Sherrenae

I am trying to plan out a trip to New England in late September and would love opinions on the feasibility of my itinerary.
Day 1 - Fly into Boston, drive to York Harbor, ME
Day 2 - York Harbor to Portland, Me
Day 3 - Portland, ME to Bar Harbor, ME
Day 4 - Bar Harbor
Day 5 - Bar Harbor to Lincoln, NH
Day 6 - Lincoln, NH - Burlington, VT
Day 7 - Burlington, VT - Deerfield, MA
Day 8 - Deerfield - Sturbridge, MA
Day 9 - Sturbridge, MA - Mystic, CT
Day 10 - Mystic, CT to Newport, RI
Day 11 - Newport, RI
Day 12 - Newport, RI to Plymouth, MA
Day 13 - Plymouth, MA
Day 14 - Plymouth, MA - Concord - Lexington - Boston
Day 15 - Fly out of Boston

Specific things we would like to see along the way include a Harbor Cruise, Kancamagus Hwy, Boat trip on Lake Champlain, Deerfield Village, Sturbridge Village, Mystic Seaport, Newport Mansions, Plymouth Plantation. Interested in seeing the scenary and checking out small picturesque village.

I have tried to use MapQuest for drive times and in most instances tried to keep driving time under 4 hours (exception Bar Harbor to Lincoln) to allow for stops. Hopefully the times the provided are fairly accurate, but have found that not always to be the case.

I am completely open to suggestions for changes as I realize this might be an overly ambitious schedule.

I appreciate any input. My only previous visit to this area was a trip to Boston, but I was never outside of the city.

Thanks, Sherri

Anonymous

Some people thrive on vacations that feature a new location every day. Just be sure that you're one of them before you undertake this!

nytraveler

Reading that has just made me dizzy. Are you already familiar with Boston - which deserves at least 3 days for itself and immediate environs. Don;t know when you pal on sightseeing - the arrival or departure day for each location. but I would definitely check opening hours for everything - to make sure you don;t arrive an hour before something is closing.

And, for a road trip we try never to do fewer than 3 nights anyplace - but if you don;t mind all the time spend finding hotels and checking in and out - more power to you.

gyppielou

I just got carsick. Pull over now! Are you trying to do a knock this off my list trip without really seeing anything?

York is beautiful. Spend the day. Then head thru Ogunquit during another day and finish in Kennebunkport. High tail it to Portland for a night and enjoy the cobblestones and a fantastic meal. High tail it to Acadia and spend at least 2 nights.

I don't know how to tell you to prioritize, but you really should. Are you travelling with children? (plymouth/sturbridge/) I would sincerely cut your destinations in half. Perhaps knock out some vermont/nh and stop at concord and lexington on your way to Newport.

You have left no room to see or savour anything new england. You and your taxed dollars deserve more of your time to feel each destination.

Unless you want to do a whirlwind trip and miss all the special things

Good luck with your plans and search and search and search this board. There are some great people who give grand advice on NE.

dfrostnh

gyppie is right. Scenic drives are fun but not two weeks worth. For example, the Common Ground Fair in Unity ME is held in late September. Hopefully you plan on stopping in Camden ME on your way to Bar Harbor. Portsmouth NH has a great harbor cruise, also inland rivers. You've skipped Shelburne Museum in VT where some people spend 2 days. You can't see much of the Maine coast from the hwy and for small, pictureque villages you need to get off the hwy. Some of the great lobster shacks are way off down country road (some will not be open week days after Labor Day).
We normally spend a week in a given area. Mid-coast Maine is a favorite place. What has also worked well is to spend half the week in one place, rest of the week elsewhere and doing day trips from our base. In Burlington VT, for example, a very lovely ride is starting from the north end of Champlain Islands and driving. This can be a half day trip followed up with lunch in Burlington. Another unique activity in northern VT is the Great Vermont Corn Maze in Danville (not far from Littleton NH). I have not been to Deerfield Village so can't comment on how it compares with Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth NH. Also, if the weather isn't good, all the driving is going to be tedious.

emalloy

Your plan is fine, IMO. We like to drive and see an area and then decide where we want to return to for a longer visit next year. It would kill me to have paid big bucks to get stuck in an area, especially a city, that had more of the same, museums, shows, eats, etc that I'd get better of closer to home in NY or Boston. So if you like driving, looking around, deciding what floats your boat, where you want to go again and what you want to avoid, go for it.

tchoiniere

1 thing to watch out for is hotel rooms. You may find a lot with 3 night minimums.

TamE

Wow, you better slow down, or all you will be able to say is, " I sped through there." Eeks!

Our travel destination was Maine for 2008, and I'd say the highlight of our vacation was something we did for about 3 hours. Just outside of Bar Harbor is Acadia National Park, where you will find the Jordan Pond House. Behind the Jordan Pond House is a large (large!) pond that is surrounded by some of earths most beautiful and serene landscaping. It's an easy hike around this beautiful area, but not for physically challenged folks, as just a bit of climbing over rocky areas is necessary. Take water with you!

http://www.acadia.ws/jordan-pond.htm

Take your camera, this is an excellent place to take photos of natural land and of those you're with. It sounds like the parking situation has been improved since we were there, so you may not have to park on the highway. But if you do, don't worry about the crowds, it's not over-ran at all. We found that most of the cars must have been there for the large restaurant because there weren't that many people on the hike. If you want to eat there, make a reservation before you leave for the hike.

This is a don't miss place and if you go, I'd love to hear what you thought.

TamE

orangetravel

Wow, this is a lot of driving indeed. You've also got to factor in the leaf-watchers in the fall -- many people driving slowly even on busy roads. September might be too early for that though.

If it were me, I would do Boston - Bar Harbor/Acadia - Concord - Newport - Boston (with daytrip to Plymouth). That way you get a mix of big city, small towns, and seaside. The other destinations are too far and/or too similar to the nicer cities that I listed. For example, Mystic is cute but I think you would enjoy just staying in Newport for a longer period of time. I have been everywhere on your list except for Sturbridge.

wyatt92

You've got too much. For this trip, I'd skip VT and cut a day from Plymouth to add to Boston.

cindyj

Skip Bar Harbor, as much as I love it its too much on this trip. Try Camden/Rockland instead or just stay south of Portland in Kennebunk and Ogunquit. You may be able to be flexible as hotels will not be completely booked in late Sept unless you're very particular about wanting to stay in a specific place. Flexibility will allow for weather adjustments in case its rainy. In that case you may want to be in a larger town with more indoor activities like museums, etc.

Sherrenae

Thanks, I love the replies and suggestions.

I have no problems slicing and dicing my itinerary, but it is not meant to be a leisurely trip by any means. I do always over plan my trips and if I end up only doing ½, I am quite satisfied. I would rather have a list of possibilities rather than be stuck in a ‘what do you want to do, I don’t know what do you want to do scenario’. I also would never plan this type of trip with a kid in tow – (I am not that crazy – only a friend who has proven ability to keep up with me - LOL.

A couple of years ago I spent about 10 days in Boston, so I don’t have plans to use it other than landing and takeoff.

Someone mentioned opening and closing times. I have noticed most things are open 10-5 or there about. Since I am an early riser ( 4-5 am) that seems to leave a lot of time with not much to do in most places, am I wrong??? That’s why I thought 2-4 hours of driving a day didn’t seem like overly much.

Ideally I would like to have hotel reservations ahead of time which is why I was trying to come up with some type of itinerary.

All in all very good points of consideration which I will keep in mind as I continue to plan.

gyppielou

For an early riser, nothing beats sunrise on Cadilac Mountain in Acadia, or walking the 3 miles of hard sand at Moody Beach Ogunquit at sunrise. And passing thru Freeport Maine you can go shopping at the 24 hour LLBean Outlet. Also doing the Cliff Walk in Newport is fantastic in the early morning quiet.

I'd scrap Mystic completely. I've never spent more than a couple of hours there. A great reprieve from the highway if you are driving by, but I personally never thought it to be a destination in and of itself. Others will disagree.

kennythecook

Google New England Whirlwind and you'll find many of the places you're talking about. We live half a continent away and may never get back, but I've got a load of ideas if I do it again... including places I don't want to go back to. We don't spend long lesisurely nights in fancy restaurants, so we have time to move on to the next stop in 3 hours. I hate being somewhere and feel like I've done everything I want to do. In twelve days we saw Mystic, Boston, Bar Harbor, Lincoln, Burlington, and even Cooperstown. We never felt rushed and had a great time. No two people travel alike and if there were world enough and time (and lots and lots of money) I would spend two weeks everywhere, see everything and get to know all the people by name. Good Luck on wherever you choose to go, it can be done.

MBnancy

Too much driving. For one thing, I'd reverse the order of your trip somewhat. The foliage will be better in Oct. Closer to Columbus day weekend. We've been going for 30 years in the fall, and the best color is then.

Since you are going in Sept. you would be better off to go down to RI, then by the time you get to the Kancamagus Hwy. in NH you would see some color. I'd cut out Mystic, and one night in Plymouth and add Kennebunkport at least.

TerrMys

I understand the desire to see a lot and move around, as I'm a very energetic and ambitious traveler myself. So I won't suggest that you cut much off your itinerary, but I think you can re-work it a little.

First of all, will your trip extend into October at all? As others have mentioned, you might be able to catch a little bit of nice foliage in northern New England (particularly the White Mountains) if you save it until the end of your trip. But even there, you typically won't see good color until the very last few days of September, so it might not be worth it, depending on your timeframe.

Now, a few things:

-Consider stopping in Portsmouth, NH on your first night. This is definitely one of the most charming little colonial cities in New England (check out Strawberry Banke). Don't take I-95 straight there, but visit some of the wonderfully historic towns on the North Shore of Massachusetts Bay - Salem, then route 1A through Ipswich and Newburyport (then you can take I-95 to Portsmouth). You might even expand this to Manchester-by-the-Sea, Gloucester/Rockport, and Essex if you don't mind driving more.

-On day 2 you can perhaps explore Portsmouth more, before heading up the coast to Nubble Light, Portland Head Light, etc. You might want to consider staying somewhere further up the coast past Portland, though, as the drive to Bar Harbor is long and there's a lot of great stuff to see on the way (you must take Route 1, not I-95!)

-Places to see along the Maine coast: Wiscasset, Damariscotta, Pemaquid Point (must!), Camden (especially the drive up Mt. Battie, for one of the best views in all of New England).

-You need more time in the White Mountains. No question. Don't drive straight to Lincoln; consider staying in North Conway or Jackson instead. Spend all of day 6 in the mountains. In addition to the Kancamagus, you must see Franconia Notch State Park (the Flume Gorge is great), Crawford Notch State Park, and, if the weather is clear, drive up the Mt. Washington Auto Road for the most impressive mountain scenery east of the Mississippi. If you have the time, take a drive down to Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough and Sandwich / Squam Lake.

-I would recommend adding another day for VT, making a stop somewhere in the southern half of the state (perhaps Woodstock). VT is best experienced by taking country backroads and exploring, although there are a few must-see places. Near Burlington, I would recommend the Shelburne Museum and Mt. Philo for an incredible view of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks.

-When you head south from Burlington, I think I would go east to Route 100 and then head south through the Green Mountains, then to Woodstock on Route 4. From Woodstock, follow Route 5 south along the Connecticut River and stop to see the Cornish-Windsor covered bridge (best viewed from the NH side of the river). Although you could follow the river straight to Deerfield, a more scenic detour would be to head west towards Manchester, VT via Route 11 and then take Route 7A towards Bennington (check out the monument). Stop at the Equinox Skyline Drive for great views of the mountains. Stay in Bennington instead of Deerfield.

-The next day, follow Route 7 into Massachusetts and then take Route 2 east towards Deerfield. Continue on to Sturbridge in the same day.

-Head to Mystic by means of Routes 169, 14A, and 49 - these are scenic roads in CT that pass through a lot of quaint and historic villages.

-On the way to Newport, check out Point Judith, Wickford, and Jamestown in RI. Tiverton and Little Compton are also nice places to explore when you're there. While I understand the desire to spend 2 nights in Newport, with my itinerary it might make sense to spend one night and then leave for Plymouth late the following day.

-That said, you gave yourself way too much time for Plymouth. In fact, I would do Plymouth, Concord, and Lexington in the same day.

My revised itinerary looks like this:

Day 1: Boston to Portsmouth, NH
Day 2: Portsmouth, NH to Bath, ME? (or area)
Day 3: Bath, ME to Bar Harbor, ME
Day 4: Bar Harbor
Day 5: Bar Harbor to North Conway, NH (or area)
Day 6: North Conway
Day 7: North Conway to Burlington, VT
Day 8: Burlington to Woodstock, VT
Day 9: Woodstock to Bennington, VT
Day 10: Bennington to Sturbridge, MA via Deerfield
Day 11: Sturbridge to Mystic, CT
Day 12: Mystic, CT to Newport, RI
Day 13: Newport, RI to Plymouth, MA
Day 14: Plymouth to Boston via Concord and Lexington
Day 15: Fly out of Boston

This is what I would do, personally; if you have any questions about my suggestions, let me know.



Day 1 - Fly into Boston, drive to York Harbor, ME
Day 2 - York Harbor to Portland, Me
Day 3 - Portland, ME to Bar Harbor, ME
Day 4 - Bar Harbor
Day 5 - Bar Harbor to Lincoln, NH
Day 6 - Lincoln, NH - Burlington, VT
Day 7 - Burlington, VT - Deerfield, MA
Day 8 - Deerfield - Sturbridge, MA
Day 9 - Sturbridge, MA - Mystic, CT
Day 10 - Mystic, CT to Newport, RI
Day 11 - Newport, RI
Day 12 - Newport, RI to Plymouth, MA
Day 13 - Plymouth, MA
Day 14 - Plymouth, MA - Concord - Lexington - Boston
Day 15 - Fly out of Boston

TerrMys

Oops, ignore the second itinerary -- that was your first one that I copied-and-pasted for reference.

dfrostnh

TerrMys, those recommendations look good for a quick trip.

djkbooks

If that's what you have in mind, you should do it! There's nothing wrong with your itinerary. (Obviously you don't mind one-nighter's.)

You could go only as far north as Boothbay Harbor, ME, and stop in Ogunquit (walking the Marginal Way highly recommended) and Kennebunkport on the way. These are all beautiful coastal villages (more appealing to me than Bar Harbor). Note that Acadia/Bar Harbor are often totally fogged in (as in you cannot see the trees along the sides of the roads) and it is not the sort that burns off by noon. The harbor cruises offered in Boothbay Harbor are outstanding, especially the sailboat cruises.

I would recommend heading for Littleton, NH, rather than Lincoln - better selection of lodging and dining, and the drive through Franconia Notch is awesome.

You might want to stop in Stowe, one of the most beautiful towns in Vermont, on the way to Burlington.

From Burlington, I would head to Manchester, then Bennington in Vermont, then Williamstown (Sterling Clark is a hidden jewel of an art museum), Lenox (one of the prettiest towns in MA), and Stockbridge in MA. The scenery is magnificent all along the way. Stockbridge is like a step back in time, but so far back and rustic and much nicer than Sturbridge or Plimouth Plantation. Then, you could head for Newport, RI via Mystic. Mystic is a very pretty seaport village (Kitchen Little is awesome for breakfast), but, unless you're especially interested in ship building, skip the museum and add another mansion in Newport, RI. (Note, lodging is much more economical in the next town Middletown.)

For me, other sights/attractions in Plymouth, more interesting than Plimouth Plantation. We really enjoyed the wax museum with dioramas (and music) tracing the history of the Mayflower crossing, the crossing, arrival, and first colony. Pilgrim Sands, right on the beach, is a terrific place to stay.

You might want to take a look at "New England's Best Loved Driving Tours".

And, I cannot imagine planning a road trip without trip planning software. I've been using Microsoft Streets/Trips for many years. You can download a 60-day free trial and give it a try. You'll want to keep it. Best price is usually on Amazon.com. With this, you can plan a driving trip in detail, save it on your PC, make changes or create alternate versions, and save all those. You can locate dining, accomodations, sights and attractions, etc., annotate with open/closed times, phone numbers, and other necessary information. Highly recommend.

But, you should head for all those places you find most appealing to you.

Sherrenae

TerrMys and djkbooks – thank you for some very excellent suggestions. I appreciate those for Vermont as I was really struggling with the best route to take. I also agree that at least a couple nights in NH and VT are warranted. Reversing the order is something I am also considering.

I am considering taking out the Bar Harbor section and concentrate more on the lower coastal towns and possible just to the North of Portland. I think that I might also take out Sturbridge, MA and use the suggestion to go to one day in Plymouth. One of the reasons were the two nights in Plymouth is that I have fallen in love with a B&B I found on a website and would have liked to spend a couple nights there. I can certainly get by with one though. Are there are any suggestions for B&B’s with great coastal views in RI or Maine? If I found a ‘replacement’, I would feel less deprived going to only one night in Plymouth. I have done some web searches, but haven’t found any that were calling to me.

I have never rented a car before, any suggestions or tips on this process would be appreciated.