johngerard:

I think you can do it without getting lost.

From Mystic, take Route 1 east to North Kingstown. Then, take Route 138 east. This will take you over the Jamestown Bridge, across Jamestown, and over the Newport Bridge to Newport. Stay on Route 138, which merges with Route 24, until it's just Route 24 to I-195 (near Fall River). Then, go east on I-195 to Route 25 (in Wareham, MA). Go east on Route 25 (signs might read South) to Bourne, where you have your choice of the Bourne or Sagamore Bridges. We prefer the Sagamore for driving to Hyannis.

This should take you about two and a half hours with no stops, not including slow-downs.

It's definitely worth the detour for the views from the Jamestown and Newport Bridges.

According to MS Streets & Trips, a detour through Newport would add only 4 miles and 30 minutes to your trip from NYC.

Be advised that it's tricky to stay on Routes, such as Route 1 and Route 138/24. You have to watch for signs at all times, as these routes often take a left or right, especially when going through town centers.

With GPS, you may not be able to program a scenic route, but if you take a "wrong" turn, it will keep re-routing you toward your destination.

I really hope I can add in Newport - there is little in it when comparing the extra time it will take.
Thanks for your help.

Newport is really a trip in itself with all those old "cottages". All you could do is perhaps drive by a few.

Every time I end up there, I am with someone new and we always end up at the Breakers. If you have kids, the place in Portsmouth, RI, where they sculpt the hedges into animals is nice. The house is not on a par with some of the others, but kids are not much interested in stately homes. Mine loved the sculpted animal hedges when we took them--sigh--years ago when they were small.

Enjoy, and may there be good weather, little traffic, and no tie ups due to accidents or merges on bridges anywhere on your route!

Currently sweltering in temperatures that reached 14 C am looking forward to a little bit of heat - noted your current temperature is 30 C. Hope to leave behind the rain & hail although we are promised some sunshine his weekend.

We're headed to Mohegan Sun (for three concert events, no gambling) this weekend, Friday through Monday, with nearby "economy" lodging. As of now, forecast is high 70's, lows 60's, (high 20's C, low high teens C) isolated thunder storms Friday and Monday, partly cloudy (our favorite) in between. No mention of sunshine. We both despise hot and sunny.

With so much to see and do, and the glorious scenery all about (along with our air conditioned car and air conditioned hotel room, restaurants, venues) and pleasantly cool sea breezes, we're not the least bit worried about the weather forecast. The "high" temp is typically between 3-5PM, if that, and never seems so warm near the ocean with the cool ocean breezes. And, we find the scenery absolutely fabulous, and dramatic, even with pouring down rain. Too romantic!

We're planning a visit to Bill's Seafood in Westbrook with a return to out hotel via Old Saybrook, Fenwick (home of Kathryn Hepburn), and Rocky Neck State Park (with the mansion and gardens) one day. Another day, we'll head to Newport, where we may tour the Breakers again (we've done all the mansions on previous trips) or just enjoy a very nice lunch on the harbor. Newport is a terrific destination just for the seaport, scenery, view of the mansions, whether or not you bother touring any of them.

Another day, we plan to spend in Mystic. Just for the aquarium, kitchenware heaven in Olde Mystic, and a magnificent meal at S&P, along with just enjoying the gorgeous harbor. (Starting the day with an unbeliveably magnificent breakfast at Kitchen Little.)

My husband and I just love revisiting all these places over and over again, no matter the weather, as we are there together enjoying all with each other and it could not be nicer to turn to each other to exclaim, "Ahh...how beautiful is THAT!" Incredibly intimate and romantic!

Some years ago, we went to Newport for a three day weekend. We booked a lovely inn with water views in July. Temps were chilly and it rained the entire time. We did not mind a bit. Added to the romance of our entire experience.

I was hoping Kathleen would report back on her experience driving to and from Cape Cod in July.

We drove to Hyannis on Friday, July 20th. We had planned to leave our home in southern New Hampshire no later than 10 or 11 AM, but our contractor...So, we didn't get out the door until 3PM. (The drive would typically take about 2-1/4 hours with NO traffic or slow downs.)

There was a huge slowdown at the Mass Turnpike for those getting on from both direction on I-495, but this did not affect those not exiting. Closer to the Cape, there was paving of all but one lane for a couple of miles, but traffic moved smoothly (though not at the speed limit).

We were prepared to hop off I-495 well ahead of the bridges and take Route 105 to Route 6 to bypass a potential bottleneck where I-195 merges. But *1 (Smarttraveler on the cell phone) reported no delays, so we kept going. There were no delays on the Bourne Bridge and traffic was moving briskly on the Sagamore. At about 5:30 PM! Traffic was moving normally on Route 6 toward Hyannis. And, when we missed the turn and wound up at the traffic circle, no problems there either.

Wow, djkbooks, sounds like you hit the jackpot!! I'll be heading up that direction for the weekend of August 25. Wish me luck! If I have an especially good or bad ride, I'll be sure to report back.

:) ggreen