LakesideChick

Hi everyone

A while ago I started a thread (http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...s-confused.cfm) and have revised our itinerary quite a bit. As suggested, we are now flying into Boston and doing a loop of New England starting and finishing in Boston. We will then get rid of the car and get a train to New York.

Our thoughts at this stage are to drive a loop that takes in these spots.... obviously some will be places we stay a couple of days and others will be shorter stops. The mapquest link is: http://new.mapquest.com/mq/8-e6aSw0Md5zEk*CfI

We will have around 2- 2.5 weeks in this area. We can add places in or take them out as we go if we are running out of time. Does this look doable? Thanks for suggestions for places to visit... this looks like such a fascinating area!!!!

Boston, MA (a few days)
Salem, MA (interested in the history, probably a day here but then move on to stay somewhere else)
Gloucester, MA
Rockport, MA
Kennebunkport, ME
Portland, ME
Boothbay Harbor
Camden, ME
Bar Harbor, ME
Franconia Notch State Park (A nice place in this area? Looks it online!!)
Stowe, VT
Smugglers Notch State Park
Moss Glen Falls (Photography)
Adams, MA (A couple of days in the Berkshire area)
Newport, RI (a couple of days here on suggestion from fodorites)
Falmouth, MA
Plymouth, MA (cant wait to see Plymouth Rock)
Back to Boston

LakesideChick

PS Forgot to add we will go to Portsmouth

bachslunch

Looks like a busy but reasonable plan to me. A couple thoughts:

--Yes, Franconia Notch is a nice place to visit. Definitely walk The Flume as part of this area.

--not sure why you chose Falmouth as opposed to another part of Cape Cod. Nearby Sandwich might be a better option if museums and historic houses are of interest. If you still want to stick with Falmouth, I'd visit the Woods Hole area, which has a compact waterfront area with at least some charm.

--Adams/North Adams is arguably one of the least charming areas in the Berkshires. You may find Williamstown, Stockbridge, or Lenox more pleasing towns to stay in -- but then again, lodging may be tougher to come by here.

--Newport's excellent -- glad you're going there. Ditto on Portsmouth.

--Gloucester and Rockport are right next to each other. You can easily choose to stay in one town for two days and visit the other town on the second of these days.

tchoiniere

Definitely agree with the suggestion of Lenox over Adams. But would discount going to Mass Moca or up Mt Greylock though

portiaperu

I've viewed your original itinerary on the earlier thread and I've considered your revised itinerary.

This itinerary seems to be an always on the move plan and it involves quite a bit of driving. Boston to Bar Harbor is 282 miles. Bar Harbor to Adams is 392 miles. Adams to Newport is 180 miles. Newport to Falmouth to Boston is 146 miles.

You list 17 locations to be visited in 2 or 2.5 weeks and suggest you will stay in some for 2 days. I don't see how you have 2 days to stay in anything more than 2 locations given that you will start out with 3 days in Boston (few = 3, correct?). According to your itinerary if you start with 3 days in Boston, and plan for 2 days in the Berkshires and Newport, you are left with approx 1 or 1.5 weeks for the remaining sites.

Without getting into the specifics of each location on your itinerary, I would eliminate two stops at a minimum on the route from Boston to Bar Harbor. Is your plan to drive through some of these locations or will you be stopping to see the sites? If so, are you planning for more than a morning or afternoon at each?

I think the Vermont, Berkshires, Newport, Falmouth, Plymouth segments need rethinking as well. Each of these locations needs at least a full day to get a sense of place, history, nature, etc.

Re Plymouth, don't go to see the rock - perhaps Plymouth Plantation (similar to Sturbridge Village). But the rock isn't what you might expect, it's rather small, although it certainly doesn't take much time to visit. I don't think of it as one of the more important historical sites although it is highly symbolic.

I regret appearing so very negative, but this is an extraordinarily full tour and by my count you will run out of days to complete it. Perhaps I've missed something?

And, is this planned for next month, September 2010, or September 2011?

Have you already made reservations for lodging?

I guess I'm confused, and may not be offering you any of the assistance you seek.

I'll withhold commenting on the individual sites until I understand the amount of time you wish to devote to each.

Perhaps others will have a different point of view.

divineMissM

I agree. Anything is "doable" I suppose, but you don't have much time to enjoy any of these places.

If you want to just "see" a place, you can do it on youtube. Take some time to really kick back and enjoy a few spots, get a feel for them. I think I would cut out Portland and Boothbay. Stay an extra night in Kport and see Portland the next day on your way to Camden. And Plymouth, is , yeah just a quick stop on the way to the Cape. Most places need a 2 night stay, minimum, to enjoy them and some 3. So I'd say that with 17 nights you can comfortably stay in maybe 6 or 7 places. Choose maybe 7 to start working with and building a plan.

LittleWing

You do realize that Plimouth Rock is a joke and historically inaccurate and maybe one of the biggest dissappointments as far as tourist destinations go.

LakesideChick

Hi everyone and thanks for your comments. When I reread my post I was confused myself so Im ot surprised you were!! I posted when I was too tired I think. I should have made myself a little clearer.

Our intent is to drive this 'loop' for around 2 and a half weeks, but certainly not to necessarily visit all the places listed... but as was suggested, when we find somewhere we like, kick back for a few days and get to know the place. The loop is loosely based on an itinerary for an auto tour I was looking at.

So... questions that you may be able to answer...
I picked Adams in the Berkshires as it seemed central... but where in the Berkshires wuld be the most interesting and picturesque to visit?

Where would be bext to stay on the coast? Portsmouth? Bar Harbor? We would like to stay at at least 2 places along the coast.

Would we be better off making our loop shorter (in driving distance)? If so, where would you 'cut' it?

tchoiniere

As Bachslunch and I both suggested, Lenox or Stockbridge would be the best places to stay in the Berkshires

LakesideChick

tchoiniere... thank you..... will check both of these places out.

dfrostnh

For the coast, if you stayed in Portsmouth you could stop in Rockport/Gloucester/Salem on the way north from Boston. Portsmouth has wonderful restaurants and things to do (Strawbery Banke, boat trips) and you could easily explore to the north (Kport etc) but it is a city.

Bar Harbor is a long drive and there is so much to see in between. We have based in Wiscasset to explore Camden/Rockport/Boothbay area (we were camping). You could spend the day in Portland on your way to someplace in the Wiscasset area. Then stay in Bar Harbor for a couple of nights. Camden could be a stop along the way.

joesorce

I think Camden is a good spot for a two or three night stay.Aside from the seaside town (and great dining) itself, you have Mt. Battie to climb and shoot photos, and there is a little lake region nearby that is charming. Belfast is an easy day trip, Rockland/Rockport is a nice afternoon. And if you get a rainy day you could drive an hour inland to the Maine State Museum in Augusta.

LakesideChick

Hey everyone, thanks for helping out with extra ideas on things to do and places to base ourselves. Pretty happy with our plans for the coastal drive from Boston to Bar Harbor, and now need to narrow down and tidy up plans for the inland part of New England.

portiaperu

Back on board, have been distracted by real life . . . . and this may be late for your planning.

Would you consider keeping to the coast for your trip?

I would recommend leaving off a visit to western MA. It is lovely, but, in my opinion, not as compelling as any of the coastal region.

Furthermore, I might limit the time in NH and VT. It would allow for a more leisurely pace all along the route and tiem for a visit to Cape Cod which has some incomparable seascapes along the Cape Cod National Seashore.

That's not to say that western MA, VT, and NH are not worth visiting, it's that doing all aspects of NE in one trip would not be my choice and may not provide the most enjoyable traveling experience, given the driving distances. Again, just my opinion.

I agree with suggestion re staying in Portsmouth and Bar Harbor.

bratsandbeer

We were on Cape Cod in May. Then headed to Boston and then to Bar Harbor staying several nights along the way. We did like Salem but got lost there but eventually found where we wanted to go. We toured the "House With the 7 Gables" and found it quite interesting.

We stopped at Plymouth Rock. Found out they had moved it from a previous location. It was a small rock with engraving on it. There is a replica of the Mayflower that you can tour for a price. We did not take the tour so can't give any info on that. The rock was nothing like I imagined it would be.

We stayed overnight at Freeport MA - home of L L Bean. Also, there were many outlet stores there. That is good for those that like to shop.

We followed the coast to Bar Harbor. Stopped for lobster along the way.

I agree that spending more time along the coast and Cape Cod would be a nicer trip.

All of MA has a problem with their roads - you can be on one road and the name changes several times. It is very easy to get lost so have a really good map.

LakesideChick

Thanks for the suggestions... and for readng my mind We were thinking that spending our time meandering up the coast would be a nicer trip than trying to see all of NE in one go. Given time constraints as well, this will work better.. and give me more time in New York...

TerrMys

As a general rule of thumb, if someone has limited time to see New England then I usually recommend focusing on Boston and northern NE (Maine, New Hampshire, and a little bit of Vermont), rather than places like the Berkshires or Cape Cod which, although great to visit, tend to add a lot of time to the itinerary and can sometimes feel like just busier versions of equally impressive/charming places up north (i.e. the White Mountains and the coast of Maine). I make an exception for Newport, although if you really want to conserve time then Portsmouth, NH is *almost* as good...