Elisa_Griscom

My husband and I are planning a vacation this June to New England and the East Coast and would love some suggestions for things to do and see. He grew up in CT, MA and PA, but hasn't been back in years. I have never been other than Gettysburg and DC. We're thinking Boston and Philadelphia in particular, maybe NH, RI, NY, and may be meeting up with family for a couple of days in Myrtle Beach, so anything along the way would be a bonus. We have 10 days to 2 weeks. We enjoy historical, scenic, cultural, sports (spectator and participating), beaches - well, pretty much everything I guess!
Hoping for some great ideas, thanks so much!

emalloy

For CT, go to Mystic, check out the Seaport Museum for maritime history. RI, go to Newport, visit a couple of mansions, go to Misquamicut for the beaches. MA, visit Cape Cod, go to the National Seashore, spectacular, spend some time in Boston, do the Freedom Trail, hit Concord and Lexington, then go up to Salem, Gloucester, Rockport on Cape Ann.

If you do a little search here, just pick a state from the list and you will find lots of other suggestions.

nytraveler

You could spend 10 days in any one of those states/areas - except perhaps Rhode Island.

I think you will have to make some difficult choices - and probably limit yourself to 4 stops (assuming a 2 week vacation). I assume you are flying in and renting a car - and, if so, I would suggest flying in to the southern most place and then heading north and flying back from your last spot.

As to where to stop, DC and NYC have the most to see - but if he wants to revisit old haunts that may change the plan completely. In any cse, yo can;t do all of this in 10 days or even 2 weeks.

wyatt92

I'd do Boston and Newport RI. Or maybe Boston with a trip to either Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket.

Cranachin

Myrtle Beach is quite a distance from Philadelphia (not to mention New England).

I'd just fly to the family reunion in SC if your main focus is visiting the Northeast. I'm not sure the time involved to drive would be worth it.

Cranachin

Also -

When in June are you talking about? It makes a difference because

(1) Some attractions/accommodations are not yet open for the season, especially in early June.

(2) School is not out in New England until mid or even late June. That means many popular sites (such as along the Freedom Trail in Boston, or Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth) can be crowded with school groups on field trips in early (and maybe even mid) June.

dfrostnh

If you fly into Boston you could also include a quick visit to Portsmouth NH or anyplace in southern Maine. The culinary tour of Boston's North End is great (Michelle Topar's tours). When you visit Boston, include a Fri or Sat when the pushcart vendors are in Haymarket Square. It's also convenient to the North End and Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall area.

In June with good weather you can take a short cruise of Porstmouth Harbor or Portland's Casco Bay. We did the mailboat cruise out of Portland ME last June. It was fairly warm. Not a lot of narration since it's a working boat but nice. Both Portland and Portsmouth have some great restaurants and interesting downtown shopping areas.

Amy

That is a lot to stuff into two weeks, for sure!

Just to get you started on the Philadelphia portion, here's a good post with a lot of info:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-itinerary.cfm
If it's been a while since your husband has been here, I'm sure he'll notice lots of changes. Don't forget the local eating, too: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...iladelphia.cfm

Happy travels!