Northeast Trip Help

[kyteacher]

This summer I am taking my family of 4 (wife and 2 daughters 11&14) from Louisville, KY up through the northeast. I am driving my expedition towing at 26' TT. We have 15 days leaving June 19-July 3rd. We typically try to hit as many national parks as possible, but with the big cities in this area we will probably want to check those out. We've never been to this area so we are going to want to hit a lot of the big touristy areas.

We are not thinking this will be a slow paced trip; rather we want to see as much as possible in the time that we have. The wife and I will come back later when we don't have kids or a schedule to slow down.

Here is a rough (possible) itinerary:

Day 1-2 - Louisville to Philly south Koa
tour philly-liberty bell, etc (debating on skipping Philly to
have more time north)

Day 3 - Philly to NYC (liberty harbor rv park)


Day 4-5- tour NYC
central park, 911 memorial, carlos bakery, statue of libery,
ellis island, Times square, hamilton grange, ??

Day 6- NYC to Normandy farms
rest

Day 7 - Boston- freedom trail

(maybe whale watching by cape cod?)

Day 8 - Drive to maine

Day 9-10 Acadia

From here we want to drive through the white mtns possibly

I am thinking about driving back through canada to Detroit and down I-75. We stopped in canada at niagara falls last summer and the kids got really excited to be in another country so I thought it might be fun to drive home 3-4 days and maybe stop in a few tourist spots along the way: Toronto, Ottawa (capitol?), ?? Not sure if you can see the northern lights that far south? We've also never taken our camper across the border so I don't know how hard that would be. Also, I've heard things are more expensive in canada, but don't know to what extent.

Otherwise we will just probably try to find a different way home through NY/Penn/Ohio.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts. I will just say that if you are going to say something about this is too much or our kids won't want to be in the car this much respectfully, please don't reply. We did 18 days across to yellowstone 2 summers ago and had a blast. My kids travel well, I do all the driving and love all the places we get to see. I know this type of vacation isn't for everyone, but it works for my people.

Are there places we are missing? Can you suggest a place/easy hike in acadia? Tell me about this part of canada? Is there some cool places to see between Vermont-Detroit on the canada side? Is it too expensive/hard to cross the border with a camper?

Thank you in advance.

[SidecarFlip]

Be aware that, the farther you venture east, the more expensive things like fuel and campgrounds will become. and in the highly populated east, driving can be difficult too.

[mdcamping]

Some of the high points in New England you may want to consider on your 15 day Northeast Trip. and as mentioned,

ME, Acadia, 3 days a least

NH, Licoln/Woodstock area is a great home base and centrally located to exploring all of the White Mountain Attractions, 3 days at least. Lincoln/Woodstock KOA gets good reviews

MA, Boston Boston Minuteman Campground We have never stayed there as we live close enough to drive to boston but I hear campground is very popular stop for the Rvers that tour the Boston area. Maybe 2 or 3 days.

Cape Cod IMO is better visited during off season as traffic can be tough during the peak summer months but if you want to give it a try I would recommend Atlantic Oaks Campground which is at the halfway point up the cape and gets very good reviews.

ME, Old Orchard Beach (OOB southern ME) your kids will love this stop as area is very touristy, family oriented and has lots and lots of stuff for teenagers. Check out Bayleys Camping Resort

Just another FYI, beach water temps in New England will be for the most part be to cold for swimming at the time of your planned trip

Hope this helps
Mike

[kyteacher]

Thanks for all the suggestions. We took a trip to DC a couple years ago. It was awesome. It also was every bit as hot as you guys are saying.

Just for reference, our last few summer trips have been:

2015- DC/Hersey,PA/Gettysburg
2016- (summer we bought our camper) St.Louis/Destin, FL
2017- Rapid city/yellowstone/Tetons/Rocky Mtn/Pikes peak
2018- Niagara falls/canada/Cedar Point/Chicago/Indiana Dunes
2019- Northeast trip
2020- (hopefully) big southwest trip to grand canyon/zion/arches, etc...

[Merrykalia]

agesilaus wrote:
We did something similar. As others have suggested, I'd save Canada for another trip. I'd also skip Philly and add DC. Stay at Cherry Hill RV park in Maryland and ride the metro into the city. The bus comes right to the campground. I'd give that three days minimum to see the National Mall museums and maybe a day trip to the Smithsonian Air and Space Annex at the airport.

One thing, DC and Boston are hotter than Hades in summer. So dress with that in mind and bring water bottles. Wear hats.

Yes and yes!

I was going to suggest that you give up Canada and take the kids to DC instead. Most everything (the mall, museum, statues, memorials and National Zoo) are free. You have already paid for them with your taxes!;)

Our daughters love to go to DC and we try to take them every couple of years since it's about a 7 hr drive from home. Last time we went, it was our first trip to Arlington National Cemetery. They whined about the fact that we were going to a boring old cemetery. The really enjoyed seeing the changing of the guard and seeing all of the grave markers. We were also in the right place when they were conducting a burial and it was awe inspiring. They want to go back.

The zoo can take at least a whole day, the Air and Space Museum can also take a whole day, but you can do a highlights tour in 2-3 hours. The American History Museum is a 3-4 hr do and the Natural History museum is another 3-4 hr tour.

Getting around in DC is easy on the METRO and we have never felt unsafe on there, just be aware of where you are and where you are going. The METRO is very user-friendly.

We love the Old Orchard Beach area of Maine.

4 years ago, we did a 45-day East Coast adventure. We left home, went to Luray, VA for the caverns, then on to Hershey, PA and the park; next stop was Philly for the Liberty Bell and tour of Constitution Hall and Betsy Ross house. Then, off to NYC for 4 days (Liberty Harbor) and then on up the coast to Maine. We started with Old Orchard Beach, then on up the coast to Portland and then Bar Harbour and Acadia. After we had eaten our fill of lobster (there really is no such thing), we headed back south with a few stops whenever something caught our attention. We ended up in Boston and did the Salem area and drove over to Cape Cod, just because I wanted to go. We headed back south and went to Hunting Island, SC, meeting up with friends for a week on the beach. It was a great vacay.

[ACZL]

We did something similar. As others have suggested, I'd save Canada for another trip. I'd also skip Philly and add DC. Stay at Cherry Hill RV park in Maryland and ride the metro into the city. The bus comes right to the campground. I'd give that three days minimum to see the National Mall museums and maybe a day trip to the Smithsonian Air and Space Annex at the airport.


Acadia is an odd National Park instead of being mostly concentrated in one location it is scattered along the coastline in small chunks. We stayed at the Bar Harbor KOA which was good. You can get lobster delivered to your RV in the evening. Then take a drive up the coast to see the Schoodic Peninsula unit which is where all those spectacular photos are taken of the rocky wave swept shore are made. It is near Winter Harbor which is worth seeing. I'd give Acadia and the surrounds at least 2 to 3 days. Oh they have ferry boats tour out to the islands there, I don't know what the whale situation is tho. We drove up the coast almost to Canada as a daytrip to see the coastal villages.

Exactly what he said!! But we didn't stay at the KOA, but he's spot on. Sorry, iI don't know how to copy and paste the quotes w/ author's name.

[bukhrn]

gbopp wrote:

jfkmk wrote:
If I was planning this trip, I'd do the US part one year and Canada another. Your'e simply not spending enough time in each city!

X2. There is a LOT to see in the Northeast. Take your time.
Have you ever visited the Flight 93 Memorial?

X-3, 15 days really isn't enough to do the US part, we spent 2 months doing NY,VT,NH ME and MA.
But if 15 days is all you have, then you'll just have to do your best, you'll be looking at a big rest by the time you get home. 😉

[bukhrn]

DavidandDayle wrote:
Acadia -- do you mean Nova Scotia/New Brunswick or some place in Maine? We haven't been there for over 40 years.
Quebec city is very old at the centre. It's across the river from where you'll come in.
Not sure about other places. Ottawa is full of government. Kingston is a small city with lots of stone buildings.
I've been around Toronto most of my life so I don't know what anyone would want to see. 😞
We don't see northern lights here very much.

I assume that the way he has it listed, he is talking about Acadia National Park in Maine, Near Bar Harbor.

[agesilaus]

We did something similar. As others have suggested, I'd save Canada for another trip. I'd also skip Philly and add DC. Stay at Cherry Hill RV park in Maryland and ride the metro into the city. The bus comes right to the campground. I'd give that three days minimum to see the National Mall museums and maybe a day trip to the Smithsonian Air and Space Annex at the airport.

For Boston I'd camp outside the city, we stayed at Wompatuck State Park which is south of the city. But you can take a short drive and catch a ferry to the city at Quincy I think. I'm not saying thats the best place to stay like Cherry hill is but it worked for us. The park was fine except that we had a heck of a time finding it. But I think we came in the back entrance. Unlike Florida which puts up plenty of signs pointing the way to it's parks, Massachusetts makes it harder.

Besides Boston itself you should make a trip to Concord and Lexington to see the National Park there. Thats a one day trip. I don't know anything about the whale tours

Acadia is an odd National Park instead of being mostly concentrated in one location it is scattered along the coastline in small chunks. We stayed at the Bar Harbor KOA which was good. You can get lobster delivered to your RV in the evening. Then take a drive up the coast to see the Schoodic Peninsula unit which is where all those spectacular photos are taken of the rocky wave swept shore are made. It is near Winter Harbor which is worth seeing. I'd give Acadia and the surrounds at least 2 to 3 days. Oh they have ferry boats tour out to the islands there, I don't know what the whale situation is tho. We drove up the coast almost to Canada as a daytrip to see the coastal villages.

One thing, DC and Boston are hotter than Hades in summer. So dress with that in mind and bring water bottles. Wear hats.

[gbopp]

jfkmk wrote:
If I was planning this trip, I'd do the US part one year and Canada another. Your'e simply not spending enough time in each city!

X2. There is a LOT to see in the Northeast. Take your time.
Have you ever visited the Flight 93 Memorial?

[Crowe]

Have you compensated for the amount of traffic you will probably hit when up here? That is the beginning of peak tourist season, especially the week leading up to the fourth. I would allow for a little more of a breather between stops. We don't talk about distance in terms of miles but in terms of time. You should also seriously consider reservations as many areas book up quickly that time of year. I would also consider just staying in the US and save Canada for another day to give it the time it deserves. 7/1 is Canada Day and is a big holiday there.

You can also whale watch out of Boston, off the north shore of MA and out of Bar Harbor.

[jfkmk]

If I was planning this trip, I'd do the US part one year and Canada another. Your'e simply not spending enough time in each city!

I would do 2 days in Philly. Historical area, and dont miss East State Pen. Use the PHLASH to get around the area.

NYC...I can take it or leave it, but...1 day for Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty, maybe another 2 days to see the rest you want to see.

Boston...1 day for Freedom Trail then I'd hit Plimith Plantation and head to Cape Cod. See some of the sea shore, light houses, Provincetown. That's about 3 days pushing it. Maybe even see Salem.

I would spend the rest of the time in the White Mountains and/or Acadia.

If you do go through Canada and back through Detroit, stop in the Henry Ford. You won't be disappointed.

[DrewE]

You certainly will have no trouble filling your time! There are many places you are missing, and of necessity must be missing for the area you're covering, so there's no need to worry about that. I certainly understand the difficulty in spending lots of time away with family and work schedules, and I myself often cram a lot into trips; but trying to see even all the highlights of the cities you mention in a day or two is questionable. With the time constraints, I would prefer to see just one or two things decently well than have a big checklist scavenger hunt to see how many recognizable things one can somehow get to.

Philly, besides the historic sites, has a lot of other cultural sites, such as the world-class art institute (a huge museum) and the academy of music.

For NYC, it may be worth looking into a packaged tour as you can spend/waste a lot of time trying to figure out how to get from one place to another if you aren't familiar with the area, and more time waiting in line for tickets etc. I might consider catching a Broadway (or off-Broadway) show, besides the things you've mentioned; and, if the weather is clear, go to the observation deck on the Empire State Building. There are an enormous number of museums as well, some well-known and some lesser known.

Whale watching at Cape Cod would be a full day, particularly by the time you get there and back. The New England Aquarium is a good half-day activity in Boston; the Science Museum is also quite good and has a very impressive van de graff generator show. Avoid driving in Boston (even without the camper); driving under the city when it isn't rush hour is not too bad, though propane is not allowed in the tunnels so that would presumably have to be without the camper.

The Cog Railway up Mt Washington is one fun thing to do in the White Mountains. There are some very pretty roads through there, too; I'm partial to the Kancamagus Highway, which has quite a few opportunities for short and not-so-short hikes along it (most of which can accommodate at least a few RVs in the pull-offs).

The chances of seeing the Northern lights where you'll be is quite slim, and longer summer days don't help things any. You really need to get a good bit further north to have much of any reasonable expectation of seeing them, and the middle of the summer has even less light at those latitudes. That's not to say that you might maybe get really lucky...just don't get your hopes up.

Crossing the border into Canada is not generally difficult, and usually in my experience does not involve too much delay, though that can be variable. The officials I've encountered have all been professional. You do of course want to make sure you have the appropriate paperwork (passports or equivalent border documents, or a birth certificate is sufficient for the children last I checked).

Gas and many groceries are a little more expensive in Canada, but it's not a vast difference in the grand scheme of things...maybe something like half again more for gas, if that, once you account for converting volumes and currencies.

If you went to the White Mountains before Acadia (or skipped them altogether, or skipped some other things), you could maybe head up to Quebec City, which is a fascinating place.

[DavidandDayle]

Acadia -- do you mean Nova Scotia/New Brunswick or some place in Maine? We haven't been there for over 40 years.
Quebec city is very old at the centre. It's across the river from where you'll come in.
Not sure about other places. Ottawa is full of government. Kingston is a small city with lots of stone buildings.
I've been around Toronto most of my life so I don't know what anyone would want to see. 😞
We don't see northern lights here very much.

[DavidandDayle]

Hi.
Canada/US travel is fairly easy; just check for what's not allowed.
Gas is a bit more than US -- lowest in our area is 90 cents/litre (about a quart) but it sells for 20 cents more at some stations.
Find out your rig's size in meters. I put the height in both systems on a tag on the rearview mirror -- you don't want to do conversions at 100 kph. Quick speed conversion: drop the last zero and multiply by 6.
Bring your passports if you want to go home again.
Be careful with Hwy 407/ETR around Toronto. Tolls are excessive and if you don't have a transponder they charge even more.

We found Boston a bit of a bother to get in and out of. Not sure if Cape Code can be done same day.

We use Liberty Harbor for NYC. Again, a pain getting into town but worth it.