Hey you Yankees! I'm taking my family on a month long trip from Atlanta to Maine (and hopefully back) this Summer. While I have been up to Lake George and have spent some time in the NE region - it has always been on business.

Questions: What do I need to make a priority, in your opinion? Thank you in advance for your thoughts...

PS: One caveat: We travel in a big (60' with toad) RV - I can't drive it just anywhere.

Tony

Depending on how far Downeast your willing to travel, Acadia National Park should be on your list as a destination point.

Where we honeymooned for 2 weeks years ago.

Make sure you stop at some random small harbor towns and walk around. Take in the salt air and the local culture and shops. I know it's hard to do when your on the go with your family but sometimes the random finds are the real gems.

Sea keyaking is a great family trip. The tours will take care of everything and it's not usually too pricy.

Warm clothes. It will get cold at night.
Bug repellent.

I agree. But you might have trouble negotiating your rig in nearby Bar Harbor.
There's a large botanical garden in Boothbay which is worth a visit.

Tangerine Racing is just outside of Hartford, but I doubt the rest of your family will get much out of a visit there. However, Bradley Air Museum is nearby if you like seeing antique aircraft.

+1 on the New England Air Museum.

And a visit to Chris' shop would be wasted unless you stopped at the local brewery on the way out (or in, or both) Top Shelf.

And, of course, if you're into racing, Lime Rock Park, Palmer Motorsports Park, Thompson Speedway, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Cape cod and the islands
Plenty of rv sites on the cape and both islands are great day trips on a ferry

The New England seaside, from RI to Maine, is beautiful during the summer (or the 6 weeks that can qualify as summer). Certainly consider Cape Cod and the National Sea Shore. Probably can't drive your rig on to one of the ferries to the islands (Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket), but you can certainly see them on foot which is still worthwhile.

One peninsula north (east) of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park is Winter Harbor, Schoodic Point, and Corea which is where our summer home is. This is much more authentic Down East Maine. There is a brand new RV and camping area at Schoodic near Winter Harbor which is first class. Corea is an authentic lobster fishing village. An hour further up the coast is Campabello which was FDRs summer home. It is in Canada so bring your passports.

My parents discovered Corea in 1964, kept going back and retired there. They have passed so I am fortunate to share it with my sisters. Good times!

Charlie

Wow! Thank you...and I always have been told the yanks are jerks. JK.

In all seriousness we are very much looking forward to our visit...

T

We are jerks, enjoy your visit.


I would suggest a drive to woods hole Massachusetts.
Find a local camground.
Take a ferry from there to Martha's Vineyard.,
While you can take an RV on the boat, I would not suggest it unless you are heading there for a week.
It's not cheap to RV on the ferry, and the roads are tight...so a toad won't happen.
You don't need a car, and you won't spend more than the cost of a car on local transportation..
A long day on foot will be plenty to give you a taste of the island....oaks bluff is very touristy, plenty to see, buy, smell, and eat.

Take the time to scope out the cape, it's one of the best parts of New England.

Rich

If you come through Newburyport, Birthplace of the Coast Guard, We would be glad to show you around area.

Mt. Washington NH

You won't be able to take the RV up the auto road, but there are van tours or you can hike (do not under estimate the weather -people die on it year round) or while it isn't cheap, the Cog Railroad is the way to go....

Newburyport MA, and/or Portsmouth NH, and or Portland ME

If you are just going to pass through NH but have a little time to kill, get off 95 and take RT1A up the coast and get back on 95 in Portsmouth or Kittery ME

If you want to see the mountains in New England I agree. Mount Washington is the second highest peak on the east coast, the highest in New England.

The Mount Washington Hotel is not far from the base of the cog railway IIRC.
The Bretton Woods Conference was held there near the end of WWII.

There are some challenging day hikes in the vicinity as well.

If you find yourself on I95 in Connecticut, stop at Breakwater in Stonnington for unbelievable lobster rolls. We always top there on the way to The Cape. Also Portland Maine is a cool town to spend a day in. Adirondack MTs in upstate NY is the 2nd largest national park in the country and provides so many activities for all in a beautiful setting. Hope this helps. Enjoy the ride.

If you've never been to Cape Cod it's certainly worth going. The ride from Bridge to tip is about 1.5 hrs (-ish...never done it in one shot) and there is a lot to see. Pretty much all National Seashore beaches are nice. Chatham is a nice visit to walk/drive along the shore and see the houses/town. Provincetown is a unique place; in my travels I haven't been anywhere quite like it.

Taking the ferry to MV, Nantucket, or Block Island is a really nice day trip. Like has been said you do not need a car for any of them. If you have bikes it's even better. The last time I took the ferry it was something like $10/person. Note that IMHO, MV and Nantucket are a bit more commercialized.

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Another town well worth seeing is Newport, RI. The town is pretty lively and there are a great collection of gilded-age mansions which belonged to people like the Vanderbuilts, etc. The tours aren't very expensive and are fascinating. I don't think you can see a collection of houses like this anywhere else in the country. You can also take harbor tours and see all of Newport from the water which is a neat experience.

http://www.newportmansions.org/

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If anyone likes airplanes the New England Air Museum in Windsor, CT mentioned before is also really good. I've been to a number of air museums including the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson in Dayton, OH and the Smithsonian, and the NEAM really holds it's own. Last year was the first time I had been despite living locally my entire life and I was really impressed.

If you are headed up or down the Hudson river valley, a stop at West Point for their museum is cool. And its FREE! Also, keep in mind if you can find an RV camp/park in that same area, Manhattan is only an hour or so away by train.

Rich's house...

John,

That is very kind...we'll be putting our itinerary together in the next couple weeks. It would always be nice to meet some of the brethren. I'll keep you posted as to the schedule - when we have one!

Tony

Watkins Glen. Period. That's all I have to say about that.

LOL. My sweet family will be with me at RA in two-weeks - John, you'll be able to meet them there too. Race tracks that I visit without having a car to drive is depressing for me. Therefore, no track tours on this trip.

T

Happy to host you here, plenty of room to park.
About 1 HR northwest of Boston.
So, camp here and take the toad in , or the train.

Rich

Just watch out for the "special ingredients" Rich puts in his chowdah.

Oh, good point.

ESsex Massachusetts.
Best seafood awards, several years in a row.

...spent a couple years in Boston as a kid. I remember trips to Gloucester and Rockport for lobster and chowder...also lots of saltwater taffy...

sheesh...45 years ago and i remember it clear as day...can't remember what I ate yesterday...

Yeah, don't go ruining our reputation!



Newport RI is definitely worth checking out.

Cape Cod is beautiful but real crowded in season. Boston is a great town, but you will have issues with your ride; the streets are not very RV friendly.

You have to check out the North Shore of Massachusetts. There are a bunch of members from the area that might chime in with recommendations.

Salem is a very cool town, and you might be able to reserve a camping spot at Winter Island overlooking Salem Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. Stay out of downtown Salem with the RV.

A trip around Gloucester, Rockport on Cape Ann is a must, then continue up the coastal route on Route 133 through Essex (like Rich said, you gotta stop for seafood) then follow Route 1A up through Ipswich, Rowley, Newburyport, Salisbury into Hampton Beach NH. Tons of cool places to stop and explore along this route!

I believe there is still an RV campground in Hampton Beach right on the coast.

Again fella's - thank you. Our problem will be time - between driving to and fro - there are only so many days at our disposal. A couple things when living-by-RV...nothing happens fast; life is never in a rush. If these truisms are not lived by - frustration will take hold (quickly). So much to see and so little time to see it.

T

But fast is a New England tradition! Everything happens fast here; you really have to cram it all in to truly get the experience.

The jerk thing is over-rated though; we just don't say hello to random people on the street.

You should post up your planned itinerary and I'm sure some locals could give a little more detailed descriptions with better ideas of the rough places you are planning on seeing.

I have lived in Massachusetts my whole life and wouldn't
waste my time or money going anywhere near Cape Cod.
Overpriced Tourist Trap..
Getting there during the summer is by 1 of 2 bridges that
are traffic nightmares.

Plenty of coast in N.E. otherwise.. Great seafood.
There is a State Park at Salisbury,Mass., on the N.H, Border that you can park the RV and enjoy the beach.
Also at least a few of us up here that can direct you to interesting places.

Touring through Rich's Barn is a great day trip...

Like mentioned before.... Let us know when you will be coming and
we can let you know what will be going on at that time....

as an RV'er you already know you can pull into any walmart and/or knights of columbus for the night. there are a few other like this..... I have never had to experience these I just know about them. some supply hooks for you thru the night.

Route 1 and Rout 1a is an incredible ride... it would be long but if you can do parts of route 1 . you will never forget it. you can see the BUSH's house in Kennebunkport Maine. on rte 1.

good luck

914 luva

As a Canadian, who has visited New England often, I am reading the suggested places with interest. James Smith from Bangor can fill you in more on Acadia National Park, a wonderful place. I highly recommend Owl's Head Transportation museum, it is much more than static displays of cars.
Since you will be closer to Canada than you realize, come to Moncton, first beer is on me and you can scope out property in case Donny Trump wins the election and you want to move here!

Ian Stott
Moncton
Canada

Cannot believe we are 2 pages into this post and not one Masshole has listed Fenway Park, the freedom trail and a Duck Tour for a day trip into Boston. Great thing about Boston is it is very small and super easy to walk around and see the sites.

Ian - Thank you for the brew - in advance. I believe your offer is safe, however, from being redeemed. We are very much looking forward to our annual Summer trip and the suggestions have been great.

One problem - O'Canada might be more attractive if Donny doesn't win - case of lesser of two evils for us Americans. Another 4 more years of this non-sense and we might as well call ourselves France. This isn't a good thing...just in case you misunderstood me.

T

Why do you travel with a toad? Your pet or best friend?

Easy. When they croak - I just get another.

T

It's been a long time, but I liked Portsmouth, NH and Hampton Beach. If you like Sea Food, the weathervane restaurants have good food at a nice price. The outlet mall in kittery Maine is nice. Check out Salem and the witch museum.

Bad News the Weathervane restaurant chain went under about 3yrs ago...

Definitely recommend a Stop in Alexandria VA for Old Town and MT Vernon, as well as DC. Stay at a Hotel near Old Town Metro Station and Metro it into DC.

As you go North, Philadelphia has some great places, Old City/Liberty Bell, etc.

NYC and Long Island is a word unto Itself. If you were so Inclined you could Drive to the East end of the Island, and see the Gorgeous North Shore and Fork of Long Island, the Vineyards, farms and 17th Century Towns, and then the Ferry from Orient Point to New London CT and continue your trip up the Coast.

Plymouth Mass - Plymouth Rock

Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard - Hobnob with the Obama's & Bush family (though at different locations I am sure.

Boston - Gotta go to the Market and Combat ZOne and I think there is a buncha historical stuff there too ;-)

+10 on the Acadia National Forest/Bar Harbor, but the whole Maine Coast is outstanding.

**NO visit to the NE is complete without a visit to Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park.....

And FWIW, NY'rs and Yankees in general are only Jerks to Jerks.......... Once you are a friend you are a friend for life. So DONT be a jerk ;-)

Here's a primer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LmPBPWHJu4

Sorry, There has not been a Combat Zone in over a Decade...... Chinatown now merges into the shopping district and hospital zone..... You gotta go to the burbs to find a stripper.. However I think the Golden Banana is still open on Route 1.

Steve has not been here in what, three decades?

After looking at the distance...I'm thinking we'll drive up the East coast with only a couple stops along the way. Philly/DC and south is another trip altogether. Start essentially in RI and work up the coast to Maine. Back through the inland route of upstate NY.

Thanks for everyone's input...

Tony

I remember the golden banana. When I worked for Wang in the 80's and Cabletron in the 90's, that was our meeting place on our way to training from Logan Airport.

LOL, yeah, my last trip to Boston was 1996? My dad lived in Braintree & Newton when I was in HS and I dated a girl in College from Worcester (83-84). No COMBAT ZONE? that's like NY doing away with Greenwich Village, or Hells Kitchen or 5 Points or Coney Island, or or ......... LOL, never did the hooker/stripper/strip club thing ;-) Doubt that would be a family event anyway.

Man I feel old.............

All gone, well lit, getting too nice for local residents to afford it anymore.
I will say I was skeptical until someone had an epiphany and put a full police station right in the middle of it all.
With cop cars parked all over the place it took about ten years for everyone to sell out and leave.

All quite walkable now from theater district all the way to Faneuil hall