Hi! Driver and his party (4 Brits, all over 50) are coming back for yet another summer vacation in the US in early July. Thanks in advance for having us.

We're flying into Boston on Jun 30 where we stay for 3 nights before heading off in a clockwise loop. The loop ends with a run down the Maine coast from Acadia National Park/Bar Harbor back to Boston.

But where should we go before that?

We thought that heading off into New Hampshire and spending a few nights at each of a couple of centers in or near the White Mountains would give us plenty to do and see. We have 16 nights in total.

We love your National and State Parks, log cabins, natural wonders, scenic drives, mountains, rafting, horseback riding, photography, waterfalls, occasional museums, and middle of the road accommodation (Best Western?) Oh, and the ladies like Wal Mart!

Any dos and don'ts you seasoned travelers can recommend would be much appreciated, as usual. Thanks in advance to you all.

check out the newengland.com website. They have driving itineraries that might be helpful to you.

New Hampshire and Vermont as well as Maine sound right up your alley with camping and nature etc. Franconia Notch in NH is a must, but check out the state's visitor site:
http://www.visitnh.gov/
You might want to check out the New England Aquarium (www.neaq.org) while in Boston. We have whale watch trips and a 3-D Imax theater as well as the aquarium. Enjoy your trip!

The clockwise loop is a good plan. Depending on your tolerance for driving, I suggest you take Route 2 out of Boston. Stop by Lexington and Concord. Follow 2 out to Western MA. Turn right and head up into VT for a day or two. Head east into NH. I would recommend a couple of days in the lakes region and then a trip up Rt. 302 along the west side of the White Mountains across the top and down the east side to Conway. Then head east again into Maine. Stop along the way at anything that strikes your fancy. Lots of waterfalls and hiking along 302. VT has mostly fought off Wal-Mart but plenty of discount shopping in NH (no sales tax). Although early July will be a very busy time, you should be able to find the type of accommadations you are looking for especially during the week. I assume you will make reservations for Boston. VT is more rolling green countryside that looks like typical New England. NH and ME are more rugged. All are beautiful. Get a good map. Pick up Yankee Magazine or read before online. There are literally hundreds of museums so pick what you are interested in. Have a great time!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, shaz60, you blew right past Connecticut! (That's alright, I'll do the same for Rhode Island.) With 16 nights on your hands, take I-95 South out of Boston to Southeastern CT and our beautiful coastline on Long Island Sound. We have Mystic Aquarium (which now rivals Boston's anyday), Mystic Seaport, the USS Nautilus Submarine Memorial & Museum (very impressive and FREE - www.ussnautilus.org) in Groton, as well as Fort Griswold. This is the site of a major Revolutionary War battle where the Brits kicked our, I mean, won infamously. (Basically our guy Col. Ledyard surrendered and the British commander ran him through with his own sword, and then we un-surrendered and got creamed.) You can also see New London across the river, where our most famous traitor Benedict Arnold (originally from Norwich just up the Thames - pronounced "Thames" not "Temz" - River) burned the city to the ground in a show of solidarity with the British. Fort Trumbull State Park and the U. S. Coast Guard Academy (the tall ship Eagle will probably be back from summer cruise then) are in New London.

Up in Norwich you could take in a minor league baseball game at Dodd Stadium with the Norwich Navigators, if that's your thing at all. We also have two Indian casinos, definitely NOT my thing, but they're there (Mohegan Sun, and Foxwoods Resort Casino). Mohegan has a supposedly very good Indian museum, too.

We also have some outstanding scenic drives, like Rte 184 east from Groton to North Stonington, Wyassup Rd. to Rte. 49 and straight up through Pachaug State Forest to Rte. 14A, west to I-395 which you can take back into Mass. Or you can stay on 14A to Rte. 169 north.

In any event, have fun! New England is beautiful. I second the recommendations to spend time in northern New England, though. New Hampshire is our favorite state with the White Mountains - the Flume, the Basin, the Kancamagus Highway, Lake Winnipesaukee (there are plenty of threads on those sites). It is breathtaking! So I wouldn't be offended if you skip CT.

Cheers!

Oh, and there's a Wal-Mart in Groton, Waterford and Norwich!

Just have to agree about the excellent advice from Sweens regarding SE Connecticut. It is an amazing area!

Sorry Sweens. It was unintentional. I live in northern MA and love NH so that was my focus. However I was born and have many relatives in CT. Also my daughter goes to school in Suffield. Now all those Rhode Islanders can be offended that we all ignored them.

I recommend a night in Concord NH. There are many places where you can rent a canoe or kayak. There's the NH History Museum right on Main Street plus I think you would enjoy a visit to Canterbury Shaker Village (excellent tours) a short drive to the northeast. Downtown Concord has a lovely Main Street with interesting, unique shops. If you men are bored with that, you could wait at someplace like the Barley House. There is also the Christa McAuliff Planetarium plus the Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner.
You will probably want to visit the Flume in the White Mountains, take a tram ride up Cannon Mountain, and drive over the Kancamangus Hwy. There is an incredible view of the mountain from Main St as you enter North Conway.
If you take the ladies to any of the shopping outlets, go to the website to get a coupon for a free coupon book. For a start Tanger Outlet which is in Tilton NH before you get to Lake Winnipesaukee on Rt 3 (handy to Rt 93). There is also outlet shopping in Conway NH, Freeport ME and Kittery ME. The ladies might find much better bargains than at WalMart which IMHO has mediocre clothing. They can hit 4th of July clearance sales.
If you want to pack any picnics, the big supermarkets like the Super Shaws have a very good salad bar and deli. Most supermarkets have hot roast chicken and some of the markets with lobster will cook them while you wait.

Make sure to stop in Portsmouth NH on your way back to Boston. I highly recommend the Inland Rivers cruise on the Heritage. Take a morning cruise and then check out the local brews or seafood restaurants.