What a great trip you're planning. We drove to Nova Scotia with the 3 kids and on the way back stayed in Bar Harbor for a few days and then stopped in Mystic Seaport in Ct and then in Groton to tour the Nautilus and the Submarine museum. In Boston we've done the Freedom Trail, the USS Constitution, Paul Revere House, Faneuil Hall. And the mansions in Newport RI are only a short drive from Boston.

You're going to get so many suggestions that you could spend the entire summer!

You're going to get so many suggestions that you could spend the entire summer!

Oh, my! I should start a new thread soliciting donations! LOL!

One state I missed on my earlier trip to the region is Vermont. I'd like to see that just to say, "Been there, done that!" Boston was still undergoing the BIG DIG when we were through there last, so all I remember was the dreadful traffic. We didn't stop there but met up with sis at the rest stop just into New Hampshire.

My son graduated from the University of Vermont and we spent many happy days traveling around the state. It's just beautiful. No billboards! The university sits on a hill overlooking Burlington, VT and Lake Champlain. The sunsets are spectacular. From the VT side of the lake you can watch the sun set behind the Adirondack Mountains in NY. The Shelburne Museum and Shelburn Farms are just outside Burlington.

If you drove to Cooperstown you could drive through the Adirondacks and then take the ferry across the Lake to Burlington and then head south. Driving through all those little New England towns and villages is wonderfully scenic. You'd have enough photos to post on the KT for months.

We spent a week in Boston in October and thankfully the Big Dig is finished. Driving in the city is still difficult though.

Just passing through and had to throw my 2 cents in.

If you do as mcmann suggests and take the ferry over to VT, you must must must stop in Bolton Landing (on Lake George in the Adirondacks) and explore the lake, shops and restaurants. It is on the way to the ferry.

Enjoy your trip!

Rita, I felt like our 1 week in DC, and the other week in NYC were both not long enough.

There is sooooooooo much to see!

Moni

Don't forget the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., had a lot of fun in Mystic, Ct. seeing all the old ships. I'd send you up to see the Old Man of the Mountain in NH but unfortunately his face slid of the Mountain a few years ago in the fog. He isn't there any longer. The white mountain area in NH is exceptionally beautiful in any season. Then there is my town of York, Maine. The Nubble Lighthouse is the most photographed Lighthouse in the East. An engraving of it even went up in one of the space shuttles. What for I don't know. Maybe to show aliens how beautiful Maine is. lol Just about anywhere along the route 1 coastal drive in Maine are beautiful beaches. Go far enough North and you can even stop in and see Martha at her estate in Seal Harbor. She is always there on the weekends! Enjoy your trip. It sounds like a lot of fun. And stop by if you pass my town. NancyLouise

Nancy,
I haven't laughed so hard in ages!

I'd send you up to see the Old Man of the Mountain in NH but unfortunately his face slid of the Mountain a few years ago in the fog. He isn't there any longer.

An engraving of it even went up in one of the space shuttles. What for I don't know. Maybe to show aliens how beautiful Maine is.

Bwaaaaaaaaaaahhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Thanks, everyone, for all of the good suggestions. Keep 'em coming!

You can always drive up the Taconic State Parkway in New York, stopping at the state parks and historic sites along the way and catch I90 out to Boston.

Barbara - my dad used to be the regional administrator of the parks!

One of my life goals is to visit every National Park, so if I were going from OK to Maine, I'd make a point to stop at every National Park along the way.

Here is a link that might be useful: National Park Service

okwriter, I think you might be thinking of PLIMOUTH PLANTATION...1623 re creation (live) of landing and life of the Pligrims in the new world.

Don't miss it - we have a lot of company every year, and it is probably the first place we take them. Second is Salem MA to the famous witch museums...

http://www.plimoth.org/?gclid=CMOMo6bA9pACFQGHHgodYVu0OQ

You could spend an entire lifetime in New England and not see it all.

I think you were speaking of Plimoth Plantation. It's great place, I've been many times and still love it. There is historic Salem, MA (witch trials). There is also Sturbridge Village (1700-1800) in Sturbridge MA and if you sew or craft the Wright's Factory outlet is a DO NOT MISS and it's just down the street. LOL

The Shelburn Museum, Shelburn VT is another favorite of ours.

Hope you enjoy your trip. Sure wish I had two weeks to go and be a tourist.

Here is a link that might be useful: Check it out!

Hmmmm. Can't remember now if it's Plimouth or Sturbridge. Either way, I think one of those would be fun. We aren't "museum" people, but we like seeing how people used to live.

I'd love to have spent more time in Salem on my first whiz-by trip. I think we ate lunch there, and that was all. I recall a very quaint downtown area with brick streets (?). Lot of witch museums there, and we stopped at a junk store. :-)

I'll have to get out the journal my niece kept on that trip. We stopped somewhere in a very quaint place along a river and ate lunch. WOW - that narrows it down, huh? LOL!

As much as I'd like to have unlimited time, one day in DC and one in NYC was enough for me the first time. It was very much a "been there, saw that" type of trip. We had a hoot! Plymoth Rock was my only disappointment...I somehow thought it would be a huge rock out in the water. *rolling eyes*

mcmann and raeanne: You mentioned catching the ferry to Burlington. Where do we do that? :-)

Many thanks!

Keeping at the top just awhile longer... Yoo hoo!!

my in laws live in new bedford, mass. when we take our yearly jaunt to visit with the kids we plan a few days
somewhere in the area just for fun by ourselves. we've been to hershey PA, balitmore, MD, frankonia notch area, vermont--especially to ben and jerry's ice cream. last year we spent
2 days in maine (wow you might say) we decided to troop all the way to the llbean store in freeport. it was nice to go.
the town was neat-- had great lobster & seafood, llbean stores were amazing, other stores in town were really cool too. drove the country side and bought many pints ofr fresh blueberries and raspberries. didn't really get too far into the state/just a taste. we get yankee magazine which made planning easier. they have a good travel section/newsletter that you can find on their website.

have fun there's a lot to do in new england. DC?baltimore will be hot!!!

Oh, those are some other good ideas! You should see all the places I've marked on my Google map. LOL!
LL Bean would be fun and Ben and Jerry's. I'll have to add those. I'd rather have too much stuff marked and skip some than to not have enough figured out. We also do a lot of spontaneous stops on vacation.
My sister in Maine has a crab processing place and has a crab shack in the summer, so I'm sure she'll know all of the great places to get the best seafood (coz she is selling it to them). LOL!

I have DC marked on my map. I think DH would enjoy seeing the memorials and monuments on the Mall. I went to Hershey on my last trip, but I'm not sure if DH and I will go there this time.

What about Gettysburg, PA? The National Military Park is interesting, and has some lovely vistas.

After leaving DC, go east through MD into DE, and take the ferry from Lewes DE to Cape May, NJ. Cape May is pure Victorian - lots of B&Bs (if that's your thing) and intimate little restaurants.

Then it's a quick hop to Wildwood, NJ - home of the largest concentration of mid-century commercial architecture in America. A must stop if you have any interest in googie/doo wop design.

And Cape May and Wildwood have gorgeous beaches.