new england - which state?
 

we're bike touring in cape cod the latter part of september and want to travel to another area afterwards. our question is where? we know nothing about the east coast and hope you can give us ideas.
here's what we like: staying in one area for several days to a week, close to the ocean, sight seeing by bicycle, walking, photography, music, plays, history, small villages and my husband's new game, geocaching.
any suggestions?
thanks.

"Close to the ocean" cuts out Vermont and most of New Hampshire. I'm a fan of Rhode Island. Look into Newport and Block Island. Providence is a good base. I've never been to Maine but I imagine it would be your alley.

Well, a few ideas come to mind. Certainly Cape Cod will meet your list of requirements.

Block Island, RI is known for its bikeways -- you could spend a couple nights there, but it is pretty small; maybe

The Connecticut River Valley, western CT and MA, could work -- they meet everything except ``close to the ocean'', but you get ocean with Cape Cod. Visit http://www.massbike.org/bikeways/berkconn/

for ideas. Northampton would be a good hub, for music, theater, great food; or else somewhere in the Berkshires. Berkshires are hilly, river valley is flat.

VT and NH are not close to the ocean, and they have hills/mountains which you may not want.

oooh. Here's a Rhode Island by bike itenerary that looks good. You could of course choose whichever parts sound best.

http://www.bikeandthelike.com/rhodeisland.html

Why not explore Boston? It's on the water, great resturants, music, great photo ops, museums, full of history, and sight seeing galore. For the small town experience include a trip out to nearby Lexington and Concord for even more history and sight seeing. It is close to Cape Cod and one of the most interesting and fun places to explore on the east coast.

we'll tour with bike and the like in cape cod....great leaders.
boston does sound like we want to stay there a week...trips beyond, too.
i'm interested in ri and maine. any ideas?
thanks.

Look at Ogunquit, Maine. Definitely would be a good match with Cape Cod.

if you're coming to maine in september you should consider bar harbor/acadia national park. it's got great hiking and biking. is on the ocean. lots of good food. especially lobsters. nice galleries. several small towns on the the island to go see. plus lighthouses.
please, what is geocaching?

Take the ferry from Hyannis on the south side of the Cape to Nantucket.
Nantucket is still warm enough to visit this time of year. All of the top restaurants are still open.
You can take the fast ferry from Hyannis without your car of the larger slower ferry with your car.

willis,
My suggestions are the Maine Coast or Boston North Shore (Rockport, Gloucester, Newburyport). You could stay in one place near the ocean and there would be plenty of places to explore by car or bike.

Jane

How long do you have beyond the Cape Cod bike tour? Boston and surrounds, which are your closest option, will take at least 3-4 days. If you have more, Maine is an easy drive. Acadia NP, which is beautiful, has 40+ miles of carriage trails that are great for riding not to mention the Schoodic Penin. which is less crowded and fun to bike around.

I have gone cycling in Acadia twice and really enjoyed it. you are on well maintained dirt roads that do not have any motor traffic. The other roads in the park should not be much of a problem in late sept.

Actually, NH has about 17 miles of coastline where Portsmouth is located. It's a small city with lots to do, several theaters and great restaurants. Visit Strawbery Banke historic area. There's a paved walking path at Odiorne Point. I'm sure you would find lots of places to bicycle. Downtown is popular because of the small shops, proximity to water. Take boat tours.
Maine's coast offers many possibilities. Acadia is a great suggestion. The Common Ground Fair is held in late September and is an easy drive from Camden. Very interesting, run by the organic farmers association. 3 full days in Boston would be a good amount. Check the ticket kiosks in Quincy Market and Prudential center for discounted tickets to plays etc.

I'd do a combo of Boston and Nantucket; we went this past September and loved it.

you folks really helped us lots. thanks for all your suggestions. i'll let you know what we've decided to do. a week in boston is probably too much. acadia sounds wonderful, especially if we can rent fat tired bikes.
we'll have one day in nantucket with the bike tour.
geocaching is a scavenger hunt via gps...all over the world. we've geocached in several states. friends have found caches in downtown nyc!!

willis, if you have time while you're in Nantucket, we did a sunset sail on The Endeavor, and it was great. You can even bring a bottle of wine on board.