Fedup101

Hi Everyone!!
I have a trip planned with my dad and we're going to New England from May 4 to May 16.
A quick glimpse of our Itinerary is as follows;
May 4 Fly from LAX to Boston, drive to the Cape
May 4-6 2 Days at the Cape
May 7 Head back to Boston for a 7 hour city tour
May 8 Drive to Niagara Falls, NY
May 8-9 Tour Niagara Falls
May 10 Drive to for a quick Stay at Sodus Point, NY
May 11 Drive to Lebanon, NH
May 11-15 Visiting family in NH & VT
May 16 Fly home
*Any of you have any recommendations on what to see,do,or eat(my dad and I LOVE seafood especially LOBSTER!!) at any of these area? What's the weather like in early May?
I would love any tips!! Oh how bad are the Toll Roads in New England?
THANK YOU!!
Nino

Ackislander

Skip the Cape. It is likely to be chilly and relatively little will be open. Add the time to Boston.

Don't rent a car until you are ready to leave Boston. You won't need it/can't use it in the city, and it will cost you north of $40 a day to park.

If your dad likes baseball, stop in Cooperstown, NY, on the way to or from Niagara, to go to the baseball Hall of Fame.

Make sure you get a rental car that you can drive into Canada because the Canadian side of Niagara Falls is a lot better than the American side.

I had never heard of Sodus Point before, but it looks charming. It is a long drive from Niagara to Lebanon, but it is a pretty drive especially the part in southern Vermont.

A lot of people will tell you to skip Niagara, but if you don't come east very often, what the heck. The scenery will be very different from the West, so think of it as a Road Trip!!!!!

Toll roads won't be a problem. IIRC, the only one you will have is the MassPike (I-90), and it isn't worth renting an EZ Pass for that. You take a ticket when you get on, and you pay when you get off.

Boston traffic inbound is bad from 6:30 to 9 AM and outbound from 3:30 to 7 PM. City streets in Boston are best avoided in a car for all kinds of reasons, much of it having to do with the streets being badly marked.

dfrostnh

The weather can be very beautiful in early May. There's an apple orchard we haven't visited in Lebanon and trees should be blooming about the time you visit. Other spring bloomers like rhododendrons, maybe tulips. Trying to remember at what time the willows start greening up. Some trees start off looking red before leaves come out. I think spring colors are prettier than fall.

From NH to Boston assuming you drive south on I93 will only be one toll in Hooksett NH. Can't think of any tolls in VT. You could detour over to the Portsmouth NH area for seafood and then to Boston via I95. There is a toll on I95. We go to Petey's in Rye NH for lobster and fried seafood. In Concord NH you can get decent fried clams and scallops at Beefside or the Veano's up by Rt 106. We haven't been to Makris in years but it's a lobster place. Do NOT go to a Weathervane which is a chain with less than quality.

I was surprised that Cape Cod residents thought raw oysters were great at Carpenter& Main in Norwich VT (almost next door to Lebanon).

IF you decide to detour via Portsmouth, from Concord NH take I393 bypass to Rt 4 and keep going east. This is my favorite approach to Portsmouth. You will understand when you see Wagon Hill Farm and bridges over Great Bay. GPS will tell you to go Rt 101 which is the boring limited access highway.

If your family will permit use of a kitchen, you can get steamed lobsters at many grocery stores. (they steam them while you wait). You just need a dab of mayonnaise and toasted buttered hot dog rolls to make your own lobster rolls. But to get the lobster meat out you'll probably have to borrow a hammer. (I use my meat mallet.)

I think the hills of VT and NH will be very beautiful for your visit.

nytraveler

Wondering if you really need to drive back and forth to Niagara Falls (and getting a renta car over the border is usually just not porrible).

I would consider flying into either Buffalo or Toronto and taking train or bus to Niagara Falls, then renting a car once you get back inot the US (assume you have your passports since the Canadian side is MUCH better than the american).

Then you can just do a one-way back to Boston rather than a giant circle.

And agree that is early for Cape Cod (too early to go in the water and a lot of places not open yet for the season - usually starts at Memorial day).

zootsi

I wouldn't bypass the Cape. True it may be cool this time of year, and some places will be closed. However the Cape is a big area, and many people live there year round. It will be peaceful, and the beaches will be empty - great for taking walks and exploring. I believe that the National Seashore visitors centers will be open.
Realize that the drive from Boston to Niagara Falls is very long and not very interesting. You will not have any trouble finding seafood anywhere in New England. I live very close to Lebanon NH, it's a beautiful area.

Ackislander

"Realize that the drive from Boston to Niagara Falls is very long and not very interesting. "

It's indeed very long -- more than eight hours each way -- but interest is in the eye of the beholder.

If you are from the West, the fresh Spring green of the Berkshires and Central New York State may be very special.

I should add for the OP that this college graduation time, and hotels fill up quickly.

I live on Nantucket from April through December, and I just can't consider May a good time to visit. Maybe the Cape is enough warmer that walking on the beach -- or what's left of it after the nor'easters -- would be fun, but not for someone who is from a warm climate.

tomfuller

The Lake Shore Limited train leaves Boston South station at 11:55AM daily. It arrives in Rochester NY about 11PM. Find a room in Rochester and rent a car there the next day for your trip to Sodus Point and west to Niagara Falls. IMO the view of the falls is better from the Canadian side so pack your passports but don't drive across the border.
Do you have to go back to Boston only to return a car?
If you rent in Rochester, you could return after VT/NH and then fly to Chicago for your return flight to California.
I once came in on the LSL from Chicago and caught a city bus out to the Rochester airport to rent a car.
On the return trip, I returned the car, and sat around the Rochester station until my 11PM train to Chicago arrived.
I have a cousin who lives east of Rochester. He launches his sailboat from Sodus a couple of times per summer.
There are a couple of non-toll highways that can get you to Niagara Falls. The NYS Thruway is somewhat faster.

Danielle811

The drive from Boston to Niagara Falls will be almost entirely on toll roads (Mass Turnpike and NYS Thruway). There are also a couple random tolls as you approach the Niagara Falls area. I agree with the above posters, the Canadian side is much better than the American. if you can't take your car rental across the border, park on the American side (it's much cheaper than parking on the Canadian side anyway, and you won't have international bridge tolls), and walk across the Rainbow Bridge. There is a nice pedestrian walkway, and good views on the way across.

The drive from Niagara Falls to Sodus Point will take 2.5-3 hours. Consider stopping in Rochester for a couple of hours. It would be a good place to grab lunch and stretch your legs, especially as you'll have another long day in the car the following day on your drive to New Hampshire.

Danielle811

The weather in early May in NY (and New England as well) can be difficult to predict. You could easily have temperatures in the 60s or in the 40s. Bring coats and umbrellas!

Fedup101

Thanks for all your replies and help.
By the way anyone have any Restaurant Recommendations in Boston or in Niagara Falls?

Again Thanks!!

rosinakristy12

I hope that, the weather can be very beauty full in early May.
according to you and your family choice should have required fruits. And every person should have required medical insurance.

Danielle811

On the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, you can eat at Elements in the Falls, in the visitor's center. The food is just okay (and very casual), but the view is incredible. The restaurant sits right at the top of Horseshoe Falls, and a. seat next to the window is unparalleled.

tcreath

We spent a week on Cape Cod in early May last year and had a great time. Some of the towns were indeed mostly shuttered but we chose to stay in the charming town of Sandwich and pretty much everything (restaurants, shops, museums) were open. We had wide stretches of beach mostly to ourselves to let our then-4 year olds play in the sand and watch sunsets and we were fortunate as the weather was nice, mostly 50s and low 60s with lots of sunshine.

gail

Based on our current winter, the snowbanks might not be melted by the time you are here.

familythattravels

We did the Freedom Trail (Self guided) and the duck tour while in Boston this past August - loved them both. I would recommend eating in the North End (Italian). It is an awesome city.