aussiedreamer

Further to all the wonderful advice I received when I first started investigating this part of our trip, this is our 'rough' plan. Love your input on routes to take (road atlas ordered from Amazon, should be here any day) places to stay and great spots to eat.

We will arrive into Boston on Amtrak midmorning on Oct 6. Spending the afternoon and night there. Got some wonderful ideas on what to do for such a short time in Boston from my thread "Boston for an afternoon and one night, plan do-able? "

Then the next day collect hire car and stop for lunch in Salem, spend the night in Wells. I've got a great price from "The Holiday Guest House" gets great reviews on TA. And maybe dropping into the Kittery Outlet along the way?

Then we thought we might head to Cape Elizabeth for some Lobster? Stay the night near here somewhere.

The next day drive to North Conway and spend a night.

We have 3 nights booked for the Columbus Day long weekend at Stowe at The Green Mountain Inn. Then we will have a day, one night and a morning before catching a train back to NYC pm on the 14th Oct. Not sure if to have one more night in Boston or stop somewhere before we reach Boston (which we would prefer) and drop our car off around mid afternoon and catch the train.

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

Anonymous

Don't bother with the outlets in Kittery; they have the same stores in North Conway, and no sales tax there vs 8% in Maine.

gyppielou

Why Salem? Is there a great lunch place? Is it a Witch thing/ Crucible thing? It is not really on your way to Wells, unless you are interested in the history more than lunch.

That place in Wells/Moody looks great and affords you time to explore Ogunquit and Kennebunkport and Kennebunk. One of my favorite places to dine is Joshua's.

I would just hang at your Wells place and get great lobster in the area, and walk the Marginal walk. Walk Ogunquit/Moody Beach, browse the shops, dine at some nice places. Visit Rachel Carson Beach and Preserve, head south to York.

Good luck with your plans!

aussiedreamer

Woh, thank you so much. Exactly what I wanted, contructive advice. Anonymous, I would never have known that, fantastic. Our tax doesn't change state to state and its not shown really although we all know its 10%

gyppielou, no real reason other than the history I guess, maybe a drive through and a coffee break?

Perhaps we can spend two nights in Wells?

dfrostnh

If your up for some strenuous walking, the Great Vermont Corn Maze in Danville would get you out of the car and provide some fun. The maze is on a hill. There's an emergency "exit" to get to the top if you can't find your way out of the maze. It's a lot of fun because you can't figure out why you keep passing the same people going the opposite way. Nice view from the top. Very rural Vermont. It's not far from Littleton NH. Figure 2-3 hours unless you're really smart or give up easily.
After Stowe, you could head back to NH to see the Lakes region and take a cruise on the Mt Washington. Lake Winnipesaukee is a large lake with great views. Visit Castle in the clouds. Drive thru Center Sandwich and around Squam Lake.
In Vermont you could visit Shelburne Museum. Maybe stay in Middlebury, a cute college town with some interesting shops and a fun pedestrian bridge over the river. (west side of VT) On the east side of VT, visit Billings Farm Museum, explore Woodstock VT and Quechee Gorge, eat at Simon Pierce. Fascinating building, watch glassblowers and potters. Visit Vermont Country Store.
Rt 89 from VT will deposit you in Concord NH, a small, pretty city with a walkable downtown. On the drive from VT you could stop in Warner to visit the Kearsarge Indian Museum or talk a short hike on Mt Kearsarge. If you prefer a great auto road and no hiking, there's a small state park on the Wilmot side that has a nice picnic area and parking near the top. This is not the tremendous Mt Washington but a smaller, lesser known little mountain in a pretty area. Just north of Concord is Canterbury Shaker Village which offers interesting tours. This area has several apple orchards, nice river, lots of easy hiking trails. Concord NH is about 1 1/2 hours from Boston. Direct route via Rt 93. Foliage is beautiful every where you go, including the highway.

cindyj

Your plan sounds good. Depending on your interest, you could do a second night in Wells or in Portland. Portland is a nice small city with waterfront, nice museum, etc. Cape E is a great place for lobster and you can stop at Portland Headlight along the way. Get a good map of the area or just print out from Google. There are beaches and rocky coastlines in Cape E for short walks too. If the weather doesn't cooperate, you can do the Portland Museum of Art or head up to Freeport to the original LL Bean store (just a 20 min drive north). If the weather's good there are half-day schooner cruises out of Portland, as well as regular ferries that head to the many islands in the harbor (rides as short as 20 min or several hours - google Casco Bay Lines). I'll keep checking this board if you have more questions. I live near Portland so can't be as helpful with the VT areas although it looks like you've got good advice. Stowe is beautiful.

TerrMys

Salem might be worth a quick stop, but personally I prefer towns like Ipswich and Newburyport for colonial character. Consider driving along Route 1A North. Before you get to Wells, don't miss Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It has a wonderfully preserved and vibrant downtown, along with the excellent Strawberry Banke museum. The city is best approached via Route 1B through New Castle; you can find free 2-hour parking (I believe) near Prescott Park.

Also stop at the Cape Neddick Light in York.

Don't spend a second night at Cape Elizabeth. You can stop at the lighthouse, but you definitely don't need a full day to explore. Head to the North Conway area for the night of the 8th and spend two nights there, not one. This area will be at peak foliage and it would be a shame if you didn't have more time to explore the White Mountains. There are a number of must-sees, including the Kancamagus Highway, Franconia Notch State Park, Crawford Notch State Park, the Mt. Washington Auto Road, and Cathedral Ledge - Echo Lake State Park.

Stowe should be a good base for exploring much of northern Vermont. Driving along any of the backroads in the area will offer incredible scenery. If you head over towards Burlington, check out Mt. Philo and the Shelburne museum.

After Stowe, get up early and head back towards New Hampshire via I-89 South, stopping in Woodstock and at Quechee Gorge. I agree that the Lakes Region would be a nice area to spend your last day. Perhaps take Route 4 East from I-89 in Lebanon, then Route 104 East from Danbury to Meredith (good place to spend the night). Make a drive to Holderness, Center Sandwich, and Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough -- stop off Route 113 between Holderness and Sandwich to hike Rattlesnake Mtn. If you have time, expand your drive to Wolfeboro, Alton, and loop around Lake Winnipesaukee back to Meredith.

The following morning, take I-93 to Boston -- allow yourself about 2 hours.

Or, if you want a more relaxed and less driving-heavy last couple of days, consider staying near Concord on your last night. Visit Canterbury Shaker Village.

HKP

Rather than Salem, I'd also offer the other alternative of Cape Anne - Gloucester, contemporary fishing town with older architecture, and Rockport, artist colony on a scenic rocky point. Or there's Old Town Marblehead - fun to wander crooked streets and see the harbor, some decent lunch places, too.

HKP

Rockport: http://www.rockportusa.com/
Gloucester: www.gloucesterma.com ("America's Oldest Seaport" - did you see Perfect Storm?)
Marblehead: http://www.marblehead.org/

colbeck

Some really excellent suggestions! I ditto all that have been mentioned for Vermont.

Here are a few ideas for VT restaurants:

Hen of the Wood is a fabulous restaurant in Waterbury, which is just off I89, not far from Stowe.

If you make it to the Woodstock/Quechee area stop at Simon Pearce for lunch. It is located in an old mill on the Ottoquechee River, right in the village of Quechee. There is also a gallery there with Simon Pearce blown glass, which is wonderful.

In Middlebury try the Storm Cafe, which is located in Frog Hollow at the base of the falls, near that foot bridge over Otter Creek, previously mentioned by dfrostnh.
If you stay in Middlebury, the Inn on the Green is a nice inn which is walking distance to everything. Middlebury is a college town with lots to see and do.

aussiedreamer

This is more than I'd hoped for. Thank you so much. I've just had a brief read.....have to go to work. But as soon as the maps arrive I'll get a better idea. Mapquest is great, but we love to use a road atlas. Thanks for the actual route numbers etc. we were in Germany and missed a lot of scenery 'cause we 'stuck' to motorways. More adventurous now and its "all about the scenery" and EATING for us. Thanks again.

bennnie

If you are heading north of Boston, I would suggest going to Salem if only for the Peabody Essex Museum which is a small but exceptional museum on US China trade and more - lots of art, ships' figureheads an authentic centuries old Chinese home - very eclectic. Then I would head to Essex for some fried clams and antiquing. Continue up Rt 133/ RT 1a to Ipswich, Rowley, Newbury and Newburyport. Ispwich has Crane's Beach, Rowley has a few antique stores and the American Barbeque (good food though not at all traditional New England), Newburyport has great shops and restaurants and Plum Island for a walk along the beach.

cigalechanta

Aussie, if you go to Salem, you MUST go to the wonderful Essex-Peabody museum, you won't regret it. There's also a good restaurant there with Patio dining if still open in October.

cigalechanta

http://pem.org/homepage/index.php

simpsonc510

Agree! Visit the Essex-Peabody.

I'll be in Mass/VT/NH area the same time as you, aussie.
I have not made any reservations yet. Are you finding it difficult to get hotels? I stayed around Lincoln last year around Columbus Day and I had to take what was left. This year I plan to stay in N Conway instead.

BTW, the road(s) between Conway and Lincoln are WELL WORTH the time. The Kancamagus Highway is awesome! I stopped every 1/4 mile or so to take photos. Just couldn't get enough of that fall color and the beautiful setting! The other road is 302, which runs to the north of Conway/Lincoln. Another awesome route.

Carol

aussiedreamer

Thanks every one. Carol, no problem yet!!!! I've booked Stowe for the long weekend and I think we've finnaly decided on Wells & North Conway. I have been offered good prices for both places so will book that this weekend. Just need to decide on the the last two nights, may 'wing' it.

Cranachin

Aussiedreamer,

You said you have ordered a road atlas. You don't say who the publisher is, but atlases often don't show the interesting back roads. I recommend ordering travel guides from the state tourism offices for MA, ME, NH and VT - they should be free and will come with road maps that are larger and more detailed than the atlas maps and that show points of interest (like covered bridges) that might be missing from standard road atlases. You can also use the websites to look for more info on things to see and do, especially as the dates of your trip draw closer (like local festivals and such).

http://www.massvacation.com/getAway/

http://www.visitmaine.com/guidebook/

http://www.visitnh.gov/maps-guides-a...ors-guide.aspx

http://www.travel-vermont.com/common/request.asp?93003

Another site you might want to check out is http://www.visitnewengland.com (which has links for each state). Note that www.visitmaine.com is the Maine state government's tourism site, while www.visit-maine.com is VisitNewEngland's Maine site!

aussiedreamer

cranachin....... thanks. I actally have already received (from the above sites) 'Official Travel Planners' for Maine, Vermont & Massachusetts. And your right, lots of great 'local' maps. The atlas was for more overviews of where we are heading. plus we are also driving West Coast for nearly 4 weeks. The atlas is and 'American Map 2009 Road Atlas'. Thanks so much for your suggestions.