driving boston to DC - stop in Cape Cod?
 

We r driving back from Boston to DC with our 7 year old son. Would like to get some beach time. Where could we go on cape cod for a couple of nights that would not be too out of the way.

Thanks,
CJC

Anywhere on Cape Cod is way out of the way between Boston and DC and with traffic would add a lot of total drive time. Parts of the NJ shore would be a minimal detour - but I have no current info on which beaches are good after Sandy.

My opinion - and the consensus here - is that the Tappan Zee Bridge rather than George Washington Bridge (although the GW Bridge is the route almost every mapping program will take you) is the least annoying way along this route. In NJ you could detour off Garden State Parkway or Turnpike to the beach.

You could even continue all the way south thru NJ and go to Cape May area - and still have less of a detour than going to Cape Cod.

You could go to the South County beaches in Rhode Island for a night or two or you could go to the Jersey Shore on your way to taking the Cape May-Lewis ferry. It is a lot of fun if you haven't done it and allows you to approach DC on US50, a calmer route except on Sunday nights.

If you do decide to go to the Cape (and it isn't that far out of the way), you have to make a choice between the gentle, south facing beaches and the spectacular but not kid-friendly Atlantic.

Availability, especially on weekends may be an issue.

Stopping at the Cape would add 1-2 hours each way to your trip, which may be worth it if you stay a few nights. Towns like Falmouth, Pocasset, Monument Beach, etc are close, and have warm, calm water. Sandwich and Barnstable are also fairly close, but the water is a little chillier.

Cape Cod is only that close if you are traveling Boston-DC straight down I95 - which is a road to insanity in my opinion.

I strenuously disagree with Gail. We take 95 to the city about 6 times a year. In NewHaven we jump on the Merrit Pkway from there, they would jump on the Tappnezee.

The Falmouth area might be nice. You could go to Woods Hole aquarium, visit a lighthouse and explore a couple of beaches. Or spend one day exploring the cape a bit.

You might also consider the Mystic Stonington CT and RI beaches in the area. Visiting Watch Hill Beach and the Carousel would be a nice hit. Westerly is honkeytonk. Or one of our favorites is East Beach/Blue Shutters.

Actually, the best route to NYC varies amazingly depending on where you live in the Boston area.

When we lived in Milton, I 95 to Milford, CT, Merritt Parkway to I 287, Tappan Zee made perfect sense.

From Brookline, where we now have a condo, the MassPike to I 84 to Wilbur Cross to Merritt etc makes more sense.

From Nantucket/Hyannis, it is back to I 95. Now that the construction is "finished" around New Haven and as long as you take the parkways (CT 15) to avoid the trucks, both are pleasant enough.

Wow - I am very impressed! This is my first time posting and I did not know what to expect. Stumbled upon Fodor's website as I was surfing for info regarding our up coming trip. Didn't think I would get very many responses, nor so quickly. Thank you everyone for your input - very helpful information. What a fantastic forum and website! Getting ready to post a question about our 3 days in the Concord, NH area.