nancy5

I have many ?s re: upcoming trip in late July. We will be traveling to Burlington Vt. mainly to see Lake Champlain. Wondering which ferry to take across to Burlington. Also any help with the route to take to Maine, heading to Acadia Nat'l Park. Where to stop in Vt and NH? thinking about Stowe vt and the Franocia Notch NH area, Mt Washington and the Kangamagus Highway. How would we negotiate those areas what routes? also too afraid to drive to Mt W. anyone know info about the cog railway how much$ and how long to go up and down. What about Wood stock and Weston Vt area ? we can only do one area as we have only10 days and will do Boston the Cape and MV and Nantucket. Should we make a stop at Kennebunkport and or Ogunquit on our way from Arcadia to Boston? In Boston trying to debate taking the ferry to Ptown. How much $ ? Can we still book it now? Where to stay in Boston ? Cambridge Back Bay or downtown? if driving the Cape how many miles and time from Ptown to the "mainland"? Not taking car to MV or Nantuck. Is it easy to get around there? Like how long by bike or shuttle from Oak bluffs to Edgartown and O B to Vineyard haven? When leaving Cape thought about Plymouth then over to either Prov or Newport RH. Which? Before heading back to Illinois we want to go through Greenwich Ct and possibly drive by Yale in New Haven. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Esp. travel times . THX

janie

nancy5 , first take a DEEP breath.

It's very hard to read a post with so many questions and so little space between the lines. Also, you tagged your post with Illinois but you're asking about VT, NH, ME, MA, CT.

How about breaking it up into a few separate questions, and tagging each with the state?. More people who know about the area will see the questions that way. Also, tell us a little more about YOU--who's traveling, adults kids, do you like outdoor activities, antiquing, museums, whatever. It's hard to say if place A better than place B without knowing more about the travelers.


I may have some specific suggestions for you,. but frankly it's a little overwhelming for me to read this

yk

Am I correct in reading that you plan to do all this in 10 days? Covering all 6 New England states?

You have listed more than 10 destinations; I honestly don't see how you can "do" your vacation except for rushing from one place to the next without getting out of the car.

nytraveler

If you mean 10 days for the entire trip - from Illinois through Niagara Falls/Canada all the way over to Boston - then through all of New England - you're about 20 days short.

First - I agree to repost with a couple of more specific questions, and telling who/how many you are and what your interests are.

Frankly I would think in 10 days you could drive from Illinois - via Niagara Falls to Boston, spend a couple of days and drive back. Period. And that would be a lot of time in the car. (This would be 1 day drive to Niagara Falls, 2 nights and 1 day seeing the sights - minimum,2 would be better - then a full day's drive to Boston, 3 days in Boston, then 2 days drive back to Illinois:

All of the other things you're talking about would need to be in addition to the basic 10 days.

Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket are not places you can visit in 2 hours. Each takes a couple of days - esp in summer when traffic is at it's worst, ferries are mobbed etc.

Plus all the other places you want to see would easily take another 5 or 6 days, moving very quickly.

Have you checked out routes and timing on a mapping site? Have you accounted for the extra time given summer traffic and construction you'll run into?

I really think you need to make some choices here.

If you tell us more about yourselves and your interests people can make suggestions - but there's no way to do all of this in 10 days.

nancy5

how do I get to responses for my topic I see several people replied but cant find on site my 1st time!!!!

nancy5

Thx for the advise I'm so disappointed. Only going to Niagara cause its somewhat on the way.14 hrs there from Il. Just my daughter and I. Been there before, she just wants to see the Fall, do nothing else.overnight for a view with lights and daylight view then on our way to Burlington which I thought might take 7 hrs. stay the night. Next day travel through Vt and NH maybe doing Mt Wash if anyone thinks it's worth it. Next day Arcadia just drive through a bit not the whole 3 hr loop. I hoped we could see the main sights in Boston for just 2 days. My daughter is 22. We just like seeing places. We wouldnt go to museums or antiquing or much shopping. Really wondered about some of the?'s I had and time frames if anyone from those areas know. THX

dfrostnh

I agree with the others. Narrow your trip down to a couple of places if you only have 10 days. Maybe start by using mapquest.com to figure best routes and how much time each leg will take.

Skip Stowe, there's more to see and do in the White Mountain area.

Unless it's a clear day, don't bother with Mt Washington. I didn't care for the cog railway because we didn't have much time at the top but since you're in a rush, it should work well for you. If you aren't going to spend any time in Acadia, I suggest you substitute Mt Battie in Camden Maine which would give you a quick look of the coast and ocean from the auto road.
As you head south to Boston, only stop in Kennebunkport or Ogunquit for lunch. Cut Nantucket, etc from your trip. I'm not sure what you would do for 2 days in Boston if you don't go to museums but there's a lot of nice walking you can do. You do not want to drive a car around Boston. I like a hotel in Cambridge with a view of the Charles River.

I would choose Newport because of the mansions and coast over Providence.

Somebody else did a rush thru New England a year or so ago and said they had a great time. Maybe someone will remember who it was.

garyt22

Based on your rapid posting style, you will probably cover all ten sites and have a week left...

sf7307

>>

I've been to Boston on a number of occasions and have yet to visit a museum there! Walk the Freedom Trail, hang out at Faneuil Hall and in the North End (food shopping, eating), climb the Bunker Hill Monument, stroll through Charlestown, visit the USS Constitution, take a swan boat ride, if you're baseball fans, go to Fenway Park for a game, go to Cambridge for a look at Harvard....drive out to Concord and Lexington if you're so inclined (we thought it was great)....

nancy5

garyt22, got a kick out of your post!! We do move quickly! Still wondering about ferry to Burlington Vt coming from I 87 in New york. I know there are 3 options anyone know that area?dfrostnh,thx for the suggestion on Camden area in lieu of Acadia. Does anyone strongly disagree with this? Guess it might save us a half day. We do have some extra days built in now that we got the message LOUD and CLEAR we can't do it all!I am still interested in the Kangamagus route thru NH. Also if not doing museums or ballgame would it be likely we could get the highlights of Boston by doing Duck tour and the Freedom trail. If anyone knows the ins and outs of the ferry...Boston to Ptown,wanting to know cost and if it would save us from driving down to the Cape then the whole length to get to Ptown. How long to drive length of Cape? Thanks for any help and to u who responded!!!!!!

yk

Fast Ferry from Boston to Provincetown: http://www.baystatecruisecompany.com/

90 mins; $79 r/t

dfrostnh

sf7307, thanks for doing a better job of describing what to do in Boston if someone doesn't go to museums than my "nice walks".

Duck tour and Freedom trail would be good choices. Also a visit to the Prudential Skywalk.

You can drive thru northern VT to Littleton NH, south on Rt 93 to the Kancamagus Hwy, then east to the Conway area than east to Portland ME then north on Rt 95 to Brunswick ME, then Rt 1 to Camden. Nice drive on Rt 1 but don't expect ocean views.

capxxx

I've taken the Burlington/Port Kent ferry (with car) and it was fine. Very beautiful views as you cross the water. Haven't tried others, though ...

wtm003

bookmarking

capxxx

I agree it is too far to go to Acadia -- so Camden, Portland, or another small town on the waterfront would be a good alternative.

It is a 9 hour drive from Burlington to Acadia, and 5 hours from Acadia to Portland. Burlington to Portland is 4 hours.

It is a 2-3 hour drive from Boston to Provincetown. Its not a very scenic drive (except for the end, past Truro), but its not bad, except on weekends, when it is really really bad (think stopped bumper to bumper for miles).

djkbooks

In Maine, I wouldn't bother going any farther north than Boothbay Harbor. And, on the southern coast, there are many coastal roads, very scenic, alternatives to the Interstate or Route 1.

Same does for northern Massachusetts. There are some beautiful seaport towns - Newburyport, Gloucester, Salem, Marblehead, along with Portsmouth, NH between Maine and Massachusetts. No need to drive all the way to the Cape and deal with the summer traffic for beautiful towns and magnificent oceanside scenery.

You would find mapping software very useful. I cannot imagine planning a road trip without MS Streets/Trips.

capxxx

So how about something like this:

Drive Illinois towards Niagara, stop when you get tired. 1 night

Drive through Niagara, have breakfast/lunch/snack with a view of the falls, then to Burlington 7 hours drive. (FYI Its not strictly necessary to take a ferry--you can drive up the east side of the lake, and take about the same time (slower roads but no ferry time). Both routes are scenic in different ways. Arrive late in Burlington. Stay 2 nights

Then down via the Kankamungus highway to either North Conway NH (mountains), Meridith NH (lake), or Portland ME (ocean bay). Stay 3 nights, take day trip loops to the others (or a long coastal drive north) and explore the area.

Then to Boston 3 nights, maybe including an overnight or daytrip to Provicetown by car or by ferry (no cars on the ferry, but there is a trolley service, bike rentals, and taxis in Ptown). Do not miss the stunning sand dunes of the National Seashore.

Then haul buckets west on the Mass Pike/NYState as far as you can go. Sleep 1 night in middle of NY state. Then another long driving back to Illinois. Total: 10 nights

colbeck

Re. the ferries across Lake Champlain, the one from Port Kent is the longest,taking about an hour and going through the widest part of the lake. It goes straight into Burlington harbor. The one from Essex NY takes only 20 minutes and lands in Charlotte, which is about 1/2 hour south of Burlington. The shortest ferry ride is from Crown Point NY to Chimney Point in Vermont. This is a temporary ferry until the new bridge is built. From there you can take Rt. 17 north to Rt. 22A, then north through Vergennes to Rt. 7 which will take you to Burlington.

Agree with others that you don't have time for northern Maine. The drive from Burlington is long and slow, whether by the Kancmagus or Rt. 2 to the north. Both are very long and slow, though scenic.

By the way, you couldn't pay me to drive to the Cape in July. The traffic is atrocious! Much better to take the ferry from Boston to P Town.