Hartford to Ludlow to Boston
 

My husband and I are going to a family reunion in Ludlow Vermont at the end of July and have several legs of this trip and need suggestions for all of them, so here goes:

Part 1 (Hartford CT to Ludlow VT): We are flying into Bradley International Airport on Saturday (arrive at 4:00) and are planning on getting a rental car at the airport and driving up into Vermont somewhere to stay the night on Saturday night (check in at the reunion is on Sunday morning). We were trying to find something off of Hwy 91 or 103 so that we don't go too far off of the main path. We would Priceline (or something) a hotel for the night and would wake up to drive into Ludlow for the reunion (be there around noon). Any suggestions for a nice town to stay in where we can have a nice (but inexpensive) dinner and a leisurely breakfast before heading up to Ludlow?

Part 2 (Hartford CT): The reunion ends on Thursday morning, so we are going to leave Ludlow and drive back to Hartford with the rental car to do some exploring in Hartford. Again we will Priceline a hotel but are looking for interesting places to go/food to eat/sights to see. We are going to stay Thursday night in Hartford and take a Greyhound bus to Boston the next late morning/afternoon. Since we have to return the car to the airport we found a bus that goes from the airport straight down into the Greyhound/Amtrack station in Hartford, so we were giong to take the bus to the station then take the bus. Any hints/suggestions about transportation that we haven't thought of? Anything interesting to do in Hartford? We're going to go to the Mark Twain House and maybe the Elizabeth Park rose gardens, but again, looking for food/activity suggestions.

Part 3 (Boston MA): We will get to Boston between noon and 3ish and check into a hotel (again, Pricelined). Any suggestions on areas to stay? We will be taking public transportation around and walking, as I hear that Boston is a very walkable city. We would love to do all the touristy stuff, the Freedom Trail, and everything else there. Again, any suggestions for the food/other activities? We will be staying Friday and Saturday night and flying home around 2:00.

Things to know about us: Mid 20's, beer and wine fans, I'm a vegetarian, my husband will eat anything. We like art, history, movies, culture, local things that aren't so touristy (even though we love touristy things too), bookstores, coffee shops, farms, cheese, organic and local eating/drinking, and such. We are on a pretty tight budget so things that are low cost/free are even better. Any and all suggestions welcome! Thanks everyone!

I didn't see what month you are traveling in, but Ludlow as you may know is at the base of Okemo, and as long as there is so on the ground, there aren't that many bargains on a weekend. Ludlow is also less than 3 hours from BDL so I am not sure why you wouldn't get a room there on your night of arrival and just head up there. There are some nice restaurants in town.
Things to do in the Hartford/Springfield area? Shows and or gambling at Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods, a show at the Bushnell if you are here when there is one. The basketball hall of fame in Springfield. Of course, that all involves a rental car. Why not just drop it off in Boston and void coming back to Ct.

DawnCt--the reunion is in July.

On the way up, Brattleboro VT might make a nice stop. it has a number of chain motels that should be cheap. You could reserve something and see if you can get a deal on Priceline later

The Twain House in Hartford is fascinating. We took 2 tours, one of the main house, one centered on the servants' quarters. I would plan on quite a while there.

Will second the Twain House. In Hartford, also consider the state capitol, Wadsworth Athenaeum, Harriet Beecher Stowe House, and Old State House.

If you go to Foxwoods, consider seeing the Pequot Museum, which is first-rate of its kind. And if you're this close to Mystic, consider Mystic Seaport and/or the Mystic Aquarium.

I would go directly to Ludow from BDL even though there are some nicer more charming towns along the way.

The Harriet Beecher Stowe house is right next to the Twain house so easy to do both if you have enough time (we didn't but plan to go back for that and the Athenaeum)

Steph, this got posted twice, click on your name to find responses on your other thread.

Given the small amount of time the OP is going to be in Hartford, neither the Casinos nor Mystic would fit in.

Northampton or Amherst MA are nice college towns on the way to Ludlow. Northampton, especially, has lots of restaurants and is considered a destination town for foodies. (Microbreweries: ABC in Amherst and Northampton Brewery in NH). Or Brattleboro, VT is nice as was already mentioned.

I was surprised to hear you mention Greyhound, since I thought Peter Pan was the only regional service -- apparently Peter Pan and Greyhound have an alliance on some routes (whatever that means). Anyway Peter Pan is the dominant service in the area so you you might want to check to see if they have a better deals than Greyhound.

Can you return your car in Boston? That way, you'll save yourself the trouble of returning the car at Bradley Airport, then take the bus to Hartford bus station, and take the bus to Boston. (Have you checked to see if the schedules make this feasible?)

If you do this, you can even skip returning to Hartford altogether; though I agree that the Mark Twain House is worth visiting. Also the Wadsworth Atheneum is very nice.

Anyway, I'd look into the possibility of dropping the car off in Boston. Even if you decide to return to Hartford for a short overnight stay, you can then drive up to Boston (90 mins) and get rid of the car once you arrive.

P.S. For Priceline in Boston, I'd rank this:

First choice: Zones 5 (Copley/Theatre District) or 9 (Quincy Market)

Second Choice: zone 1 (Harbor front/Aquarium)

Third Choice: zone 2 (waterfront/Convention Center)

I would not consider any other zones that I didn't mention.

The reason for returning the car at BDL is that from what I've seen, there is a pretty hefty "drop off" fee for returning cars to a location different than the place you rented it from. Does anyone know any different information or ways to get around this?

we are thinking of staying in Hartford Thursday night to avoid spending yet another expensive night in Boston and see another part of the country. We are totally open to other things though. My husband was named after Mark Twain and is a huge fan so we would love to do the Twain House.

The only thing that we have booked for sure as of right now is the plane tickets (into BDL and out of Boston)and the reunion Sunday-Thursday. Everything else is workable.

I would especially love to hear some information from local folks who may know good public transportation strategies, free nights at museums (or something like that), any other "local flavor" type things.

While we are at the reunion in Ludlow we will have plenty of time to explore the area around there. Any suggestions for that?

Thanks everyone for your extremely helpful replies, it's great so far! Keep it coming! :)

Wadsworth Athenaeum usually has free stuff on Thursdays during the summer. Not sure if its every one. There isn't a lot of public transportation around Hartford so you need the car that night.

As for hotels in Hartford, there are a bunch of new ones near the Convention Center. Not sure how well Priceline works for Hartford. Be wary of neighborhoods. Could also look into hotels near the Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester, CT which is about a 15 minute drive out of Hartford.

Call the rental agencies and verify the drop off fee. With both pick-up and drop off in a certain radius, they usually waive it. (I didnt pay one for San Diego to Las Vegas). I do feel you are backtracking too much and will be spending too much time on Friday trying to get to Boston.

Here is a good thread with low cost things to do in the Boston area
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rroundings.cfm

Near Ludlow one of my favorite spots is Plymouth Notch and the Calvin Coolidge State Historic site. There is also a cheese factory at the site.

I would try pricing out the rental car costs + any drop-off fees. And try pricing out various companies. When I was in CA, I used Budget and they did not charge a drop-off fee when I returned the car in a different location than the pick-up.

You can then decide if the extra cost is "worth it" to you (consider the time & money you'll spend on getting from BDL to Boston... bus fares, time waiting around etc).

You said you're visiting at end of July. If your visit happens to go into the first weekend of August, you can take advantage of Bank of America's "museum on us" free admission deal, assuming you have a BoA card.

i second the Wadsworth Athenaeum!! The building is beautiful and the art collection is very impressive. You will also love the Twain House & Harriet Beecher Stowe House.

We have dealt with the drop off fee several times( when flights were canceled and we were sent to a different airport..BDL/ALB/ etc). There never has been a way to avoid it, maddening I know. Enjoy yor trip!

I would stop either in the Northampton/Amherst area while you are still in Massachusetts. Or Brattleboro VT right after you come across the state line. I've lived in all 3 places, they are all great towns and would be fine for an overnight visit. With a slight preference for Brattleboro. It's a very cool place.

Steph - re-posting this as I see you have two threads going!

I'd suggest Northampton, Mass for your "Part 1" hotel/dinner location. It's a very funky little town, great bookstores and offbeat shops, walkable, several lodging options, and a decent brewery in town for dinner. Also good live music, if that's your thing. It's less than an hour from Hartford, and then another 1.5 hours to Ludlow.

As for the Part 2 "Hartford" time - the Wadsworth and Mark Twain house should be must-do's if you're into art and history. I think the Wadsworth may do a "first Thursday" thing every month - not sure when you'll be in town. Elizabeth Park is gorgeous for a picnic lunch if you can spare the time on Thursday or Friday (plus it's free!) The roses peak around May, but there will still be plenty other flowers to enjoy. As for dinner, Wood 'N Tap is very casual pub food, chain-style spot. I second Trumbull Kitchen (might see some ESPN personalities there) although it's a little pricey. Black Eyed Sally's would be my hands-down recommendation for your budget, though. If you end up staying downtown in Hartford, JoJo's coffee shop is excellent and within walking distance to anything downtown. There's also a great (free) farmer's market at Billings Forge in Hartford on Thursdays, which is walkable to another cool coffee shop, La Paloma Sabanera. If you're in that area, pop in to the state capital. Gorgeous building with some cool elements inside, and again, no cost.

Public transportation isn't the best in Hartford, so yeah, you'll probably have to drop your car at the airport, take the bus to the station downtown, and then catch Bolt or Mega to Boston.

If you end up going the casino route, you won't be able to fit in much else in Hartford - you'll probably end up driving/staying at the casino area on Thursday, then heading to Boston Friday.

Have a blast on your trip - good luck!