New England in 10 Days
 

Hi! We plan to go to the New England area for 10 days in August. What do you suggest we see, eat, and where to stay in that amount of time? We will be landing in Boston.

While you can cover a lot of New England in ten days, it's best to determine what most appeals to you. An excellent resource is "Best Loved Driving Tours of New England". All the major sites and attractions are listed therein. Along with excellent driving directions. My recommendation would be to spend a couple of days in Boston, drive part way up the spectacular coast of Maine, then go west through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, then the Green Mountains of Vermont, and over to Burlington and Lake Champlain. From there, travel south to Williamstown or Stockbridge, MA, then back to Boston. The fabulous part of touring in New England is that the major roads and interstate highways provide incredible scenery. Note that while Cape Cod is a wonderful destination, August is just too congested with traffic. And, it's really just "too touristy". Every destination has wonderful tourist literature, including dining guides and suggestions, once you arrive. And, there's no shortage of wonderful places to eat. You'll stumble into fabulous places. A full parking lot is a good sign - even if there's a bit of a wait. Always well worth it.

My favorite area of New England is the White Mountains. Beautiful Inns and their restaurants are great too. Like for food the Franconia Inn, Sunset Hill House and Sugar Hill Inn, all near Lincoln NH. Lots of outdoor activities. <BR>Would help to know where you want to go in N.E. and then I can give you more info on places to go, stay at, and eat!

We enjoyed Ogunquit Maine, but we were there in early June (2yrs ago) and there were no crowds. It was a beautiful town with a wonderful walkway along the ocean. Got some great pictures!

I am from Boston originally and return to New England every summer for about a 10 day visit. If you enjoy the coast, I would recommend a couple of days seeing Boston and then include places within a 2- 3 hour drive. My husband & I plan to stay north of Boston for a night and then head up the coast of Maine. Places like Kennebunkport, Camden & Bar Harbor will be busy in the summer, but are worth seeing. Also, the coast south of Boston is beautiful. Cape Cod is a popular tourist destination, so have patience with the traffic - try to stay in one of the towns like Sandwich or Falmouth as a home base and then make day trips to other places. There's always Newport, RI (about 1 1/2 hours from the upper Cape) or catch a ferry to Martha's Vineyard. Enjoy your trip to New England.

I am from Boston originally and return to New England every summer for about a 10 day visit. If you enjoy the coast, I would recommend a couple of days seeing Boston and then include places within a 2- 3 hour drive. My husband & I plan to stay north of Boston for a night and then head up the coast of Maine. Places like Kennebunkport, Camden & Bar Harbor will be busy in the summer, but are worth seeing. Also, the coast south of Boston is beautiful. Cape Cod is a popular tourist destination, so have patience with the traffic - try to stay in one of the towns like Sandwich or Falmouth as a home base and then make day trips to other places. There's always Newport, RI (about 1 1/2 hours from the upper Cape) or catch a ferry to Martha's Vineyard. Enjoy your trip to New England.

If you plan to visit New England, make sure you watch the weather reports and plan back-up rainy day things to do. El Nino is doing a number on us here in Maine. This is now our 8th straight day of rain. Friends of ours went to Boston on thier honeymoon and found it to be flooded out and everything was closed. The weather is usually unpredictable in New England. Good luck.

<BR>My husband and I spend 14 days last year in New England and had such a great time we are going back - The highlights of our trip were Stockbridge and Williamstown in eastern Mass. The Norman Rockwell Museum was amazing as was the Hancock Shaker Museum - The Berkshires is full of beautiful scenery and great museums. Vermont was beautiful - woods, rural and so peaceful.

Margery: <BR> <BR>You're getting some excellent advice above (which will likely keep you busy for at least ten days), so let me add just one item to your list of things to do. <BR> <BR>If you'd like to participate in a genuine New England institution, plan to have a lobster dinner at Abbott's in Noank, Connecticut. Noank is about ten miles east of Mystic, Connecticut and is roughly an hour southwest of Boston. Signs will guide you to Abbott's from U.S. 1. <BR> <BR>Abbott's serves one of the best examples of the New England shore dinner ... lobster, baked potato, clams, corn on the cob, and chowder. You can stand in line for upwards of an hour (no reservations), get your dinner, then eat at one of the outdoor tables right on the shore. While Abbotts is open all afternoon and evening, it is best to go toward dusk. As you'll likely share a table, it's also an interesting way to meet people. <BR> <BR>They don't have this kind of food -- or ambience -- in Boston. <BR> <BR>Hope your trip goes well.

We 2 Californians have been to New England twice in <BR>last 3 years. Also liked Stockbridge Vt. Loved <BR>Woodstock Vt. also. Try staying in B&Bs some. <BR>Suggest River Mist B&B in Bellows Falls, ask for <BR>Rose Room. Reasonable and gorgeous house. Also the <BR>coast of Maine. Kennebunkport youd love. Barr <BR>Harbor is a ways north but worth it. Freeport Maine <BR>on the way is interesting. L L Bean started there <BR>and open 24 hrs a day. We love to stay in B&Bs. <BR>Cleaner, good breakfast, local knowledge, and usually just as reasonable by the time you figure in breakfast. E mail me if you want some more B&B <BR>recommendations. <BR>

For B&Bs in New Englang check out Bernice Cheslers web site at www.obs-us.com/chesler/ne/06 we have been to New England on three occasions and used B&Bs from her book and have never been dissapointed.

Thanks so much to all of you that responded. i am definitely taking notes on everything everone has been writing about. One last question. We will be staying one night in North Conway. There are so many recommended B&B's in the guide books, I don't know which one to pick! What do you suggest? Also for Bar Harbor. The major hotels seem to be already filled up.