sharonna4

Driving w/2 children (9&6) with bikes from Baltimore to New England. Here is itinerary so far:
day 1 - drive to Boston? and stop when tired
day 2-4 - trek to Acadia & stay 3 nights (not sure where yet - any suggestions?)
day 5 - drive to Mt Washington, VT and spend 1 night (Mt. Washington Hotel?)
Day 6&7 - drive to Butlington, VT
Day 8 - drive to Hershey Park & stay at Hershey Lodge
Day 9 - trek back to MD

We went to Maine last year & loved it. We are really looking forward to seeing it on our own bikes this year..Any recommendations?

dfrostnh

I would eliminate the Hershey Park leg of the trip. It's so easy to spend a full week in Maine I would try to spend as much time as possible there. We used to figure Aberdeen MD to Concord NH in 8 hours. Boston would be expensive to stay and no reason to stay there unless you are spending some time there. I would suggest taking Rt 84 thru Hartford, then connect with the I90/Mass turnpike to Rt 495 to Rt 95, skirting Boston entirely. I think you could make the Portsmouth NH area in 8 hours where you could stretch your legs at Odiorne Park (near Portsmouth). There's a science center there, also a paved path along the ocean edge. Not sure if bikes are allowed on the path or note. Instead of going to Hershey maybe spend the day in Portsmouth at Water Country. If you are going to spend a night in the White Mountains, schedule a short hike or play in the river (never done that but see fun reports). Or stay in the Franconia area and swim in Echo Lake or take the tram up Cannon Mountain.
Burlington is a great city but more time spent in the car getting there instead of playing in the great outdoors.
It you get at Atlas and Gazetteer published for each state you are visiting, there are bicyle trails listed. Also waterfalls and covered bridges. If you are coming in August, buy fresh blueberries that are sold along the road and mix with vanilla yogurt for an easy treat. Without the bikes, there's a short easy hike to Owls Head lighthouse in Rockland, and the auto roap up Mt Battie in Camden for superb views. Cadillac is a great view but there's more boat traffic to see at the other places.

sharonna4

Thanks for the suggestions. Can't eliminate Hershey, kids are already stoked about that + we have tix I got at work (relatively cheap). It would be easy to spend a full week in Maine and we did last year taking in most of the mid-coast area. Mapquest says about 7 hours from Acadia to Mt Washington & 4 hours from Mt Wash to Middlebury which we planned to break up. Thanks for the suggestions, we'll definitely take recommendation!

Pat2003

Your itinerary looks very interesting but I feel you don't have enough time for all places you want to visit. From Acadia to Mt. Washington it is a very long drive as you already know. Mt. Washington Hotel is an old tradition and it is a lovely hotel but be prepared for a few squeaking doors, windows that cannot be open or floors that are not leveled. To me it is a part of an old charm for others such things are not acceptable and reasons for complaints.

From Mt. Washington Hotel to Burlington it shouldn't be more than 3 hours if you take route 302 all the way and connect with I-89 in Vermont. If you are staying in Mt. Washington Hotel drive to the main road (302) and turn right. Drive through New Hampshire with a very important stop at the Bishop's Ice Cream store located in Littleton, NH. The drive is lovely, easy with no traffic. If you decide to take route 302 it will connect you with I-89 North in Barre, VT.

However, I have a hard time to figure out logistics of your day 8. It is over 400 miles from Burlington, VT to Hershey, PA and I would say about 7 hours driving, maybe longer with two kids and need for a couple stops. When are you planning to visit Hershey Park since on day 9 you are driving back to MD? I understand your desire to revisit places you enjoyed on your previous trip but maybe you can consider visiting just New Hampshire and Vermont this time? After all these two states are also a part of New England. New Hampshire with its White Mountains has a lot to offer for kids and Vermont is a charming state. Too bad you won't have any time to discover these states on bikes. Wherever you decide to go have a great time.

sharonna4

We planned to do Hershey on Day 9 & drive back to MD that night, it is about 2 hours drive from PA to MD. Thanks for the suggestions!! I intend to discuss with my husband tonight; we're still pretty open and since we already saw Acadia last year, it sounds interesting to consider just doing VT & NH this go around. I may be back for more recommendations...Thanks again!!

wyatt92

Just stayed at the Mt Washington Hotel last week. It's pretty, the grounds are nice as is the scenery, but the food was pretty bad. It's definitely old school, regular keys for your room, Victorian decor. If you want to golf or ride horses it may be worthwhile. People talked about riding the Cog railway, which supposedly has a great view but apprently it costs $50pp.

sharonna4

Hmmm.....would you stay at Mt. Wash Hotel & eat elsewhere, we don't golf/ride horses so maybe we should think about other places in/around the area. Just spoke to my husband who agrees that the nix to Acadia would save alot of time/driving. Thanks for the recommendation!! Any suggestions on NH & VT that are must-sees and do's?

wyatt92

I stayed at the Mt Washington for work so I'm not sure of all the details but the rate we paid included food so if you ate elsewhere it would really make for an expensive stay. But maybe you don't have to get the meal plan, I'm not sure. The breakfasts were nice, the lunches not so much. We had a dinner in the fine dining retaurant which was decent, not overly impressive. You also had the option of going to a couple of resturants off site. We went to the Station I believe and honestly, worst food ever. I don't think I'm the best person to give you advice about that area, as I really don't know it well but I did want to share my recent experience.

dfrostnh

OK, the White Mountains are full of places to see and things to do. Rather than the Mount Washington, maybe stay at a ski condo esp if it's a ski area that has mountain biking. I've stayed at the Mountain Grand View in Whitefield and wouldn't recommend that either for a family. My frugal Yankee husband also hates places with valet parking. My big complaint is that there weren't enough chairs on the porch/the porch wasn't big enough. If you still plan to head to VT, you might go to the Great Vermont Corn Maze in Danville. It's not far from Littleton (I second Bishops for ice cream) but plan on 2-4 hours. We got hungry, couldn't find our way out so took the "emergency exit". Good place to tire out the kids. In NH the Flume is popular also the corny Clark's Trained Bears. We picked a perfect day one summer to do the cog railroad. A complain is that there's not much time at the top. There are other smaller mountains you can drive to the top or nearly. You should take a look at NH events scheduled for the time you'll be visiting. One of our favorite events is Old Farming Days at Musterfield Farm in Sutton NH (near New London) Aug 26 + 27. There's an antique tractor parade, chance for kids to try old timey things like rolling hoops and walking on stilts, watch different kinds of demonstrations. You can buy your lunch or bring a picnic. Oddly enough the local newspaper just reported that nearby Wadleigh State Park has very few visitors for swimming but plenty of shade. There are also numerous rental places to go kayaking or canoing.

Pat2003

Wow, dfrostnh. You gave Sharon so many wonderful ideas on visiting NH and VT. Now I feel I need to plan my trip to NH and VT soon to visit a number of places in both states we never considered. I agree about staying somewhere in condo or a nice inn but riding the Cog railway to the top of Mount Washington then taking a hike along a ridge would be a great fun for kids. You may also drive but make certain the weather is perfect for that day. I remember being caught on the top of Mount Washington in the wet snow storm that later turned to a dense fog in August. It is a spectacular spot on a clear sunny day.

bm

An above poster was right...it's only about 3 hours or so from the White Mountains to the Burlington, VT area. Be sure to stop in Waterbury and visit Ben & Jerry's. In Burlington, there is lots to do. Check out the Hawthorne Suites in South Burlington for lodging, or the Doubletree.
In Burlington you can take a narrative boat ride on Lake Champlain, OR take the ferry to NY and back. Better yet, you can take your bikes on the ferry and bike over to Ausable Chasm on the NY side. Burlington has a great bike path system....you can start at Waterfront Park and bike on the path system all the way up to South Hero (if the bike ferry is running..if not, the path ends at the end of the old RR causeway in the middle of Mallet's Bay -gorgeous). Great shops and restaurants on Church Street. Catch a movie at the drive-in in Colchester. Visit the Vermont Teddy Bear factory in nearby Shelburne. Shelburne Museum is great, although you need a whole day. The kids would probaby be bored there though. They would probably like Shelburne Farms better - google it.
Sounds like you're going to have a great trip!