Arkansas to Maine, What do I need to see?

Spade Cooley wrote:
I have no desire to visit NYC but have a love for ship building and Maritime museums.

Maybe not on this trip but X2 on Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in upper VT. Loads of maritime artifacts, boats under reconstruction, also Including the complete docked replica of the 1776 gunboat Philadelphia II

Mike

Old Ironsides is interesting, but Boston is not a city to drive an RV through (nor, in my opinion, to drive most anything through if you can reasonably avoid it). Public transportation is highly recommended to get to the USS Constitution. There are some very nice museums in Boston as well; the Science Museum is quite good, as is the aquarium and a few art museums, probably among others.

Agreeed. We have camped outside the I-495 loop at Minuteman RV Park near Littleton. From there, you can drive to an MTA station.

I'm a fan of the Blue Ridge Parkwa and the Skyline Drive (Shenandoah NP), but it might not quite be what you're interested in. Beautiful scenery, but not much in the way of kitschy tourist attractions and certainly not much maritime related.

Pigeon Forge/Gatlingburg TN has a plethora of touristic potential of most every description.

Mystic Seaport should definitely be a must-see. Old Ironsides is interesting, but Boston is not a city to drive an RV through (nor, in my opinion, to drive most anything through if you can reasonably avoid it). Public transportation is highly recommended to get to the USS Constitution. There are some very nice museums in Boston as well; the Science Museum is quite good, as is the aquarium and a few art museums, probably among others.

The Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT is well worth a day stopping at. One of the many (eclectic) items there is the Ticonderoga, the last steamship to operate on Lake Champlain and the last walking-beam sidewheel passenger ship in existence. Not too far away there's also the Lake Champlain maritime museum, which somewhat to my chagrin I must admit I have not yet visited despite living in the general vicinity for quite some time.

Do a Google search of "Weird Missour", "Weird Illinois", "Weird Indiana", "Weird Ohio", Weird Pennsylvania, etc, and then see what attraction are along your route. The "Weird USA" series is absolutely awesome! You'll discover some of the strangest things right next to you, you never knew were there!

Whenever we go camping, I always check out "Weird whatever" and see what's in the area! We've seen some pretty goofy stuff, and usually does not cost anything!

For example, pretty much all my life I've seen the Pink Elephant at Fortville, Indiana on Highway 67, about 15 miles outside the I-465 loop around Indianapolis. I guess I took it for granted, until it appeared in the book "Weird Indiana". Then I HAD to go back and get photos of it for myself. Who would have guessed. I've come to appreciate this fellow now! He's just sitting there, in front of this liquor shop. Absolutely free to look at! Weird hum?

Mystic Seaport, Connecticut. An shipbuilding site in the days of sailing ships, they now restore old sailing ships. I took a tour of the Charles Morgan, the last suriving 19-century whaling ship, and fell in love. Have been working on a wooden model for 14 months, and finally finished last week. In Boston, visit the U.S. Constitution (old Ironsides).

x2. With 10 days for Maine, you could even split for 3 spots.

Southern Maine: Nice, sandy beaches (Ogunquit, York, Old Orchard Beach), lots of shopping in the Kittery area, small amusement parks, zoos and the like in the York Beach area.

Mid-Maine: Portland is a great city for dining and shopping, the Maine Maritime Museum is in Bath, ME (about 40 miles north of Portland), the Poland Spring area is very nice camping on lakes, and there are touristy things like the Maine Wildlife Park and a tour of the Poland Springs water facility.

Bar Harbor area: Acadia National Park, shopping, dining, mini-golf, go-karts, fishing, whale-watching, sailing, lobstah, lobstah, lobstah, Bar Harbor KOA for glorious sunsets and kayaking, and did I say shopping?

Maine has so many varied geographies it's hard to pick which one is best.

Mystic Seaport, Connecticut. An shipbuilding site in the days of sailing ships, they now restore old sailing ships. I took a tour of the Charles Morgan, the last suriving 19-century whaling ship, and fell in love. Have been working on a wooden model for 14 months, and finally finished last week. In Boston, visit the U.S. Constitution (old Ironsides). I have not seen it yet, but I may get there this summer.

Both easily on the way to Maine.

Oh, and near Mystic, Conn, visit the Nautilus, the first nuclear submarine.

Do a Google search for `______ tourism' and put the city, area, state or whatever in the blank space for lots of info. I'm thinking Hampton Roads boat tour.