NE trip recommendations

[AikenRacer]

We live in South Carolina. We are discussing possibly making a NE coastal trip up towards the Maine area maybe next year. Never been in this area before. Looking at maybe a 3-4 week trip. Wanna go up the east coast as much as possible. Wanna see the Mystic Seaport Museum, maybe The Hamptons area, Niagara Falls...heck...being unfamiliar to this area, I don't know what I wanna see. Wanna stay at nice campgrounds. Really like the class A ones. Will travel with 2 dogs. Towing a truck with golf cart. Open for any suggestions on routes, nice campgrounds, places to visit, etc. Don't care for large cities. Like smaller towns, antique shops, villages, etc. Thanks!

[Gjac]

Not mentioned yet is the White Mountians in NH especially if you like to hike. If not just a drive along 112 ,302, or north on rt 16 is a nice ride. There are a few FHU CG's right on the Saco river in Conway and a number of NFS CG's along the routes I just mentioned.

[DrewE]

Lots of good comments already, that I pretty much agree with.

Acadia (which has no "r" in its name) is certainly worth the visit. Coastal Maine in general is lovely.

Boston is an interesting city in terms of history and culture. I would strongly suggest not attempting to drive in the city at all. As chance would have it, just yesterday I was in Boston to see an exhibit at the BSA Space (on unique playgrounds and playspaces) and to generally enjoy the day and the ambiance. I took the T from Alewife.

If you do decide to visit Niagara Falls (which, as was said, is not at all near the coast), do consider spending time in the finger lakes and Adirondiacks of New York. There are some spectacular state parks especially in the finger lakes region, such as Letchworth and Watkins Glen. They don't offer "class A" campground amenities (not even full hookups), but the parks are absolutely beautiful and unique.

[Roger_in_VERMON]

We live in Vermont but love Maine. There is a lot to see in the Portland area. Lots of great restaurants. We also stay at Bayleys in Scarborough. Large park we stay in the big rig section. Have a god time.

[jplante4]

Skip the Hamptons. Just getting to Long Island will ruin your vacation. You'll want to give th NYC metro area a wide berth. We head northwest out of Fredricksburg VA and pick up I-81 to at least Harrisburg PA then east. You can do I-78 or I-80 to I-287 around the metro then across the Tappn Zee or Newburg bridge to pick up I-84, or continue up I-81 to Scranton to I-84. Do not do I-95 through New Haven. There's been road construction there for 20 years. Also, I-95 east of New Haven is still 2 lanes and very congested.

My favorite way to get to Mystic is to get off I-84 at I-691 to CT66 and then south on CT 9 to Old Lyme. Aces High in East Lyme is a nice park and close to Mystic.

[Dick_B]

Niagara Falls is not East Coast! I recommend staying at Normandy Farms in Foxboro, MA and take the bus tour of Boston. Search for either in this Forum.

[Dance_Chick]

As someone mentioned earlier, visit Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth MA, and also Plymouth Harbor. Sorry..forgot to mention this. Easy drive from Bourne, MA if you decide to stay there.

[AikenRacer]

Great info! Thanks!

[Ed_C]

Make sure you have an EZPass for the tolls; it really makes toll booths easier. And there are plenty of toll booths in the North East.
Make sure you do a Whale Watch when you are on Cape Cod. Sturbridge Village is an 1830's New England town and Plymouth Plantation is set around 1630.
Don't forget the Adirondack State Park (bigger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Yosemite combined) with the Adirondack Museum.
Maybe you need a couple more weeks!

[tohare]

New England coast is so different from southern coast, and well worth the trip. Arcadia national park in Maine for your northern most destination perhaps. I noticed you said you are not a fan of large cities but consider Boston for the history. It's a very walkable town. Cape cod, glouster, Plymouth, all worth a visit. If you want to go further west, then the finger lakes region in NY, as well as Niagara falls. Once you get a taste of the area, you will be back. Enjoy the planning.

[Dance_Chick]

We're in Bar Harbor ME now...got here yesterday. We went to Mystic and loved it. The Mystic Seaport museum is great. Your ticket is good for 2 days, so we split it up. Eat at Mystic Pizza in town. It was really good, plus we had a nice view of the main street. We stayed at Seaport RV and Campground. Liked it a lot, and it's close to the town. No sewer, but if you stay 3 days or longer, there's a free honey wagon. Super long pull-thru sites (they also have back-ins).

Newport, RI was wonderful. That was a surprise to me - I loved it. I would definitely go there. See some of the mansions (or all..we opted to not see all of them) - drive Ocean Drive. It rained, so we missed Cliff Walk. I wish we had stayed longer there. We stayed at Wawaloam in W. Kingston RI, which was okay, but there are others. There's a state park in Narangasett (sp?) - Fisher something?? - they were booked and couldn't get a site. We took a ferry ride to Block Island. It leaves from Narangasett.

We stayed at Bayview CG in Bourne, MA (nice place) and took a ferry ride from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard. Very touristy, but glad we went.

Old Orchard Beach, ME is extremely touristy and carny-like, but I like to see all the different places, so an hr. walk-thru was fine. Coming from FL and seeing their beach was interesting. Portland, ME was nice for a 2 or 3 hr. walk around and lunch. We stayed in Scarborough, ME at Bayley's CG, which was close to both of the above.

We've been to Boston, so decided to not stop there this trip. If you haven't been, then I would definitely add it.

Enjoy the planning and your trip. It's beautiful.

[AikenRacer]

No kids. Just us 2 and our 2 dogs. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Rick_Jay]

AlkenRacer,

You do realize, of course, that Niagara Falls is NOT in New England. It's about a 9 hour trip (not including stops) WEST of Boston. LOL 🙂 Worth it, though. BUT...if you do go there, have your passports with you and stay on the Canadian side. The America side is getting much better than in decades past, but the Canadian side is much more of a "party" atmosphere, and they do have the better views.

If you can get into Libby's Oceanside Campground in York, ME, I'd recommend it. Tight sites, but it is RIGHT ON THE OCEAN. Like they say...location, location, location. Our first night there, it was a bit windy, and wifey was concerned we'd blow right into the surf! LOL Down in CT, Ace's High RV Park is sort of near Mystic and the casinos (if interested). They are big rig friendly, not terribly kid friendly because I they mostly cater to the casino crowd.

You should probably include atleast parts of Cape Cod in your tour. Depending upon what you want to see, Normandy Farms Campground is within about an hour's drive of Boston. I don't believe there are many (any?) campgrounds closer to Boston. Normandy Farms is a fantastic campground, even if you just want to regroup for a couple of days.

Are you travelling with any kids?

Also remember that campgrounds in New England often don't open until May-ish and usually close around October 15th.

New England in the Fall can be beautiful with the foliage, but if you're planning such a trip, finding a campground on Columbus Day weekend can be tough. Reserve early. That weekend is usually the "last hoorah!" for most up here (campers & campgrounds).

Good Luck in planning your trip. 🙂

~Rick

[Nicholsfamily05]

We used to live in the area of the Seaport and we always stayed at the mystic KOA and the other mystic campground as well. Both are very nice but the non KOA one is a bit cheaper on the wallet.

There is plenty to do in mystic for a day or two depending on where you want to go.

downtown mystic is very nice with all the old shops and stores. As well as just walking around.
Great places to eat too.