looking for a scenic drive
 

we will be visiting nyc from oregon in august and want to take a drive up to rhode island for a couple of days. can anyone tell me if it is a scenic drive going through connecticut up to rhode island. are there any interesting places to stop and see along the way? we heard mystic is a nice town.

The ride along the Connecticut River is kind of nice. Essex is a nice old town with a fantastic old inn, the Griswold (the Gris to natives)either to stay overnight or just to have a delicious meal. The old nuclear submarine, the Nautilus, is docked along the coast and can be toured along with a museum.

Another option you may want to consider would be going out to the north fork of Long Island and then taking the ferry to Connecticut. The coastline of the north shore is pretty, the ride includes local farm stands, wineries and antique shops and the ferry would afford another view.

Mystic has both an aquarium and seaport. Nearby are two beautiful casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. I would also suggest taking a slight as you head north on Route 95 to take a detour to visit historic Newport, RI. Many mansions, cliff walk, 2nd beach, lovely harbord, great restaurants and gorgeous B&B's. Newport is well worth an overnight, but make advance reservations.

We did the whole New England driving tour thing just last year from Mystic, CT to Rockland, ME. Mystic was one of my favorite places to stop. Mystic Seaport was very interesting to me. Lots of nautical history. We stayed at the Inn at Mystic which had a great view of the Long Island Sound. Rooms were comfy and clean. Drove up to the Foxwood Casino. It was a sight in itself. From there we drove to Newport, RI and took in three of the fabulous mansions. Be sure to see Marble House if you go there it is unbelievable and walk on the Cliff Walk. We took I-95 to Groton and then drove Hwy 1 to Mystic follow Hwy. 1 to Hwy 138A to Newport.<BR>If you have the time, the area around Rockport and Gloucester, MA, were my personal favorites.

I forgot to mention the Cliff Walk in my previous post - the views are just awesome. You can also obtain wonderful vistas by walking the paths on the Sachuset National Wildlife Refuge and driving Ocean Drive.