ohio123

I am trying to surprise my sister with a few days vacation on the New England coast for her birthday (mid 40's) She has had a really really tough year and truly deserves a few days for herself. We both love quaint little shops and towns and will be driving from Ohio. We will only have 5 days and would like to see the beautiful coastline and visit several small towns on a limited budget. I have thought about starting up the coast in CT? What are the best places to visit for quanit little villiages, shops, lobster, scenery etc.
Thanks for any tips or suggestions.

dfrostnh

With only a few days time I think you should concentrate on the mid-coast area of Maine. Somewhere in the Brunswick/Wiscasset/Rockland area would give you a great concentration of quaint towns, great lobster shacks, etc. We usually go for a week and spend each day heading in a different direction where we can have lobster for lunch. It is fun to drive down to a point, follow different roads, and see what there is to see. Boothbay Harbor is very popular with tourists and provides some fun shopping but you might also prefer an easy walk at the nearby Maine Coastal Gardens on Barter Island. Drive in a different direction to sit on some rocks and enjoy the views. You can visit Owls Head Lighthouse (near Rockland) for a terrific view and short, east hike. Head up the auto road on Mt Battie for an incredible view overlooking Camden harbor. Camden also has some fun shopping. Visit the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland to enjoy paintings by Maine artists. Generally it's pretty easy to spend a whole day exploring a point, stopping at a shop or two, having lunch someplace. The Seabasket in Wiscasset, for example, is reasonably price family restaurant. We usually camp so we have lobster for lunch and make our dinner back at camp. As long as you have a way of melting butter, you can buy lobsters at large grocery stores (they will steam them for you) but the lobster shack kind of places aren't much more expensive. Have breakfast in your room. Buy homemade muffins at a farmers market the night before or maybe fresh blueberries with yogurt. We like to picnic sometimes and the top of Mt Battie is a great place. Carry bag chairs in your car and bring along some picnic things. It is lovely to sit with a book, enjoy looking at the ocean and just unwind. Pemaquid Point is another nice place to picnic (I found a shady spot among some trees.) If you are afraid of getting lost you might buy a copy of Delorme's Maine Atlas and Gazetteer which shows ALL the roads.

ggreen

The coast of CT has quaint and cute and might not be too expensive or too far of a drive. When are you planning on taking this trip?

I'm in the process of planning a friend's birthday weekend in either Mystic or Stonington and have found a lot of great info online. As a teaser, check out this article - the writing alone made me want to go this minute!
www.eddybles.com/rhode-island-ct-travel-guide

If you're interested, I can pass along the hotel, restaurant and sightseeing info I've collected.

kiiskinentango

You may not have the time but I highly recommend the Gloucester/Rockport area in MA. Beautiful, and fantastic seafood.

elysag

If you go to the coast of CT, don't miss Lenny & Joe's: http://www.ljfishtale.com/

mclaurie

If you only have 5 days total for the trip, you will spend at least 2 driving to and from Ct. from Ohio. Does it have to be on the coast?

My experience is the best places for antiques in Ct. tend not to be on the coast but rather in the northwest part of Ct. in Litchfield County. Sheffield Mass, just over the Ct. border has one antique store after another.

Here's a website I found with antique info for Ct.
http://www.antiquing.com/ct.htm

ohio123

Thank you all so much for repling. I have printed out your suggestions and I will let her decide the itinerary. I'm sure wherever we go we will have a great time just spending sister time together. Please pray for traveling mercies. IF anyone ever needs info on Ohio I will be happy to share with you all.