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10 day June New York and New England road trip itinerary help

10 day June New York and New England road trip itinerary help

Old Apr 17th, 2016, 07:27 AM
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10 day June New York and New England road trip itinerary help

Hi, Husband, 18 month baby and I will be doing a road trip starting in Washington DC ending in NYC this June (19-29th) and need to finalise the itinerary (i know its getting close). this will be part 2 of our trip, (part 1 is visiting NYC and DC.)

we are from Australia. Our interests include- natural beauty, culture, beautiful buildings, a little history, occasional museum, shopping, wine and FOOD (Seafood, lobster, cheese, ice-cream). Our baby will rule out many vigorous outdoor/sport activities and nightlife clubs and pubs, but we still enjoy lively evening atmosphere.
Our vague itinerary so far
- leave Washington for Lancaster Country PA via a stop at historic Gettysburg. stay 1 night Amish Country, partly cause its en-route to NY/NE

- drive to the Finger Lakes region, and spend 2-3nights there seeing wineries and nature/scenery

-drive to Vermont region- maybe stay in Burlington for 1-2 nights? or Stowe? where else could we stay in this area? Whats beautiful/interesting in june (noting beautiful foliage isn’t until fall)? Or what other towns are great/interesting?

-drive via white mountains into maine, or more sout-east and towards the coast
THEN – which of these towns should we skip/ must visit- and day-trip or spend 1-2nights?
Bar Harbor? its a popular destination. How much can we see/do in Acadia with an infant? or should we skip Bar Harbor in favour of the towns mentioned below?
portland head
portsmouth
ogunquit and kennebunkport
cape cod
newport and rhode island

- then head towards NYC airport to catch flight home

Also- given that we will have already spent 2 weeks in NYC and washington DC (part 1 of our trip) should we include Boston or is it ok to skip Boston in favour of the coastal towns?

We are unsure of what is there to see getting from finger lakes region to New England, and what else is worth visiting in vermont area.
would you pick the finger lakes region over the hudson valley or catskills area? we would like to include some beautiful drives- not just roads getting from A to B.
Also, we here there are great cheese and icecream places in these areas so would love advice on where to check out
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Old Apr 17th, 2016, 09:45 AM
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You can't do all that in 10 days. Doing Gettysburg and Lancaster will take three days, then Finger Lakes brings you up to six days... onto Vermont another day..in Vermont another couple days..driving back to NYC one more...that totals the 10...

Get a good map and plot out the major places you want to see, allowing driving time.
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Old Apr 17th, 2016, 11:03 AM
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I live in the Finger Lakes area. If I where you I would go from Lancaster and stay a night in the Corning area. The will be about a 4 hour drive. When you are in Corning I would recommend that you go to the Corning Museum of Glass. Then you could head north on Rt 414 to Watkins Glen. If you want to do a hike you could walk Watkins Glen State Park. Watkins Glen is a nice little town. From there you could head up the east or west side of Seneca Lake and stop at many wineries. The east side is a little more laid back and the wineries are a little smaller. You can't go wrong with either side of the lake. From there you could head toward the New England states.

Sorry I can't help you with the New England area. I do agree with the prior posting that you don't have enough time to do everything you want to do.
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Old Apr 18th, 2016, 03:48 AM
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I spent twenty summers in the Finger Lakes region and now live in New England. Sorry, but I'd spend all your time in New England. Nothing wrong with the Finger Lakes but based on what you said you like, New England would be better.

Boston is very different from NYC and Washington. I think driving through Vermont and NH, spending a night or two in each, and then down the coast of Maine (no reason having a baby will detract from going to Acadia) stopping in Portland (Portland Head is the lighthouse just south of the small city of Portland, there are several others nearby. (www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=maine+lighthouses)

Ogunquit and Kennebunkport are cute coast villages south of Portland. Camden and Rockport are two towns between Arcadia and Portland. You can see all that in a not too rushed manner in about four days (2 nights Acadia, stop for lunch in Camden, then a night in Portland, then a day to see the stuff south of Portland.

Then stop for at least one night in Boston, obviously can't see it all in one day, but it's a small city as major cities go so it can be enjoyed in one or two days if you pick what you want to do.

Even if you were to spend most of your ten days in New England you don't have time for Cape Cod (but it will be quite crowded in summer, and the more dramatic coast and cuter towns are on the Maine Coast). You might have time for one night in Rhode Island on your way back to NY if that's where you have to go to fly out of.
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Old Apr 18th, 2016, 06:15 AM
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Thank you all so far. I am considering on skipping finger lakes as Isabel suggested but i am not sure then how we could quickly yet comfortably get to Vermont from Washington DC in a possibly interesting way to start our new England road trip. We don't mind the odd 5-6hr drive with lunch stop if it means thy following days are more relaxed.
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Old Apr 18th, 2016, 06:20 AM
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http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-ice-cream.cfm

That is a discussion on ice cream places in NYC.

As for cheesemongers, the two best are probably Murray's on Bleecker Street with a small stand in Grand Central and Zabar's on the Upper West Side. Zabar's sells much more than cheese, but do not go weekends or after work as you may trampled by someone who desperately needs coffee and or a rye bread.
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Old Apr 18th, 2016, 09:53 AM
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I'm very familiar with VT & NH, am so-so on ME. Skip MA (except Boston), CT, and RI altogether.

As to VT, southern and central VT are great, hard to go wrong wherever you go. I'd skip northern VT, if I were you. There are better uses of your time.

Being the tourist season, you should think about making lodging reservations now.

[Just as a reference for you, my wife and I once, a long time ago, left Concord, NH one morning about 9 am, drove up US 3, not the Interstate, all the way out the northern tip of NH into Quebec, went west to Sherbrooke, Quebec, south to St. Johnsbury VT, and back to Concord on I-93, all by 9 pm. Nothing is really very far in VT/NH. Another reference for you is that we drive from Lewisburg, West Virginia, where we live, to Albany in about 10 hours, and about 500 miles, stopping along the way for a sit-down meal, and gas twice.]

Before you get to New England (NE), get your hands on this CD (Amazon has it): "Bert and I/More Bert and I: And Other Stories From Downeast." Listen to it and you'll have a much better understanding of NE. Plus, it's "wicked" funny!

To get to NE from DC, go I-270 to Frederick MD, then US 15 to Gettysburg. You could spend a month at Gburg, depending on the depth of your US Civil War interest (a war known by some southerners as "The War of Northern Aggression"), but 2 days should do you fine. Get a guided tour so you don't waste your time.

If you leave DC early enough you could spend half a day or more in Gburg the first day, then most of a whole day the next, so counting DC as 0, you're at 1.75 when you leave Gburg north on I-81, and 2.0 when you stop for the night around Scranton PA. It's a very long day, but you're banking time for NE.

Head out the next morning for Albany on I-88, about 3 hours. Head north on I-87, then east from Latham on State Route 7 to Bennington, VT. (It's about 45 miles, an hour to 1.5 hrs drive.) It's maybe worth spending an hour or so there - you'll know when you get there how long to stay. If you leave early, you could be in Bennington for a late lunch, so you're at 2.5 days from DC.

Take US 7 north to US 4, then east to Woodstock, VT, about 80 miles. You'll probably want to spend awhile there, then on to the White River Junction VT/Hanover NH area (~25 miles) for the third night. Drive/walk around Hanover/ Dartmouth College that evening.

Head north starting on the morning of Day 4 on I-91 to I-93, then US 2 east. Head south on State Route 16 to Gorham. STOP when you get to the Mt. Washington Auto Road. It's about 5 miles from Gorham, or about 100 miles (2-2.5 hrs) from Hanover. Assuming your car is fairly new and your brakes are good, pay the fee to drive to the top of MT. Washington. You'll never forget it - ever! Be sure to have layers you can put on or take off, in case of snow at the top - seriously!

Head south on SR 16 again to Conway, right on SR 113 south to intersection with SR 25, 25 south to Moultonborough. You'll see some interesting little villages all along the way. Stay on 25 to SR 25B west to US 3 south to Meredith. You may want to spend the night of Day 4 somewhere in this vicinity. There's plenty to see and do here if you end up with a lot of time at the end of the day.

The morning of Day 5, head south on SR 106 to the NH Motor Speedway. Just across from one of the entrances is a little road on your right, Asby Rd. If you get to the large Marquee sign on the left, you went too far.

Follow Asby Rd to Shaker Rd, then turn right. In about 2 miles from SR 106, you'll be at the Canterbury Shaker Village. Plan on half a day here. It is well worth it!

The Shakers were one of the most remarkable groups of people to ever inhabit this planet. This is one of their best preserved, best "docented" sites. DO NOT MISS THIS!

After the Shaker Village, head for Maine. However you go to get there, you'll see interesting things. Spend the night of Day 5 somewhere in Maine. Frankly, if it were me, I'd skip Maine. There's nothing there but seacoast, IMHO. If you must do Maine, drive the coast to Bar Harbor and turn around.

There's a ton of very cool stuff to do in Boston. Head to Boston for however many days you have left, and then NYC on Day 10.

Night 1---Gettysburg.........Nights 5, 6, or 7---Maine
Night 2---Scranton...........Nights 7, 8, or 9---Boston
Night 3 & 4---NH.............Day 10---NYC


We might be in VT visiting our daughter & family when you come through. If we are, we'd love a chance to meet you, maybe in White River Junction.

Have a fun trip. Hope this helps.
DeWitt & Merle Shank
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Old Apr 18th, 2016, 09:57 AM
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P.S.

In Boston, stay off of Storrow Drive!!!
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Old Apr 18th, 2016, 01:44 PM
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If you get to Frederick MD visit the Community Bridge, art gallery (from a window there is a special view of one of the bridge paintings that can only be properly seen from that window) and enjoy the shopping district. There are more tromp l'oeil paints in this area.

Frederick MD to Concord NH if you go thru CT is one very long day of driving with a sit down lunch.

If you have to choose between Burlington and Stowe, I vote Burlington. College town on a beautiful lake with a pedestrians only shopping/restaurant district.

If you go to Woodstock VT I hope it will be a Saturday because you should skip Woodstock and either go south to Brattleboro or north to Norwich for the Saturday farmers market. Both are festive. Both have food vendors and crafts. I go to Norwich more often. There is also a nice farm stand nearby and the BEST baking supply store at King Arthur Flour. You can have lunch there. You can also take classes but not with baby. If you child was older I would highly recommend the Montshire Museum in Norwich.

You can get trail maps for wine, cheese and ice cream from each state's Dept of Agriculture.

We took the route from Gorham NH to Ellsworth ME (south of Acadia) last summer. It's very pretty but with very little along the way. You would want to have a restaurant picked out ahead of time.

Agree with idea to see Moultonborough area and go from Conway to Sandwich and Tamworth areas. I think the Squam Lakes Science Center is stroller friendly and you might do a visit to see NH's wild animals in natural habitats. Choose an indoor lecture based on your interests. The eastern coyote was fascinating but our granddaughters didn't want to sit in the front row which was very close to the animal which was on a leash and very active. There are docents walking around to make your visit more interesting. While we were standing, deciding what to do next, a lady walked up to us with a small owl on her arm to tell us about owls. What a great experience.

Also, you can find the Sandwich Creamery but bring your own spoons and dishes otherwise share a pint of ice cream. You can buy their ice cream elsewhere but that's not as much fun. http://sandwichcreamery.com/html/vis...irections.html and then you can visit Hermit Woods Winery in downtown Meredith. I think you should spend one night in this area if you do all I've just mentioned.

Agree with visiting Canterbury Shaker Village. Might be good to have baby in a backpack. In this area you also have choices of locally made ice cream (Jordan's on Rt 106 closer to Laconia, Arnie's in Concord, Granite State Candy in downtown Concord, Richardson's in Boscawen and I know I might have missed one).

Seafood and lobster are best in Maine due to the wonderful lobster shacks. If you went as far north as Rockland (about 2 hours north of Portland), you could hike to Owl's Head light (easy), visit either the Farnsworth Art Museum or the Owl's Head Transportation Museum. Then if you want pretty much steam lobster and pie, Waterman's, but if you want a wider menu, McLoon's. Google best lobster roll for a list of great shacks. You could go to Portland Head and buy a lobster roll from the Bite Into ME food truck parked in Fort Williams Park and then find a good place to sit and enjoy the view of Casco Bay. I think there's also a small beach but we just did view and lobster roll. (Corn and blueberry salad was also good.) Portland is fabulous for food. Pick your cuisine.

Heading south there is more seafood but it gets a little more expensive. Stop from some beach walking at York Beach, good family place. From York you can take a back route to Kittery Point. There's a really good noodle place there. Tiny but also some good Asian buns etc. Historic Strawbery Banke is a major history site but you can also just drive around. You can enjoy sitting and walking around Prescott Park than continue on Rt 1B thru the town of New Castle and past the fabulously restored Wentworth by the Sea. If it's time for dinner, Petey's in Rye is old fashioned casual seafood place.

The architecture in coastal towns like Newburyport is wonderful. In addition to the beach area in Rye, you can drive by the beautiful private mansions. The Fuller Rose Garden should be in great bloom. (admission fee) Downtown Portsmouth is a great area to walk around. Dining is more upscale but you can dine on the deck at several restaurants that share a rear deck. Check the menus and price ranges ahead of time. They would be on Bow Street.

Check different historic sites for historical re-enactors. Fort #4 in Charletown NH has some events but I don't see any scheduled past early June. Might be too early for their calendar.

Given your limited time, I would skip Bar Harbor/Acadia and enjoy other places where less driving is required. I forgot to mentioned there is a winery in Rockland and also Camden/Lincolnville. There are several fairly close to Portsmouth NH.

Happy travels.
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Old Apr 18th, 2016, 05:41 PM
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Wow awesome guys. Thank you. So much to take in and so many places and experiences i hadn't heard of yet. I like the farmers markets recommendations and local festivities and animal experiences etc and driving advice. I'll double check with hubby on his interest in Gettysburg as i myself am not too keen on war history so hard to tell if it is still worth the ~2 days. i do love beautiful coast (and craving the lobster) but dont want it to dominate if it really is same same just coast in favor interesting place inland. A balance is good.
Interetested in more insights/ suggestions.
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Old Apr 19th, 2016, 01:28 AM
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You can get fried clams, lobster, etc inland (even in VT) but the flavor is fresher at the coastal spots. Generally we figure inland lobster rolls use vacuum packed lobster whereas coastal places use fresh picked. A lot of inland supermarkets sell live lobsters and will steam them for you but the lobster flavor changes the longer the lobster is in the tank. I bought fish and dry scallops in Concord NH to cook at home. The store sells a mix of fish pieces for chowder. The lady ahead of me bought salmon pieces. The fish guy said it comes in fresh every day from the warehouse and he sells a case every day, two on weekend days. Cheaper family restaurants inland will use processed scallops (I can taste the preservative) but "dry" scallops are fresh and not treated. It's hard to judge fried clams but each place uses their own coating mix. Ken's in Scarborough ME sells both batter and breaded clams. This casual family place is just south of Portland so you might want to put it on your list since it's a rare place to have a choice of fried clams. In Portland you will find fish markets that sell oysters from bins naming where they were fished. I don't eat oysters but people who do say they taste different depending on where they lived. We don't usually get bay scallops (smaller than sea) but there are some areas famous for bay scallops. The shrimp I've bought at fish markets on the coast definitely taste better. Supermarkets inland tend to sell farmed shrimp from Thailand.

You can check out local activities "this week" by getting a copy of the Hippo Press (also has a website) which covers Concord, Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth and surrounding NH areas pretty well. There are free local newspapers elsewhere, too.

BTW your timing will be good for fresh strawberry rhubarb pie if you can find it. Strawberries should be in season. Some free outdoor community concerts might start in June. We usually take a picnic supper since they start early in the evening.
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