Message: Am planning a driving trip in mid-August from York, pa to Bar Harbor, Maine.
So far my plans are for overnite stops in the following places
..... First nite -- New London
visit Mystic Seaport, Submarine base foxwoods casino

.....Second nite ---Falmouth
Ferry to Marthas Vineyard also visit Hyannis--Kennedy compound

.....Third nite----Portsmouth
Visit ???????

.....Fourth Nite----Bar Harbor
Visit Lobster restuarants, Seaport, Litehouse

.....Fifth Nite----Saint Johns,New Brunswick
Plan to take Ferry at Ltete. A little driving tour before returning home.

Has anyone done anything similiar to this and what advice would you give. Would like an unhurried trip and would also like to see various points of interest. Any pointers and/or advice is greatly appreciated.
Alos feel free to email me at [email protected]
Thanks in advance.

Too much driving! In Portsmouth you could visit Strawbery Banke, take a harbor cruise, drive thru Newcastle and go over to see the mansions in Rye. Enjoy the flowers in Prescott Park and maybe some music. Can you fit a second day in there? Driving to Bar Harbor is going to take most of the day and that's without stopping at any of the towns like Boothbay and Camden. Keep in mind that you could easily spend a week exploring mid-coast Maine. Can you stop on the way back? You will need at least an hour to eat a lobster and admire the view from the deck of a good lobster place.

Wow! You'll need a vacation from this vacation. I agree with the above poster. Last July we drove from NJ to Boston (5hrs)overnighted, then 5hrs to Bar Harbor for 3 nights. Don't miss Acadia, a whale watch, lots of lobster, shopping, relaxing! You can also take the ferry from Bar Harbor to Nova Scotia.

I can't comment on a lot of your itinerary (but it doesn't strike me as 'unhurried'). But, when we went to Mystic, we spent two full days at Mystic Seaport and the submarine museum. (The ticket for Mystic Seaport was good for two days.)

"mid-August" -- be aware that I95 (NYC to New London/Falmouth) will at least on weekends be bumper-to-bumper traffic with unpredictable delays (if it isn't construction, it's accidents).

The Ferry & visit to Marthas Vineyard will take a full day -- requiring at least 2 nights in Falmouth, unless you are planning to drive in the evening.

Last time we went to Portsmouth area--actually Hampton Beach -- we left from quilt show in mid-MA. Took almost 4 hrs! This was a Saturday afternoon, but at almost anytime during summer the constriction of traffic through NH tolls creates mile(s) of bumper-to-bumper inching along. & Rt 1 isn't much faster.
Also, summer traffic Ellsworth to Bar Harbor can also be extremely heavy & slow. Some of your possible routes are basic 2 lane un-divided highways. Could easily end up behind local farm tractor, etc....
Don't recall an interstate 4-lane divided highway between Bar Harbor & St. Johns -- so that's the same type of driving although traffic may be less.

Bottom line - your plan doesn't allow for traffic realities.
May be you could focus on either the southern half (Mystic/Falmouth) or the northern half (Portsmouth/Bar Harbor) or the very northern half (Bar Harbor/St. Johns).

Day two really does sound undoable. Not sure you'll find much of interest in Hyannis (unless you like to shop in malls...) and I'm pretty sure you cant get anywhere near the Kennedy compound - last time I was in that neighborhood, the best you could do was park way at the end of the block and jump up and down to catch a glimpse of the rooftops.....There are a couple of motels right near the ferry landing in Woods Hole which will give you easy access for the MV trip - you might check if they let you leave your car in the motel lot (there is a big lot closer to Falmouth with shuttle buses running to the ferry - if you want to take your car over, you need to book a spot way in advance) It is possible to drive up to the ferry from New London (with a real early start) - hop on the ferry for a quick look at the island and then spend one night in the Falmouth/Woods Hole area and zoom up to Portsmouth for your third night.....awful lot of running around and battling traffic, but not impossible. My suggestion would be to explore more of the cape mainland and skip the Vinyard.

Elston,
You said there isn't much to do in Hyannis for GANDB1 unless they like to shop in malls??? Would you be referring to the one Mall that we have on Cape Cod? Yes, Hyannis is more commercialized than the rest of the Cape, but outside of the 1 mile strip of stores and the one mall on Rte. 132, there is more than just malls in Hyannis.
Hyannis, in some respects, does not have the best the Cape has to offer, but the Kennedy Museum is very nice and certainly worth a visit if someone comes down to this neck of the woods.

Melissa is right about there being a lot more to Hyannis than the Cape Cod Mall but Elston is correct about the Kennedy Compound.

Perhaps, GandB1, you are confused or misinformed. Maybe what you want to see in Hyannis is the Kennedy Museum as Melissa, suggested and also the Kennedy memorial off Ocean street near Kalmus Park beach.

I'm not saying it impossible to achieve this itinerary but I was exhausted just reading it.
I believe the trip from York, PA to New London, CT is about a five hour drive. The seaport and casino are quite large I don't know how you could squeeze in more than that in a day. My husband made my children and me go to the submarine base, since he spent eight years on a nuclear submarine. We got to explore the base and go down into a submarine, it took about two hours. Those two hours were longer for some, than others in our family.
The drive from the Mystic area to Hyannis should take about two and a half hours. Between the time spent getting on the ferry to MV then the time it would to get off, then explore the island, than return on the ferry, you may not want to get off the ferry, just wave. You mention you would like to visit the Kennedy compound. I don't believe you can get anywhere near the Kennedy home by land. Last year we rented a sail boat and went sailing along the shores and small islands in the area. On that trip the captain pointed out the Kennedy compound, it is a handsome home with cabins around the main structure. It is understated and not what one would picture when using the term, "compound". The sailboat used by the Senator was docked out front and that was of some interest, it also was just a "nice" sailboat. The are a few structures, one would expect to be pointed out as the Kennedy property, that screams Nouveau Riche, such as the estate of the previous CEO of The Gap.
The drive from Portsmouth to Bar Harbor four hour drive. Lots to see in Bar Harbor, many cars going very slow, taking in the sights up the mountain. I've only had the pleasure of going to Nova Scotia via boat. I've never been to New Brunswick, so I can't offer anything on that one. I hope I have been of some help, and you better eat your Wheaties before this trip. Best of luck and I hope you have a great time.
Jeri

Why has this been posted twice?