Road trip in New England starting from NYC, early-mid may, 3 weeks
 

Good morning all,

Am new to the forum, new to the US actually as relocated from London UK to NYC in September.

Thinking of exporing the great outdoors in the region, so thought about a road trip leaving NYC probably early or mid may, for 2 to 3 weeks, in a rented car.

Would like to see the coast, obviously, and the land, love hiking, food, coffee, nature, etc...

So thought about leaving to Vermont, then back on the coast on the Road 1 or something similar.

Any recommendations on where to stop, motels, places, food, road, must see, must avoid, maps, hikes, itinerary, music, books, etc?

Am on a budget (especially being on my own), but can always stretch a bit if needed for the right things if it's worth it!

Thanks again and maybe i see yo on the road !

Gus

This may not be the very best time to go.

At higher elevations it will be mud season, when it is no longer winter but not yet spring.

At the coast, many attractions will only be open on weekends.

In both places you can experience black flies, our answer to the midges of Scotland.

There is likely to be spring skiing in some places, notably in Tuckerman Ravine, but you have to hike up.

This is a fantastic time to go to Washington, DC and the mountains south of there on the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway all the way to the Smoky Mountains. Great hiking (Appalachian Trail parallels the route), much history, and excellent towns with universities and lively social scenes in the Valleys -- Charlottesville, Lexington and Staunton, Virginia; Boone and Asheville, NC, for example.

As the above poster mentioned, early to mid May is a bit early for New England, especially the mountains. May is black fly season in the mountains, and you still might encounter some muddy stretches. On the other hand, the seacoast will be cool, but quite uncrowded. New England has a lot to offer, you might want to start by going to the yankeemagazine.com website for some ideas.
In a nutshell, Maine's coast is mainly rocky, with some long stretches of sandy beach south of Portland. Route 1 is not particularly scenic, as is is usually a few miles away from the ocean. Some stretches are wall to wall motels, mini golf, seafood restaurants, etc - especially in the southern end. The beauty of the seacoast is found out on the peninsulas that make up much of the coast. Some towns to consider might be Ogunquit, York, Boothbay, Camden, Portland (very hip small city), and Bar Harbor.
New Hampshire also has a short but scenic coast, with Portsmouth being it's tourist destination. However, New Hampshire's draw its the White Mountains, which are unbeatable for hiking, and it's beautiful lakes. Some towns - Jackson, Sugar Hill, Hanover, Wolfboro.
Vermont is the most agricultural, with mountains, quiet villages and cows. Some towns - Chester, Woodstock, Stowe, Waitsfield, Montpelier.
Massachussets of course has Cape Cod with it's world class beaches of every description, fabulous biking trails, and great restaurants. To the west are the Berkshires, which are bucolic, with lots of artsy small towns. Some towns - Wellfleet, Provincetown, Falmouth, Stockbridge.
I can't comment on Ct or Rhode Island, sine I'm not as familiar with them.
Once you narrow down your itinerary, you might get better feedback on lodging and dining.

I wrote a couple of trip reports on our travels up the Hudson Valley and in Vermont which might interest you; click on my name to find them.

OTH if you can start mid-May or later you might enjoy spring in New England. Apple orchards bloom about May 15 in the Concord NH area, by early to mid-June lupines are blooming in NH's White Mountain area and Maine's coastal regions. Some towns have lupine festivals. Check to see if any are having music events.

I don't think the summer music and theater schedule really gets started until early July. Prescott Park in Portsmouth has an active schedule of events but you can also find free concerts in various New England towns - usually held in the town gazebo in the early evening with people expected to bring a picnic supper. Now I can't remember if a young friend said his favorite mountain bike park in Northfield NH opens May 1 or June 1. Some of the farmers markets are very festive. I enjoyed the one in Brattleboro VT. There was music and ethnic food vendors.
On a budget, I'd look for some of the food trucks or eat lunch at a nice restaurant but get take-out or a supermarket salad bar for dinner. Accomodations will be less expensive in less popular areas.

You can probably hook up with a local hiking group. Check meetup.com or check the schedule of different Audubon groups. Check events on Yankee magazine's website. There are quite a few balloon festivals during the summer. Different independent bookstores have author events and lectures. If you get to Rt 1 in Maine on the way to Ellsworth, there's a huge, wonderful used book and antique store called the Chicken Barn. Also on a budget, check Saturday calendars for local fundraiser suppers usually held by a church. We had a very good meat loaf dinner with dessert for $8 each last Saturday. Our best lobster dinner bargain was the time we found the benefit for a local fire department somewhere near Rockland ME. $17 included a side of mussels or crabs and a few sides but not pie. Pie was extra. Some of the farmers markets have vendors selling locally roasted coffee.

If you wait a while longer, kayak season will be in full swing. There are lots of places around New England that rent kayaks and/or do guided trips.

Thank you all,

Working on maybe postponing a bit and leaving second half of may, even if Washington is tempting too!