Was going to do Mystic CT, Bennington, VT and Stowe, VT in Sept. (Have to include Bennington and Stowe). Originally planned to do ME, then decided on Mystic since we have Hyatt points we can use for Mystic.
Today my husband said he would rather go to ME than CT. So back to the drawing board.
How does this sound? From BDL (where we are flying into), drive to Brattleboro, VT and spend 2 nights there. The day after we arrive we can go to Bennington to see the Hemmings Musuem, and also the Grandma Moses paintings at the Bennington Art Museum. From there drive to ME and spend 3 days, and then from wherever in ME, to Stowe. Does this make sense?
Whole lobster, not lobster rolls - so revising NE itinerary
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I guess I should have mentioned that my goal was to eat lobster rolls so thought CT would be good for that, but my husband prefers whole lobsters, hence the reason to switch to ME instead of CT.
First of all, at good restaurants you can get whole lobsters in any of the New England States - even Vermont. I live in Western Mass and all the grocery stores carry live lobsters all year long. There are tons of restaurants in all six states that feature lobster dinners.
That said, I agree with your husband that Maine is a much more interesting destination than Mystic. Nothing wrong with Mystic, but if you are coming from outside the region, Maine is much more scenic.
Yes, your itinerary makes sense.
And usually you'll be able to get lobster rolls where you get whole lobsters so it should be a win/win decision. Sounds good. Agree that Maine is a better choice for you.
Thanks. We are coming from AZ (desert) so I think you are right, ME makes more sense. Have been to Ogunquit and Kennebunkport so thinking of going further up the coast.
Yes, go farther up the coast. Brunswick, Bath, Boothbay, Rockland, maybe as far as Camden. You don't have time to go to Mt Desert Island. But it is a 6 hour drive from Bennington to Rockland, so maybe Brunswick to cut off an hour and a half. Then from Brunswick to Stowe is another 5 hours, though much of it is through incredibly beautiful scenery.
And those times don't include meal stops or using the bathroom or buying gas. Most of your routes will be over two lane highways.
Wiscasset, ME, is a huge time sink since Red's Lobsters became a tourist attraction. Expect half an hour to go three miles.
The road from Concord to Portsmouth, NH, is also a time sink. Lots of traffic, many accidents.
You are going to be doing a lot of driving on this trip. Maybe not much time for sightseeing.
If the scenery is good, don't mind the driving so much.
I guess I would recommend going to Stowe after Brattleboro and then to ME instead of driving to ME from Brattleboro and then crossing back west and north to Stowe and then south again to BDL. Going in a circle BDL/Brattleboro/Stowe/ME/ BDL instead of crossing back and forth seems to make more sense to me. There are no "highways" that go east/west in northern New England so that drive is time consuming. From Stowe, you can go east to ME and then drive the ME coast heading south back to BDL. This is assuming you are flying out of BDL too. If you are flying out of Burlington, VT then your original itinerary would work. Or, if you can, think about flying in and out of Boston. Then drive Boston/ME/Stowe/Brattleboro/Boston. Yes, you can get whole lobsters anywhere in New England. They are really fun to eat at an open air waterfront lobster pound type place. The ME coast has many. Sept in northern New England can be warm and dry or cool and rainy. Bring layers.
We're flying into BDL, but flying out of Burlington. BOS is not an option. And we have specific dates that we have to be in Stowe (Sept 13-16) and our flights to BDL are on Sept 8. So we have to end up in Stowe as our last stop.
While in Bennimgton, visit the Old First Church...traditional old New England Congregationa church, very pretty, and Robert Frost's grave is in their cemetery out back. Perfect setting for his final resting spot.
Given the specifics you just listed I would suggest this route: Go to Maine first, then Bennington, then Stowe. Any of the routes from Maine across NH to Vermont are scenic but quite slow. Maybe crossing NH once would be enough. From BDL to Maine you can do it all highway (I-91 to I-291 to Mass Pike (I-90) to I-495 to I95 till you get to Maine, then switch to the scenic coastal routes. From the airport to Kittery Maine is less than 3 hours. (As opposed to over two hours from the airport to Bennington and then four and a half over to Maine).