tigger42

We will be flying to Boston and flying back from Washington DC. We did did a history road trip tour all round Washington area last year and want to conplete the tour with the historic sights in Boston area. We werethinking of plymouth, lexington, concord but also had the idea of beach for day or two and a hike in mount washington. We then thought of driving to valley forge. We are going to have 2 nights in washington dc before flying back. I am needing help with itinerary as i only have 14 days with the family road trip and i want to make most of the trip. We do not want to see new york city or philly this time.Any suggestions on a places please! Thanks so much

tomfuller

You can use the NE Corridor of Amtrak to avoid some hefty one way fees on your car rental. The first part of your trip sounds good. Return the Boston rental car where you got it and then take a Northeast Regional from Boston South station to Mystic, CT. It is a very interesting seaport town with plenty to see just walking or with a short taxi ride. From Mystic take NE Regional #93 to Philadelphia and wait about an hour to take the Keystone #649 to Lancaster PA arriving about 6PM. Spend the night in Lancaster and rent a car in the morning to go see Valley Forge and maybe Gettysburg.
Are you sure you want to fly back home from a Washington DC airport? You can rent a car at BWI if you want to see more or just fly home from there, The Inner Harbor of Baltimore is very interesting with the National Aquarium and other things. You might even be able to catch a baseball game at Camden Yards. Driving and sometimes parking can be a nightmare anyplace between Boston and Washington DC IMO.

Fra_Diavolo

From Plymouth you're most of the way to Cape Cod. Ocean beaches are farther out, but Falmouth has calmer and warmer waters. Alternately, you could drive to Newport, RI for an ocean beach break. New Bedford has a fine whaling museum, as does Mystic Seaport, mentioned above, which has the sole surviving wooden whale ship.

I would second the recommendation of Gettysburg. You might also add Harper's Ferry and Antietam.

KarenWoo

You mention historic sites in the Boston area. I assume you will visit Boston, too, right? And how old are your children? You can follow the Freedom Trail in Boston on your own or with a guide. This route takes you past 16 historical sites. Visit the beautiful Boston Public Gardens and go on a swan boat ride.

For your beach days, I recommend visiting the Cape after you leave Plymouth. Depending on how much time you have, I would drive to Brewster where there are beautiful calm bay waters where you can walk way out during low tide. Skaket Beach in Orleans is perfect for young children if your children are young. The lower cape and the outer cape are the most beautiful. There are 40 miles of pristine beaches, marshes and ponds within the Cape Cod National Seashore. And numerous scenic walking/hiking trails. If you don't have the time to go this far, then Falmouth is nice, too.
https://www.nps.gov/caco/index.htm

Mt. Washington is in NH and would be about a 4 hour drive from Boston.

dfrostnh

When are you coming? You should choose a hike based on your experience level and that of your children. There are many hiking opportunities and some closer than the Mt Washington area. If you want an outdoor experience you might consider kayaking. There's a good rental place near Concord NH. Also a bit farther north is a mountain biking park on a former small ski area.
Historic places mear Concord NH include Canterbury Shaker Village and the Kearsarge Indian Museum. The museum is on the road leading up small Mt Kearsarge for a pretty easy hike.
i'm recommemding the Concord NH area because it's easy drive up I93 and much closer to Boston.
Or you could head up I95 to Portsmouth NH's Strawbery Banke and interesting boat rides. If you wanted to do a NH loop, Portsmouth is about an hour east of Concord NH.

tigger42

Amazing! I have incorporated nearly all the suggestions into the plan and removed mount washington this time.Thanks guys!!! I will need few more days than planned to cover it all. Focus on history, beach and walking. Now i can book the stays for the summer.

tomfuller

If you go with the train option I gave you, there is an Enterprise car rental In Paoli PA (1700 Lancaster Ave) which is much closer to Valley Forge NMP. The Keystone train (#693) will get you there before 5:30PM. Enterprise will pick you up at the train station in my experience