Hi, we are an English couple (with 16 year old daughter) and are hiring a car to drive from New York to Maine. We will be setting off early afternoon and want to break the journey up on the way by an overnight stay, maybe arbout half way up. Looking at the map we go through several states, but we haven't got a clue where to stop. Although it's only for one night we would like somewhere interesting. If anyone can suggest a town or area I can do a search for a Hotel. Also do you have 'bed and breakfast' accommodation in private houses as we do in England? Many thanks for any help you can give.

I don't know if you are in to this or not but, we're doing the same thing. We are stopping in Mystic ct. which is about a 2 1/2 hours drive from nyc. We plan on going to the Mohegan Sun casino to gamble that night and then move on to Boothbay Me the next day.We are staying at the Day's Inn in Mystic.Of course, you have a sixteen year old daughter with you so, you might find other interesting things to around Mystic besides gambling but, it's a good stopping point for us. Hope it helps , have a good trip.

Mystic is an interesting seaport town with maritime history. Another choice would be Newport, RI. This is a beautiful resort town where the turn-of-the-century (the last one!) millionaires built their "summer cottages." These are actually incredible mansions! Besides the historic tours you can enjoy beaching, shopping, strolling the Cliff Walk, and many fine restaurants. However, you might be hardpressed to leave after only one evening there! Another idea would be Providence, RI, which is clearly along the way, if you are taking RT 95 N, and would make a convenient stop.
There are many B&B's in America. Someone on this site knows a good website for searches. If you search this board, it may turn up, or s/he may reply here.
Also - are you travelling this summer? You may want to try making this trip on a Sun-Thurs, considering you are leaving afternoon. Travelling to any seaside destination on a Friday would be most unpleasant! Be sure to clear NY well before rush hour. It would be good if you could be beyond Hartford, CT as well. Also, you may want to avoid Newport during Jazz Festival week, due to the large crowds.

Morgana,
It's important to know where your destination is in Maine. If you're going to York, Kittery or somewhere in the south the previous suggestions are good. If you're going farther north, Camden or Bar Harbor, for instance, you might want to consider getting farther north on your first day, maybe Boston or the north shore communities like Marblehead or Newburyport.

Have a wonderful trip!

Hi
Thanks for your swift replies. We are going to Falmouth in Maine, just up from Portland. We are travelling on a Thursday afternoon so looks like we will avoid the real rush. Love the sound of the casino but it wouldn't go down well with the rest of the family!! I am going to investigate Providence and Newport. Thanks for your help.

I'd second the Newport suggestion. It's a fabulous place to spend a half day or so. It's also home to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. If you're tennis fans it's a nice place to see. They even host a professional tennis tournament the week after Wimbledon - the only grass court event in the US.

Providence is also a good suggestion for more of an urban experience. They have great italian and portuguese restaurants in the city.

While Newport and Mystic are good destinations, they will increase your travel time by about an hour, since you'll have to go Route 95 across Connecticut and then drive north from Rhode Island.
A more direct route is Route 684 to 84 disagonally across Connecticut to the Massachusetts Turnpike to the end and then north on 95. Going that way, a good stopping point would be Sturbridge Village, a recreation of an old colonial village, which is just before the entrance to the Massachusetts Turnpike and roughly three hours from New York.

When we drive from Northern New Jersey to Maine, our usual stop is Boston. If you don't want to stay in the city, a beautiful area outside of Boston on the Atlantic Ocean is Cape Ann (our Choice would be Rocport MA.)As someone else mentioned, you'll have a fine choice of Bed and breakfast in Rockport, a beautiful art colony, and just warm people.
Boston, is exciting, lots of history and fine restaurants.

US Rte 95 is NOT the way to go if you want to beat the traffic. In New Haven go north and, as suggested by another poster, stop at Old Sturbridge Village.

If you have plenty of time to spend moseying along en route, you might want to go 95, but that can involve awful traffic in summer--especially on weekends. As suggested by others, Mystic Seaport and Newport are good places to break your journey--as is Boston.

Bed & breakfast accomodations are not as common in the US as in Europe and can be quite upscale and expensive. There are very inexpensive motel chains such as "Motel 6" that are often along major highways. There are usually signs just before an exit listing accomodations, restaurants and--the all important--gas station chains. Gas is cheaper if you get off the highway to buy it rather than driving into one of those areas on the highway.

Please note, that, if you stay in a tourist area, the hotels near the attractions are, of course, more expensive. If you are willing to stay away a bit from the attractions, you can often find a room for $40-60 a night without a problem. Now, these rooms are not fancy (no pool, golf, etc.), but, if you are just looking for a place to bed down, you don't have to spend a mint.

By the way, I once drove from Washington, DC, to Portland, ME, in one day. We were meeting the ferry in Portand to go to Nova Scotia. Driving to ME from NYC is very doable in a day--even with a stop in, say, Old Sturbridge Village for 2-3 hours midday. It just depends on how you want to do it.

Feel free to email me if you have more questions. I grew up in Connecticut and spent some time in Boston before moving to the Washington, DC, area over 30 years ago, so I do know the area that you will be covering.