Maine v. Montreal
 

We're a family of 5 with 3 teenage boys. We're considering driving from the D.C. area to Maine then possibly the Montreal Jazz Festival in late June/early July. My questions are:

If you've driven the northern East Coast can you suggest an alternative to I-95? Is there a scenic route, with a good stopping place and a great restaurant?

If you've been to Montreal via Maine what's the best way to get there? Again, "off the beaten track" with a stop over.

Does this trip sound like a good idea or a nightmare? : ) Seriously, if you have other suggestions, I'm all ears (eyes, anyway).

Thanks in advance and I apologize if this was redundant; I couldn't find my specific questions in the forum.

How long do you have for the whole trip? For what segment are you looking for an alternative to I95? Goiing through Maine to get to Montreal can vbe scenic, but also pretty slow. There are really no fast east west routes in that area. What do you want to see and do in Maine? Will you go back to Dc directly from Montreal (about 10-12 hour drive)
I think the best suggestions will come with answers to some of these questions

You might think about doing the trip in reverse if you could and/or adding in Quebec City.

You are stuck with I-95 to 287 in NJ, then up 87 all the way to the border through the Adirondack Mountains. Stop at West Point, perhaps, and/or Saratoga Springs.

After Montreal, you can go East to Quebec for a couple of nights. It really is the most European city in North America.

From there, you can come down I-91 along the Vermont-NH border to the White Mountains and home or through the woods to the Maine coast.

I like Ackislander's plan, and don't forget passports or passport cards for everyone in the family including the kids.

Getting from Maine to Montreal is a long haul. A lot depends on where in Maine you are staying. Realize that east-west roads in this part of New England are generally very hilly and winding - lots of nice scenery, but slow going. Once you get away from the seacoast, Maine is very rural. If you are staying in the Bar Harbor area, it might make sense to go up thru Quebec City and spend a night there. It's a very easy drive from Quebec City to Montreal. The Montreal jazz fest is amazing, lots of great music right out on the street. Make sure you get a room lined up well in advance.

Mid-coast Maine is our favorite area so we usually stay on I95 until we get to Brunswick and then switch to US 1. It is not a coastal route. Summer of 2010 we tried to drive the coast as much as possible after lunch between Portland ME and Ogunquit and after several hours, headed to Rt 1 just to get to our lodgings at a reasonable time.

Unless you have a really good reason to visit Maine, I think you can find plenty to do in either VT and/or NH. Once you get to CT, head for Hartford and up I91. It's an interstate but rural. With 3 teenage boys, perhaps zip lining and/or mountain biking at a ski area. If you want sandy ocean beach, southern ME and NH have some nice beaches.

The route I would take to avoid the major cities would be US 15 or I-83 to Harrisburg, I-81 through Scranton to Binghamton NY, I-88 east past Albany, I-87 north to US 4 east at Glens Falls NY
US 4 will take you to Lebanon NH where you can decide which part of Maine to visit. US 201 north to the border and through Quebec City would be your best bet to get to Montreal.
The return route to DC goes through Syracuse New York.