June New England trip
May 12th, 2010, 03:47 PM
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June New England trip
My hubby, 2 children (16 & 6) & I are headed to this area in June for a much-anticipated vacation. We'll be staying at a resort in Lee, but want to see as much as possible in our 7 day stay.
Will fly into DC, rent a car & drive up to MA from there. We'll then drive back to fly out a day early so we can hit a few key spots in DC. Any "must-see" spots? What about places within driving distance from the Berkshires, which will be our base for most of the time? We're Southerners, where we have to drive to get anywhere, so a 2-3 hour drive is not an issue at all. I know we want to visit Boston & other cities, mountainouns/hills, somewhere coastal, a few museums.... looking for informative & fun ideas to entertain the kiddos & us parents without breaking the bank. We enjoy the outside - probably more viewing (Oooohing & Ahhhhing) than strenuous activities..... & new experiences, I suppose, that will entertain us all to a certain extent.
Our teenager will also be having her16th birthday while on this trip, so trying to find something fun/special for us to do one day. Maybe a spa?
Help & thanks for looking?!
Will fly into DC, rent a car & drive up to MA from there. We'll then drive back to fly out a day early so we can hit a few key spots in DC. Any "must-see" spots? What about places within driving distance from the Berkshires, which will be our base for most of the time? We're Southerners, where we have to drive to get anywhere, so a 2-3 hour drive is not an issue at all. I know we want to visit Boston & other cities, mountainouns/hills, somewhere coastal, a few museums.... looking for informative & fun ideas to entertain the kiddos & us parents without breaking the bank. We enjoy the outside - probably more viewing (Oooohing & Ahhhhing) than strenuous activities..... & new experiences, I suppose, that will entertain us all to a certain extent.
Our teenager will also be having her16th birthday while on this trip, so trying to find something fun/special for us to do one day. Maybe a spa?
Help & thanks for looking?!
May 12th, 2010, 03:59 PM
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So you'll have about 5 days in MA?
Are you planning to see Boston as just a day trip? If yes, I'd recommend starting with a Duck Tour, then the rest of the day walking the Freedom Trail. It's important to pre-book the Duck Tour, as June is high tourist season.
Your kids probably will enjoy Old Sturbridge Village, not too far from Lee. http://www.osv.org/
Also check out the MASS99 deals. It may work for you with a family of 4. http://www.massvacation.com/mass99/
Here's a Berkshires trip report by PamSF from last Fall for some more ideas: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...berkshires.cfm
The Berkshires isn't too far from the Upper Hudson Valley, so you can consider heading that direction too. Lots of historic sites to see.
Are you planning to see Boston as just a day trip? If yes, I'd recommend starting with a Duck Tour, then the rest of the day walking the Freedom Trail. It's important to pre-book the Duck Tour, as June is high tourist season.
Your kids probably will enjoy Old Sturbridge Village, not too far from Lee. http://www.osv.org/
Also check out the MASS99 deals. It may work for you with a family of 4. http://www.massvacation.com/mass99/
Here's a Berkshires trip report by PamSF from last Fall for some more ideas: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...berkshires.cfm
The Berkshires isn't too far from the Upper Hudson Valley, so you can consider heading that direction too. Lots of historic sites to see.
May 12th, 2010, 04:35 PM
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You might want to check the Connecticut web site www.ctvisit.com for ideas of things to do and places to go when you will be in the area.
Driving in the Lee area should be fine, but as you get closer to Boston or in southern CT, traffic can be a bit challenging.
Driving in the Lee area should be fine, but as you get closer to Boston or in southern CT, traffic can be a bit challenging.
May 12th, 2010, 08:00 PM
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Thanks y'all!
Challenging traffic?? We're used to Atlanta, Dallas, New Orleans, Houston, etc. big city traffic - can you share what traffic challenges up there are? Tennessee, Savannah GA, Hilton Head.... these are the farthest East we've ever been.
Challenging traffic?? We're used to Atlanta, Dallas, New Orleans, Houston, etc. big city traffic - can you share what traffic challenges up there are? Tennessee, Savannah GA, Hilton Head.... these are the farthest East we've ever been.
May 13th, 2010, 02:22 AM
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You just don't want to drive in downtown Boston. Find a parking garage and use public transportation the rest of the time. Boston is full of one way streets. The streets are not laid out neatly and sensibly.
If you are up for a really long day trip, the lupines will be blooming in NH's White Mountains. There's a number of activities you can do in that area from zip lining to visiting The Flume. Perfect June days are a great time to see the top of Mt Washington. They might still be skiing at Tuckerman's Ravine.
If you are up for a really long day trip, the lupines will be blooming in NH's White Mountains. There's a number of activities you can do in that area from zip lining to visiting The Flume. Perfect June days are a great time to see the top of Mt Washington. They might still be skiing at Tuckerman's Ravine.
May 13th, 2010, 03:00 AM
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Boston is an old city, with many one way streets that are not in the perfect grid pattern, so the route you take one way isn't the same on the way back. There are major interstates (I 90-the Mass Pike, a toll road and I 93- at times a parking lot) and there are exits on the left and right from them which require you to be in the proper lane before you get to them or you will be going where the lane you are in goes even if that was not your intention. By the time your gps has calculated the new route you are past where you should have turned. J walking is a contact sport and red lights are a suggestion to stop while many will expect you to go through a yellow and the people in two or three cars behind you will be expecting to go through too. Parking in the city can also be quite expensive, although many garages let you pay by credit card in a kiosk on your way into the garage.
There are places outside of the city where you can park and take the train/T.
In Connecticut if you can avoid I 95 during rush hour, life will be much nicer, also I 84 and 91 in the vicinity of any city. DH spent 3 hours not moving between exits on 95 one day last summer.
There are places outside of the city where you can park and take the train/T.
In Connecticut if you can avoid I 95 during rush hour, life will be much nicer, also I 84 and 91 in the vicinity of any city. DH spent 3 hours not moving between exits on 95 one day last summer.
May 13th, 2010, 04:20 AM
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I assume there is a reason why you are driving up from Washington rather than flying up, so I won't go into those isssues. From the NYC area, however you get around or through it, take one of the truck free parkways north. The Taconic gives good access to the Berkshires and is a pretty drive.
In the Berkshires themselves, enjoy Lee, Great Barrington, Stockbridge, and West Stockbridge (get out and walk around). They are all towns with a lot of charm, good restaurants, and good shopping. There are lots of historic houses and such but with kids, I would substitute a visit to Hancock Shaker Village for Old Sturbridge Village.
Slightly further afield is Historic Deerfield, a village of impressive old houses in a very authentic setting with lots of "daily life" stuff to visit.
Boston is a good two and a half hours away. I used to live in Mississippi, where we would drive three hours each way for dinner, so I know what you are saying about not fearing time on the road! The driving is not worse than Atlanta but different. The traffic is fairly heavy and commuting hours are long, but the real challenge is the street layout and lack of signage. Most main streets, for example, do not have signs. You are assumed to know where you are and only the cross streets are marked. A GPS is a great help, though not perfect. Drivers are aggressive and do not use signals so you won't cut them off. Think Paris or Rome. Make sure you do NOT come to town when the Red Sox are playing because it makes everything worse.
If I were bringing kids, I would want to hit Concord and Lexington for their revolutionary sites. I would want to do some walking on the Freedom Trail and take them to Paul Revere's house. This will make a longish day.
From Lexington or Concord, I would drive in Route 2 and either park at Alewife Station on the Red Line to take the subway or continue on Route 2 to Memorial Drive in Cambridge. Actually, I like aggressive driving so I would drive right on in, even if I advise taking the T!
Memorial Drive will lead you past Harvard and MIT with gorgeous views of Boston across the Charles.
Leave the car in the Boston Common parking garage and follow the Freedom Trail from the visitors center on the Tremont Street side of the Common. Many places to eat en route, and it takes you to most of the historic sites in the city. If you walk all the way to the Constitution (Old Ironsides) in Charleston, take the water taxi back to Long Wharf for a good harbor view.
You do not, trust me on this, want to leave Boston westbound before 7 PM. You will sit in unmoving traffic for about twenty miles. If you have time to kill and any energy at all, go back to the Common and cross Charles Street to the Public Garden, home of the Swan boats and the "Make Way for Ducklings" statues. On the north side of the Common is Beacon Hill, with historic houses. On the west side is the Back Bay, with posh shops on Newbury Street (Cartier) and a tree lined boulevard with statues on Commonwealth Avenue, like Paris. The middle section of Newbury Street is generally useless with mall-type shopping, but there is good stuff at either end. A block off Newbury between Berkeley and Copley will be Copley Square, the Boston Public Library, and Trinity Church, both famous buildings.
I would split this over two days, with a night in a hotel if I possibly could, but you sound tough, so as long as one person can stay awake to drive all the way home, you could have quite a day.
On another note, the White Mountains are gorgeous and I have hiked all over them, but they are a long way by highway from where you will be. If you want a mountain experience, you can easily go up into Vermont. If your kids have never climbed a mountain, Mt Monadnock in southern NH is an easy climb with great views from the top, and the surrounding area has a LOT of New England charm.
In the Berkshires themselves, enjoy Lee, Great Barrington, Stockbridge, and West Stockbridge (get out and walk around). They are all towns with a lot of charm, good restaurants, and good shopping. There are lots of historic houses and such but with kids, I would substitute a visit to Hancock Shaker Village for Old Sturbridge Village.
Slightly further afield is Historic Deerfield, a village of impressive old houses in a very authentic setting with lots of "daily life" stuff to visit.
Boston is a good two and a half hours away. I used to live in Mississippi, where we would drive three hours each way for dinner, so I know what you are saying about not fearing time on the road! The driving is not worse than Atlanta but different. The traffic is fairly heavy and commuting hours are long, but the real challenge is the street layout and lack of signage. Most main streets, for example, do not have signs. You are assumed to know where you are and only the cross streets are marked. A GPS is a great help, though not perfect. Drivers are aggressive and do not use signals so you won't cut them off. Think Paris or Rome. Make sure you do NOT come to town when the Red Sox are playing because it makes everything worse.
If I were bringing kids, I would want to hit Concord and Lexington for their revolutionary sites. I would want to do some walking on the Freedom Trail and take them to Paul Revere's house. This will make a longish day.
From Lexington or Concord, I would drive in Route 2 and either park at Alewife Station on the Red Line to take the subway or continue on Route 2 to Memorial Drive in Cambridge. Actually, I like aggressive driving so I would drive right on in, even if I advise taking the T!
Memorial Drive will lead you past Harvard and MIT with gorgeous views of Boston across the Charles.
Leave the car in the Boston Common parking garage and follow the Freedom Trail from the visitors center on the Tremont Street side of the Common. Many places to eat en route, and it takes you to most of the historic sites in the city. If you walk all the way to the Constitution (Old Ironsides) in Charleston, take the water taxi back to Long Wharf for a good harbor view.
You do not, trust me on this, want to leave Boston westbound before 7 PM. You will sit in unmoving traffic for about twenty miles. If you have time to kill and any energy at all, go back to the Common and cross Charles Street to the Public Garden, home of the Swan boats and the "Make Way for Ducklings" statues. On the north side of the Common is Beacon Hill, with historic houses. On the west side is the Back Bay, with posh shops on Newbury Street (Cartier) and a tree lined boulevard with statues on Commonwealth Avenue, like Paris. The middle section of Newbury Street is generally useless with mall-type shopping, but there is good stuff at either end. A block off Newbury between Berkeley and Copley will be Copley Square, the Boston Public Library, and Trinity Church, both famous buildings.
I would split this over two days, with a night in a hotel if I possibly could, but you sound tough, so as long as one person can stay awake to drive all the way home, you could have quite a day.
On another note, the White Mountains are gorgeous and I have hiked all over them, but they are a long way by highway from where you will be. If you want a mountain experience, you can easily go up into Vermont. If your kids have never climbed a mountain, Mt Monadnock in southern NH is an easy climb with great views from the top, and the surrounding area has a LOT of New England charm.
May 13th, 2010, 06:52 AM
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Easy hiking in the Berkshires would be Monument Mountain in Great Barrington (not far from Lee). Would also recommend Bash Bish Falls.Could drive up Mt Greylock for great views (in Lanesboro).
Would assume you are staying at Oak n Spruce. Nice property but nothing nearby. There are outlets a few minutes away and a nice Main St.
Look at Jiminy Peak or Bousquet for what summer activities they each have.
Would assume you are staying at Oak n Spruce. Nice property but nothing nearby. There are outlets a few minutes away and a nice Main St.
Look at Jiminy Peak or Bousquet for what summer activities they each have.
May 13th, 2010, 08:27 AM
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Both emalloy and ackislander gave very good descriptions of the trials and tribulations of driving in Boston. But they both left out one thing -- traffic circles. For someone coming from a place where they don't exist, they are an additional nightmare! (and we have driven in, and out of, Boston as late as last August -- take everything they say VERY seriously, including the part about getting OUT of Boston)
May 20th, 2010, 09:58 AM
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WOW - y'all are awesome! Thanks for the great tips & ideas!! Will definitely park & use public transportaion in Boston... gonna check out some of these forums on coast ideas for us to visit.
Will check back a bit closer to our trip in a few weeks, once we get our itinerary a bit more complete.
Will check back a bit closer to our trip in a few weeks, once we get our itinerary a bit more complete.
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