Family Boston/Cape trip
 

Hello- we are just starting some early planning for a trip next June to Boston, Cape Cod and Newport. It seems like it would be less expensive to fly into and out of Boston. Would it make sense to start in Boston for 3 days - drive to Newport RI for 3 days and then back to the Cape? (I was thinking of staying in Chatham for 3 days.) Then back up to Boston to fly home to SFO. Are these drives long? Or is there a better way to fit these 3 places in? Also
what type of weather will we look for in the 1st 2 weeks of June? Is it very humid in early June? Thanks for your help.

Those 3 places form a triangle about 2 hours' drive time per side, so whatever order you do them in will be fine. Personally, I'd do Boston last, so you can turn in your rental car and not worry about it on departure day, just take a cab from your Boston hotel.

Weather in early June is usually very nice, though you could run into a couple of days that are either hot, or cold and damp.

Harvard and MIT hold their commencements at the end of the First week in June (June 5 & 6), so forget about getting a hotel in Boston for that week.

Thanks for the type about the Boston hotel rooms. Maybe we will leave Boston until the end.
Jenn

Depending on city or origination, check prices to TF Green (Providence, RI) as well.

can anyone reccomend an alternative to 95 when driving thru mass? thanks

livigirl, you need to start your own thread for that question. And please tell us your starting point and destination.

Good advice on doing Boston last.

There may not be enough to occupy you for three days in Newport, but RI is tiny, and the entire coastal area is interesting, on both sides of the bridge.

It is likely to be quite cool on the Cape in June, with the same kind of fog that you have in the Bay Area. Boston can be hot. The weather change can be like going from San Francisco to Oakland or Berkeley.

I like your idea of giving each area 3 days so you are not rushed and giving them each an equal amount of time to show you what they got.

With some luck you might be able to get some June rates in Chatham (before school ends) rather than the higher rates of Summer.

Instead of going to the Cape, you could organize your trip to visit Boston, Newport and Block Island which is accessible by ferry from Pt. Judith, Rhode Island. If you are going to Newport anyway, you could then drive to Pt. Judith, take the hour long ferry to the island and stay there for several nights. People say the island reminds them of what Cape Cod was like 50 years ago. June is an especially magical month on the island which has a magnificent beach that is crescent shaped and extends for two miles from the town to the bluffs. It's too cold to swim in June, but the landscape is beautiful and forty percent of the land is open to the public with lots of walking paths.

Let me start over i am leaving from the Tappan Zee bridge in New York and traveling to Danvers Mass. 95 is efficent but i am looking for an alternate without adding too many extra miles. Does anyone have any suggestions. Thank You

Jenn,
Block Island is a good day trip but much more than that is too much. You could do it on 1 of your days in Newport if you are interested. Stick with your original plan. June can be rainy and cold for days as someone else said, or it could be lovely. Only Mother Nature knows for sure. You need more flexibility than Block Island would ever give you. Just my opinion.

livigirl, to get northwest of Boston, I always take the Mass Pike to either I-495 heading northeast or to I-95/Route 128, depending on where I'm going. To get to the Pike, take I-84 through Connecticut; it connects with the Pike north of Hartford. You can pick up I-84 off I-684 in Westchester rather than going all the way up to Newburgh...

If you need more specifics, let me know! :)

hey green thanks for the help! be well!

dear green any suggestions for a place to stop and have lunch along the way? thanks again!

When we drive Baltimore/NH via the Tappan Zee, we just head for I-95, to I-91, to I-84, to I-90 (the Mass Turnpike). From there to Danvers, the most direct route is I-95.

We've also tried the Merritt Parkway to the Wilbur Cross, etc., but we've actually experienced worse traffic that way than we ever have on I-95 in CT.

How far along the way do you plan to stop for lunch?

livigirl - lunch stops depend on when you are leaving, but Rein's Deli in Vernon CT off Exit 65 from I-84 is good pick, about 10-15 mins past Hartford and a little over 2 hours from the Tappan Zee. There are a bunch of chains a few exits before in Manchester, but I would press on to Rein's. Once you get on the Mass Pike you are stuck with the rest stops.

Hi livigirl, Unfortunately I don't have very good lunch stop suggestions, as I usually am blowing right through! I can tell you that there is a stretch of service road just after Waterbury (approximately exit 25; Scott Road) that has a number of fast food restaurants and if memory serves, a Friendlys. And as others have said, the Pike has a rest area just after you merge onto it from I-84 with a McD's and other options. Pretty pathetic suggestions, I know.

I don't really care for Rein's Deli. I am biased, as there are (still) some good Jewish delis in NYC. But to me, the food at Rein's is always just good, not great - and not worth the long wait that inevitably greets you at the door.

If you want a sit-down meal, maybe look for a Cracker Barrel (there's one on the Connecticut/Massachusetts border as you drive up I-84; maybe in Sturbridge, MA?). It's a southern cooking chain - watch out for the "general store" you have to go through to get to the tables, especially if you have kids with you ("penny" candy!). My vegetarian friends always find something to eat here, and my BF likes their chicken and dumplings...

I can suggest checking out Chowhound, and even posting on their New England boards. I have found good suggestions for road trip stops on there before! (It takes a little digging through posts - something new and different LOL.)

If you are looking to stop when you are closer to Danvers, your route will bring you right past the historic town of Lexington, MA. It's not a far drive off the highway, and there are many nice dining options in the center of town, including Italian, Thai, etc.

Also, I would have to say that I would not take djkbooks route to the Pike!! If you are already at the Tappan Zee, there is no reason to backtrack all that way south to the mess that is I-95 in western CT. If you prefer highway to parkway, catch I-84 in New York State. And do take the Pike to I-95 in Massachusetts as djkbooks advises.

djkbooks, I hear you about the parkways! A better option off I-95 is Route 8 from Bridgeport to Waterbury and pick up I-84 there. Route 8 is a nice underutilized highway. You also can take Route 7 from Norwalk to Danbury, and pick up I-84 right where it crosses into Connecticut at the New York line. (I'm curious: Do you really go all the way up to the Tappan Zee and then back down to I-95? Maybe it just seems extreme to me because I'm already in NYC? I avoid NYC-area I-95 whenever possible, and prefer the uncrowded stretches of I-684 to get me to I-84!)

i know its a month later but i just wanted to take the time to say thanks to all for your suggestions the trip was a great be well and be safe

good to hear it! no matter the delay in time, it's always nice to get feedback. glad to hear your trip was a success! :)