New England - 10 days - confused...
 

Hi Fodorites :-)

We are travelling to the USA in September and would like to spend around 12 days in the New England area. I have done some reading of Fodors and self drive tour websites to get an idea of the more popular places to visit and am wondering if this itinerary looks ok or (more importantly).. how it can be improved and if I have missed any 'must see' spots. We are hoping to see some quaint places, learn about the history of the area and take some amazing photographs.

Potential idea...

Day 1 - New York - Newport - Cape Cod
Day 2 - Cape Cod - Plymouth - Boston
Day 3/4 - Boston
Day 5 - Boston - Kennebunkport
Day 6 - Kennebunkport - Bar Harbour
Day 7 - Bar Harbour
Day 8 - Bar Harbour - White Mountains
Day 9 - White Mountains - Stowe
Day 10 - 12 - Stowe - The Berkshires - Hartford and back to New York

Thanks for any input or ideas.

Cathy

This will be a lot of driving I'm afraid. If you could add a couple of days.Bar Harbor could use an extra day. From BH to say Jackson in the White mountains is a long way.Jackson is a gre

Sorry my mistake. Jackson is a gre

Something wrong with my PC. Jackson is a great place to visit the W.Mountains.On your way to Vermont take the great Kancamagus highway. I would stay in Burlington and visit the fabulous Shelburne museum.Also drive up Mount Washington if you're not afraid of heights.Paul

We will potentially have a few extra days... just depends on the ret of the trip. Can you suggest a route that takes in the essence of New england but cuts down driving?

On day 1 are you planning to stop in Newport? Are you going to spend any time in Cape Cod? Newport could take a day to visit and you could easily spend much more than a day on the Cape and still not get to see it all. Depending on what day of the week you go it could take most of a day just to get to the outer Cape from NY without actually getting off the main road especially on Friday or Saturday.

When you are in Bar Harbor are you planning on visiting Acadia National Park? It is really beautiful, but the trip from Kennebunkport is long and mostly quite slow, and day of the week can add lots of time to your trip.

As long as you remain flexible and adjust your plans as you go, you will be able to have a wonderful trip. You have planned to see some beautiful places.

Thanks... I think this is where I am getting myself tied in knots.... not sure on driving times and I dont want to spend the whole time in the car! I want to see the coastal areas and I want to see Vermont and realise that means driving... but also want to choose places to stop at and spend a decent amount of time at... would rather see a few places properly than drive through many!

Could you fly into Boston rather than New York?

I would cut out the Cape, unless you can add more days. From NY - the Cape takes at least 4 hours and even though it's lovely, it's really more about the beaches. There is a ferry from Provincetown to Boston, but not sure if it takes cars.

If you skip Boston, then I would spend the first night in the Newport area, there's a lot to see there. Then head directly to Boston the next day.

I also agree about the extra day in Bar Harbor, we love this area and there's so much to see and do.

The rest of the itinerary looks great.

That's good advice.Skip the New York -cape cod part and try to fly direct to Boston.visit Boston(nice town) then on to Portland-then to Bar Harbor for 2 days.B.H. to Jackson will be a long drive but worth it.2 days in Jackson ;Then by Kancamagus highway to Burlington and visit Shelburne museum.If you really wa

Sorry, want to have the trip of your life you should try to do it second half Sept-early October for the fall colours.They are spectacular.We did the 6 N.England states in 2004 but took 26 days to do it.Paul

Also, no reason to go through Hartford from the Berkshires to get back to NY.

Day 1 looks insane. Newport deserves at least a full day, preferably 2. And the Cape really is all about the beaches, although a day walking around Provincetown is nice.

I agree that if at all possible, look into flying into and out of Boston instead of NY. You'll waste half a day just trying to get into/out of the NY airports!

I also want to stress that Newport itself takes up a full day easily, so it's insane to try to see Newport and Cape Cod in 1 or even 2 days, unless you don't mind seeing the sights from the inside of your car.

At first glance, the list looks like way too much driving but if you can figure out how to handle Cape Cod/Newport, I would also change Stowe for another place in VT and the suggestion for Shelburne Museum area is a good one. You could see the Lake Champlain area and the beautiful farmland. Stowe is nice but to me is too similar to the White Mountains only the White Mountains are more scenic.
I also agree that it would be a lot easier if you could fly into Boston instead of NYC.
You can visit Yankee Magazine's website and facebook page to see some photos taken around New England. That might help you decide which areas you'd like to see the most.

That's doable, but way too much.

My recommendation would be to cut out Cape Cod and Bar Harbor and Hartford.

If you can add a few days, spend more time in each place.

Newport and the towns on the way to Kennebunkport are plenty of "coastal" without bothering with Cape Cod and Bar Harbor. Or, stop in Kennebunkport on your way to Camden or Boothbay Harbor and travel through the White Mountains from there to Stowe.

You could skip the White Mountains and head for Stowe from Kennebunkport.

You really should pick one or two seaside and one or two mountain towns if you don't want to spend all your time in the car.

Spending two nights at several destinations is much better than one-nighters and driving all day from one place to the next.

Last summer, we did a 4-day drive through New England. We did pass through many scenic places and stopped in only a few (Old Deerfield, MA, Woodstock, Vt., Hanover, NH, Newport, RI, Boston (but we've been in Boston a number of times before)) to savor what was there in the little time we had). Here's my trip report (and once again, thanks to defrostnh, who helped immensely with our planning).

Anyway, I think you've got to cut something, and if it were me, it would probably be Cape Cod, mainly because traveling there is more difficult, not because it's not a great place to go.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ew-england.cfm

Hi everyone

Thanks very much for all of your thoughts.... I started the trip at NY as thats where we will probably be.. but could look into flying into Boston and maybe finishing in NY. Ifwe were to pick 2 coastal and 2 mountain spots to concentrate on, where would you suggest?

For the 2 coastal areas, I would look at Cape Cod or Cape Ann in Massachusetts and the Bar Harbor/Acadia area in Maine. For mountain spots, the Franconia Notch area of New Hampshire and the Stowe area of Vermont.

Thank you emalloy.... I am checking these areas out now :-)

One can easily spend at least two fruitful days sightseeing in Newport alone.

Agreed that leaving Cape Cod out of this trip makes sense. The Cape is indeed nice, but fairly good-sized with spread out attractions, and the traffic can be murder there in season.

You'll also have several options in the Berkshires. Where were you thinking of going?

Some ideas:

Newport is a fabulous destination, especially if you tour a few of the mansions (two per day, max, as they're sizeable "museums"). Beautiful, gorgeous, seaport town, with tremendous fine dining at reasonable prices (especially considering that all is so "upscale").

You could spend a week or more in Boston, but also enjoy quite a bit in 2-3 days.

Wells/Wells Beach is a great place to stay along the Maine coast, as it's between Ogunquit and Kennebunkport, and you'll likely enjoy shoulder/off season rates in September. Much is within an easy drive - Portland to the north...

While all that would be plenty for enjoying the Maine coast, if you want to venture farther north, Boothbay Harbor and Camden could not be more charming.

Agree that Franconia Notch area is one of the best in the White Mountains. If you spend two nights there, easy driving all over for scenery - Routes 302, 2, 112 (Kancamagus), etc.

You could drive through Stowe on your way to the Berkshires. Fantastic towns there include Williamstown (awesome Sterling-Clark museum), Stockbridge (magnificent Norman Rockwell museum), or Lenox in between.

As mentioned, Hartford would be out of your way from the Berkshires to NYC, unless you have some reason to go there.

Thanks again everyone, so many ideas and so many beautiful places to visit. We can leave Hartford out... it just seemed to be on the way :-) Consensus seems to be to leave the Cape out. I'm sure I will be back with more questions soon, but now Im off to google some of your destination suggestions!!!! :-) I LOVE planning holidays!!!

If you are going to Boston on this trip and want a quick look at part of Cape Cod, take the passenger ferry from Boston to Providence, then bike or walk around town and/or local taxi to the National Seashore area. This would make a nice day trip.

emalloy means Provincetown, not Providence. I agree, it is a nice day trip.

Have you ever been to New England before? I would eliminate NYC from this itinerary and save it for another trip. You will see & learn a lot of history in Boston. It's a great, manageable, & beautiful city. You can do the Freedom Trail, Duck Tours, visit Beacon Hill, walk through the Public Gardens, then visit several museums if you like museums. I haven't read everyone's posts but I do recommend Cape Cod for beaches & scenerey, especially the National Seashore & such towns as Wellfleet, Truro & Provincetown. The sand dunes, walking trails, bike trails, lighthouses are all beautiful; you will get delicous seafood, can do a whale watch. Chatham is also lovely, too.

If you decide that the Cape is too much out of your way, then I do recommend southern Maine (south of Portland) for sandy beaches, then drive to Acadia National Park, which is beautiful with breathtaking rocky coastline. It's about a 5 hour drive from Boston to ANP. Also, drive to Schoodic Peninsula, about 1 hour from Bar Harbour. This is more breathtaking scenery & not commercialized at all.

HOpe this helps; you are trying to pack in a lot.

Time of year and days of the week are an important part of your plan. You have the risk of hitting some bad traffic,(tourists, weekend etc.). As you plan further and ID days of the week post more for comment. I truly love Cape Cod , but it is big and you may end up doing more driving than needed. I like the suggestion of the ferry from boston to Provincetown - do it as a day trip. (no cars). Once there, take Arts Dune tour, see the National Seashore, and the spirited town. Lastly, I live in Hatford and I would say skip it.... unless you are a Mark Twain fan - and then you should stop in ands see his home.

All, is Cape Code awful (crowds/traffic-wise) on all days in the summer, or just on weekends? We're going to be back East anyway, and we've never been to the Cape, and we're completely flexible as to which days we would go....How many days would you spend there?

Weekdays are fine. We are always go to the Cape midweek & never have any problems. Rt 28 would be the most crowded. How many days depends on how many days you have & what you enjoy doing. Some people go for a whole week; we often times go for a night or two. The most beautiful part of the cape is the outer cape where the National Seashore is located. Go to towns such as Wellfleet, Truro & Provincetown. Brewster and Eastham are nice, too. You can spend all day at the beaches; the national seashore beaches are great, such as Herring Cove, Race Point & Head of the Meadow. Coast Guard Beach, Nauset & Marconi are very popular. These are ocean beaches. The bay beaches are warmer & calmer, such as Skaket Beach. You can rent bikes, go on a whale watch, play mini-golf, eat great seafood, shop. For shopping, Chatham & P'town are favorites. Brewster has lots of antique shops. If you have time for only an overnight, by all means go for one night. But stay longer if you have the time. One of our favoriate places is Inn at Duck Creek in Wellfleet. We love to have lunch at Bookstore Restaurant in Wellfleet overlooking Mayo Beach.

Are these "beach" towns -- lots of stores selling tubes and googles -- or are they "quaint" and "charming" towns (like Woodstock on the water)?

We can go for as long as makes sense -- meaning more than an overnight, but less than a week! We'll look into 3 or 4 days. Where would it make sense to stay (I know it's very expensive)?

I have another question, so I'm going to start a new thread on this topic.

This thread is amazing and I so appreciate everyones ideas and input. sf7307, I will look for your new thread as it seems we have similar planning happening...

Quaint places and history equals having dinner, and perhaps staying the night, at Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts. It's the oldest inn in America and has a fascinating history.

You might also want to put Old Sturbridge Village on your itinerary. We spent a wonderfully interesting day there and want to go back.

http://www.osv.org/

Longfellow's has been in a long time debate with the Griswold Inn and Beekman Arms in in NY over that title. Not sure of the official outcome but there is a subtlety around continuous operation.... Beekman may be the olkdest, with a break in service????

I echo the observation that Old Sturbridge Village is a marvelous place to visit if you want to have a chance to see mid-19th century New England in as realistic a setting as possible. However, do NOT plan to "pop in" and spend an hour or two! Better to plan on a full day of relaxation, chatting with costumed "interpreters" at various stops would be better!

We lived close enough to have a family membership for years, and we used to enjoy all going there 3-4 times a year (at various seasons).

Hope you can fit this in.

Have eaten at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury before. Agreed that the inn and dining area is lovely and historic, but I found the food to be horribly bad:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/549590

In brief: thick and glue-like clam chowder, tough prime rib, and Indian pudding that was loaded with hard and fibrous pits and pieces that appeared to be inedible corn detritus.

Interesting place to visit and maybe stay, but I say eat elsewhere.

Our eating experiences at the Wayside Inn were consistently good, with breakfast a real highlight. But it's the atmosphere that's special.

LakesideChick, I am a native Bostonian and have traveled to the places you mention. What is so special about New England is that within 3-4 hrs. from Boston you have the most incredible mountains, beaches, quaint towns, history, etc.

I have re-read your post a number of times and it sounds like you are cramming way too much in unless you don't mind being on the go a lot and in the car a lot. Some people like to travel that way and see as much as they can.

I suggest at this point in your plans you think again about what kind of trip you want and the pace you will be comfortable with. Having never been here before everything you see is going to be wonderful and new. Do you want to spend relaxing time on a beach, do you want to go in and out of quaint stores or galleries for an afternoon, would you like to rent bicycles and ride along beautiful trails, do you want to slowly explore a quaint seaside fishing village off the highway,etc? I personally would attack this trip not so much trying to see as much as you can, but trying to see and experience the most with the least amount of excess traffic and driving.

I agree with Juldie. If in search of quaint, I wouldn't visit the most popular tourist areas. Last year when we visited our favorite areas of mid-coast Maine, we spotted a 'wildlife area' on a small map. We asked at the restaurant if it was open to the public. The waitress said yes, but there's nothing there. Bingo! It was a little hard to find the right bumpy road but it led to a very quiet isolated section of beach where a couple of families were enjoying a swim and a few guys were fishing. Although in Sept you have a better chance of running into locals instead of other tourists.
I think Sturbridge is a good suggestion esp since the OP wants to learn some history. Although I don't care for Woodstock VT, the nearby Billings Farm Museum would also provide some historical perspective. We loved Shelburne Museum in VT. Canterbury Shaker Village in NH would also provide photo ops. It's a beautiful area plus it's apple picking season so a chance to visit some interesting orchards. Gould Hill Orchard near Concord NH has a great selection of heirloom apple varieties plus a great view.

Leaving out Cape Cod on this trip would be like leaving out the Eiffel Tower if you were visiting Paris.

For two coastal regions: Cape Cod and Bar Harbor. On Cape Cod, make the effort and take the time to see the National Seashore beaches. They're consistently voted in the Top Ten beaches of the U.S. (or was it the world?). In Maine, take the time to visit Acadia National Park. It's quite a place.

I'd do a 'drive through' Newport and a 'drive by' Hartford. I live near Hartford and I assure you, there's not a thing to see here. ;).

You might consider flying into Boston, taking the ferry to Provincetown (check the schedules, I think the ferries continue to Provincetown until mid-October.) You could rent a car on the Cape from Enterprise car rental out of Orleans. Their big pitch is that they'll deliver the car to you and you can return it to a different place without exorbitant fees. If this works, you can drive Off the Cape, exploring as you go. There won't be any problems with Cape traffic in mid-September, a blessing, I assure you. You might want to visit Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket for the day. You can leave from Hyannis or Woods Hole to visit an island.

Another option: You might also consider flying into Providence, Rhode Island, renting your car there, visiting Newport for the day and then driving onto Cape Cod or even into Boston. You can reach the Cape from Boston via ferry, visit just Provincetown as suggested and then return to Boston before continuing on the rest of your trip.

What weeks in September? The weather begins to move from summer to fall around the 3rd week of September in Maine, Vermont, etc. Nights will be cool on the Cape at this time too.

NYC doesn't seem to fit in at all with this trip. The drive from NYC is boring and unscenic. Unless of course you would be interested in taking a modified coastal route from NYC to the casinos in CT and then drive on to Newport...?