Thanksgiving Roadtrip Plans
 

Hi,

I am trying to figure out a Thanksgiving destination for myself, my husband and our newborn.
We plan on driving. Anything from 1-6 hours is do-able. East coast (from Virginia up to New Hampshire or Vermont.
Somewhere interesting, historic perhaps. We would like to spend 2-3 days (depending on the distance.)
I need hotel suggestions, and a place for Thanksgiving dinner if the hotel doesn't do it themselves or if the food isn't good. A hotel, B&B or an inn would all be fine.
Any ideas or suggestions?? Thanks!

The hardest thing about your request is the iffyness of the weather. The NE can be real ugly if rainy & wet.For a non-city getaway, I would recommend the Rte. 81 corridor from Harrisburg, PA south to Harrisonburg, VA.Lots of pretty open spaces.Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry, and Charlottesville have plenty to see & do with a stroller. Skyland in the Shenandoah Natl. Park on Skyline Drive is open until 11/28.

Actually the hardest thing about your request is the driving. You can not make it to NH or VT from VA in 6 hours. Maybe Connecticut on a good day but not even that far around Thanksgiving. I'd pick a place closer to home.

I've heard that Plymouth Plantation does a great traditional dinner combined with an historical presentation.

Molly/Everyone,

I will be departing from Manhattan.

Is Plymouth Plantation in Plymouth, MA?

Also, has anyone spent Thanksgiving in Williamsburg, VA or Mohonk Mountain House in New York? Thoughts...?
Thanks!

Williamsburg is gorgeous over Thanksgiving. It's a very popular holiday here. I think I gave you some suggestions for hotels/dinner on another thread you posted.

That said, the drive from NYC to Wmbg is normally 6-7 hours. Over the busy Tgiving holiday the trip will run 9-12 hours easily.

You're getting good answers. I would suggest that you try to stay away from the Rte 95 corridor on that weekend. Rtes 78 or 80 west are good alternatives or you could get to Williamsburg via Delaware, MD and the eastern shore.

I suggest you skip New Hampshire and Vermont. Both are beautiful states but November and April are the worst months to visit them. Grey, cold, dark and wet.

Have a look at this beautiful inn in Norfolk CT. They can recommend a place for Thanksgiving dinner.

http://www.manorhouse-norfolk.com/index.html

1. The Hudson River area just north of NYC and points further north in New York State. You can tour historic homes along the Hudson, such as the Vanderbilt Mansion or Kykuit the old Rockefeller Mansion. These and other homes of the "robber barons" of the late 19th and early 20th century are in the Hudson River Valley area, esp along the Hudson. Huge homes and acres of gardens and woodlands. Take a look at http://www.hudsonvalley.org/web/kyku-main.html. There is a lot to see and do in this area, including outdoor activities like hiking and canoeing. Take a look at t the New York State tourism website at http://www.iloveny.state.ny.us/

Hotels to consider:

The Emerson Inn and Spa in Temper, New York (the Catskill area), about 1.5 hours north of NYC airports. Go to http://www.the-emerson.com/ or slh.com

The Castle on the Hudson in Tarrytown (30 minutes from NYC). Go to http://www.castleonthehudson.com or slw.com

Mohonk Mountain House, in New Paltz New York, about 90 minutes from NYC. Check out their website at Mohonk.com

2. The Connecticut coast, places like Mystic Seaport and the lovely beaches along the coast. Would normally take about an hour from Manhattan, you could also consider taking a train and leaving your car behind for the weekend. A hotel to consider would be The Delamar on the water in Greenwich, Connecticut. Go to http://www.thedelamar.com or slh.com

3. Newport Rhode Island. Would be in your range, but potential for a lot of traffic on the I-95 corridor. You might be able to get there via Amtrak, and once in town, a car is not really necessary.

4. Princeton New Jersey or the New Hope Pennsylvania areas. Normally about 2 hours from NYC

3. The Brandywine area on the border of Pennsylvania and Delaware is a lovely area of the country. This would be about a 3 hour drive. There are Longwood Gardens if you like gardens, and the Winterthur Museum if you are interested in colonial American and other antiques. The area around the river is charming as well. Take a look at http://www.longwoodgardens.org and http://www.winterthur.org. An inn to consider would be Inn at Montchanin Village in the Brandywine. Go to http://www.montchanin.com or slh.com

5. St Michaels area of Maryland. Normally about 3-4 hours from NYC, could be longer with Thanksgiving traffic.

6. Massachusetts or Vermont (should be in your range, but with Thanksgiving traffic may be a bit further). Places like the Wheatley in Lenox Massachusetts or the Equinox in Manchester Vermont would be a great base. Go to http://www.wheatleigh.com or lhw.com and http://equinox.rockresorts.com or lhw.com

Yes, it's in Plymouth, Massachusettes. I believe that they have a web site which would hopefully list its schedule. I wonder how early they sell out.

HI Cicerone,

thanks for all the info!

Plimoth Plantation's website is www.plimoth.org. It looks like you'll need to act quickly if you want to attend a Thanksgiving dinner there.

Lee Ann

I remember a place we used to stop at and dine in Sturbridge Mass. called the Publick house. It is a very Thanksgiving type place to eat and I think you can sleep there. It is about an hour west of Boston. Closer to home, there is the Larason's Turkey Farm in Chester NJ. Here you dine family style and eat a true Turkey dinner. It will probably be packed at Thanksgiving. Chester is a quaint town and a short distance from NY. You can drive around the horse country of NJ. Williamsburg is where it all happened in the first place. It is a great place to be for Thanksgiving. You will sit in 95 traffic forever coming from NY. We live in VA and visit family in NJ. This is one of the worst travel weekends. You can fly nonstop to Richmond and rent a small car. It is about a 30 minute drive from the airport to Williamsburg.

How about Stockbridge MA? Home of Norman Rockwell. You can stay/eat at the Red Lion Inn. www.redlioninn.com