Trip from Hartford to Boston
 

Hi Guys,

I am planning a trip from Hartford to Boston. Any suggestions about the route? I would like to take a scenic route.

How long of a "trip" are you planning? One day? One week? If you drive the shortest route and avoid traffic (yeah, right!), you can see a lot of concrete in about 2.5 hours. Or you can swing down to the coast, visit historic charm and SOME ocean scenery, and take several days. Which are you planning on doing?

Well it is a weekend trip but I would rather not make it just the shortest trip. I want to add some ocean scenery and historic charm too :)

I have family in CT, but I live in a distant suburb of Boston, so I've been taking that trip (plus an additional hour to northwest CT) for many years. If Boston is your main goal, I would just take I84 to the Mass Pike, get to Boston, and sightsee from there. We used to travel through the Berkshires to make the trip, but it added lots of time. You aren't going to get ocean scenery between the two places unless you have a lot of extra time.

US 44 to Providene or Plymouth, MA is not direct but very pleasant, ESP in NE CT

it will add a lot of time to try to swing down to the coast. I wouldn't bother. Take the concrete route (i-84 to i-90), then get your ocean scenery around Boston Harbor. Do something you might not otherwise do in a Boston weekend, like go to the Kennedy Library and walk along the harbor walk, or go to one of the harbor islands by car or by ferry.

there's just not enough scenery anywhere close to that drive from Hartford to make it worth the detour.

Ok. thanks a lot guys.. what would you guys suggest to do on a weekend trip to Boston?

We once did the trip in reverse - Boston-Newport-New Haven, and it was a very nice drive/couple of days. It would take a little longer if you hug the Connecticut coast before turning inland toward Hartford, but it's very pleasant.

If you love the ocean, but want to visit Boston, do as someone above me suggested and take a harbor cruise. You can even take a whale watch out of Boston. For a short trip to Boston, I would also advise doing all or part of the Freedom Trail.

If you like museums, Boston has plenty, including a great science museum and the Museum of Fine Arts. My favorite is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, but it depends on your tastes. A lot of people also like to take a Duck Tour while in Boston. Personally, I think it makes more sense to do so if you have kids with you, but many adults like it as well.

what sort of things do you like? some of my favorite Boston things to do...

--walk the Freedom Trail
--Visit the USS Constitution
--Take a sunset harbor cruise
--take a duck tour
--visit the museum of Fine Arts
--visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum
--Harvard square to walk around, dine, see the glass flowers at the Havard natural history museum
--go to a Red Sox game, or at least tour Fenway Park
--take a docent tour at the Boston Public library
--take a ride on the swan boats in the public garden
--go to Legals Harborside for some chowder, or oysters with an awesome view
--Take Michele Topor's food tour of the North end
see the Dead Sea scrolls exhibit at the science musuem
--Go to the Kennedy Library
--visit the John Adams homestead
--Walk around Faneil Hall/Quincy Market, have something to eat from the food court, and watch the street performers.
--go on a whale watch
--take a ferry to the Boston Harbor islands

There is a passenger ferry (no cars) that travels from Boston to Provincetown on Cape Cod up until mid-October.