 7 1/2 Year Old
- 7 Savannah restaurants
- 8 New York City Itinerary and Restaurant Help
- 9 1st time in Boston --need advice
- 10 Transportation from Jackson to Jackson Hole airport
- 11 Albuquerque to Denver
- 12 Santa Fe at the end of May?
- 13
Santa Fe Home Exchange - Three Wks, from start to finish
- 14 Oregon Cave NM or extra day in Redwoods area?
- 15
Middlebury vt quickie
- 16 Help with July 4th Marriott Houston trip
- 17 American Airlines reservation question
- 18 Hawaii- Can't decide which islands to include
- 19 Car trip from Seattle
- 20 Alaska Camping/Backpacking
- 21 Newport, RI Questions
- 22
Arizona - Sedona, Grand Canyon, MV and Canyon DeChelley
- 23 Omni Hotel, San Francisco - Did I make a good choice
- 24 2 Brits Travelling USA July-Aug 2013
- 25 Best place to raise a family in Florida
Not sure of your exact time frame - amount of time for trip to entire area. First, mapquest.com is a good website for US distances and directions - it is generally clear and reasonable in time estimates.
If one were to drive directly from Niagara Falls to Boston it takes 7-8 hours - and is mostly on interstate highways and quite boring. Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA (osv.org) - while not of Pilgrim era - represents life around 1800. It would be on the way on your trip - but about an 1.5 hours outside of Boston. For Pilgrims you need to go to Plimouth Plantation (in Plymouth, MA - and yes, they are spelled differently) - which is about an hour south of Boston and not directly on your route. Neither is Salem, MA or Mystic, CT.
Salem has all the witch stuff - which many of those who live here find rather hokey - but some people feel different - plus an excellent museum (Peabody Essex). It is also near beaches and other North Shore sites. Mystic is primarily ship building stuff - also very scenic and has some beautiful areas nearby. It is about 2 hours south of Boston.
So much of what you want to see is in different directions - not impossible depending on the time you have and what else you are doing. You could drive to Boston, see some of Boston, and then plan on a few days south of Boston - seeing Plimouth Plantation and then on to Mystic. If you had long enough in Boston area you could take a train to Salem for a daytrip. (about an hour)
Hope that helps a bit. Look at where all these places are on a map and it may make a bit more sense.
One thing from your post I am unsure of, are you looking for places between Niagara Falls and Boston to spend two nights before getting to Boston and then go to Mystic/Salem (in completely opposite directions of Boston) and Plymouth or were you hoping to make two stops between NF and Boston that includes Mystic and Pilgrims?
Agree with Gail, I-90 straight across NY and Massachusetts in 7-8 hours sounds about right. It's a very uninteresting drive but the most direct one.
Another option if you wish to do Salem would be to continue a little farther up the coast to Portsmouth, NH and the Strawberry Banke Museum http://www.strawberybanke.org/exhibits.html
I should clarify...Salem is North of Boston and Mystic is Southwest of Boston (that's what I meant by opposite directions).
Without going into details or websites I would recommend several places traveling en route Niagra Falls to Boston, depending on interests and time. In a southerly direction along I-86 there is Corning with its Glass Works and Museum which we found worthwile. Nearby is the beautiful Finger Lakes area and at the north end though off the path is Seneca Falls celebrating the women's movement. Don't pass up Cooperstown with its several museums including the Baseball Hall of Fame. Glimmerglass just north is a wonderful opera venue. Sharon Springs is a unique historic stop. Of course some are drawn to the races at Saratoga.
We love the Hudson Valley (where our son taught college) and you'll find the Vanderbilt and Roosevelt and other mansions wothwhile if time allows. West Point also. We once stayed at the Beekman Arms at Rhinbeck more recently renowned for Chelsea Clinton wedding affair. But of course you'll find many unique places like that.
Getting into Massachusetts you surely know about the Berkshire area which we will see in two weeks ourselves with music and art, e.g., Tangelwood where the Boston Symphony
performs plus Berkshire Theatre Festival and Jacob's Pillow dance. Moving east I second the recommendation for Old Sturbridge Village just off I-90 giving the flavor of a bygone day. Neat motel nearby and wonderful food at the inn. Glad to email further info...we are an older couple now in Boston.
Regarding Salem and Mystic and Salem and other places like Plymouth which we've seen you will surely find worthwhile. They are located around Boston except for Mystic seaport. I do like to sroll Plimouth Village conversing with reenacters.
I see Strawberry Banke in NH is mentioned and would second it. Hey, Boston too has a few places to see also!
Bill walongman@yahoo.com
Be prepared for challenging driving but maybe not so much different than UK with its winding roads.