Maureen04

Myself, husband and 9 and 15 year old kids traveling 8/2 to 8/13 (possibly 8/14)and want to visit Boston, Maine and Nova Scotia.
8/2 drive Philly to Boston, 3 nights (traffic on I-95 on a Sat will be crazy!);
8/5 Boston to Bar Harbor, Maine, 3 nights;
8/8 Drive Bar Harbor to Nova Scotia, 3 nights;
8/11 Nova Scotia to Camden, Maine( or anywhere else recommended), 1 night;
8/12 Camden to Mystic Seaport(not sure if this is the place to go or not), 1 night
8/13 drive home
Is three nights enough or too much for Boston, Bar Harbor and Nova Scotia? Any suggestions for spending more in one place and less in another. My son loves cities and has not been to Boston while the rest of us enjoy the coast. I know this is agressive and last minute but we can only extend one day extra. Thanks so much for any help!

china_cat

3 days is not too much for any of those places. it is too little, but you probably knew that.

Of course, you realize Nova Scotia is a big place, and you can't cover very much ground in 3 days. Did you have someplace in particular in mind?

you should consider taking the fast ferry from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth. then perhaps spend your 3 days in the southern part of NS, visiting Lunenburg and Halifax.

Oh, and DO NOT take I-95 from Philly! that's the worst route to take to Boston. Take the Jersey Turnpike to the Garden state to the Tappen Zee Bridge. Then get on 684 or the Merritt pkwy to 84 across CT and take I90 into Boston. Traffic will be better, and the route is shorter. the bridge will still be bad. you can also take the George Washington across, and go up the Deegan to Cross County to Hutch to either 684 or the Merritt. Which bridge is up to you.

Daniel_Williams

Realize you can't do much in Nova Scotia with your plan; I'd recommend following chinacat's suggestion and take the fast ferry to Yarmouth followed by a drive along the South Shore, with Halifax as an end goal... Just of note, while I found the highway from Lunenburg to Halifax looked like highways through forest most anywhere, the side roads by the coast, although slower and windy, are just terrific. Stop in Chester, Mahone Bay, Peggy's Cove... Halifax itself is great too, one of my fav cities in Canada.

Boston is terrific too...recently went with a friend for 3 nights and we wanted MORE when it was all said and done.

jbass

Sounds like a lot of time in the car to me. Particularly Camden to Mystic. There are SO MANY cute towns in between, I would want to stop a lot; particularly Boston to Bar Harbor. Don't know what your priorities are; but I would SLOW down and cut something out. Just my humble opinion.

china_cat

yes, I forgot...that trip home looks pretty difficult. From Nova Scotia to Camden is a long day of travel, then Camden to Mystic another long day. You have no time for anything except dinner and sleeping in Camden. I think I would skip that.

figure out if you are driving around, or taking the ferry back, then figure out your drive times for every leg, then pick someplace that makes a lot more sense for a stop on the way home.

I think there is a ferry from yarmouth to Portland Maine, maybe a night in Portland fits?

If you are planning to drive around, through New Brunswick, then you will want to stop somewhere there. maybe Alma (see Hopewell Rocks), then just drive as far as you can and stop overnight on your way home.

elberko

Yes, WAY too much.

Leave NS for another trip-the best part is Cape Breton, and you don't have time to get that far. Spend more time in Acadia\Bar harbor, a GREAT place for kids and adults, OUTSIDE of a car!

~Liz

dfnh

I agree with saving Nova Scotia for another trip. We spent more than 3 weeks driving from NH to PEI, around Nova Scotia and home again. Since we were pulling a camper we took 2 nights getting there.
If you get as far as Halifax ... it would be nice to see Cape Breton, too.
I would vote for spending less time in the car. Bar Harbor and Boston is a great mix to keep different family members happy. If you eliminate Nova Scotia you could add a couple of days between Camden and Mystic. Portsmouth NH might be a great stop for history, coast and fun. The kids might love Water Country. There are summer theater events plus events in Prescott Park for some evening entertainment. There is so much to Maine that if you don't stop in Portsmouth (Hampton for the beach) you might want to stop in southern Maine were the beaches are sandier. York ME is a populr family destination.