I will be travelling with my parents to New England for Thanksgiving. We are driving from NYC and plan on staying a night in each city-Cape Cod, New Hampshire or Maine, and Rhode Island, in that order. We%26#39;ve never been past Boston, and was wondering are there any sights worth seeing during Thanksgiving weekend. The reason I ask is because Maine/New Hampshire is father away from where we want to focus our attention on-mainly Cape Cod/Marthas Vineyard. What sites can we see near Portsmouth, Maine and is it worth driving past this point. We like seeing new things-views, cultural events, lighthouses..etc We have a time constraint of 4 days including the drive back and forth from NYC. Please let me know, thanks
Maine worth the trip
If you want to see a bit of Maine, I would concentrate on the southern coast. This is only about 1 1/2 hours out of Boston, and an easy trip. Take Rte 1 North to Rte 95 up to Portsmouth, NH. Portsmouth is a great town with a beautiful historic area, and good restaurants. In Maine, check out Ogunquit and Kenebunkport. The drive along the shore in Kennebunkport (with a glimpse of Walker%26#39;s Point - home of George H. W. Bush) is worthwhile.
This is not too far from Boston and will give you a look at Maine%26#39;s beautiful coast. Lighthouses abound. Knubble Light in York is a must.
Maine worth the trip
Hello Dominicinco,
What a nice long weekend you%26#39;ll have. A lot of driving for you though! I was thinking while you%26#39;re down the Cape and you don%26#39;t know what to do and since your mother won%26#39;t be seeing the JFK Library on Thanksgiving because it%26#39;s closed. You know what might be really good? Take a ride to Plymouth, MA where it all started in America. Why not? If you go in to www.plimoth.org it%26#39;ll list all the things going on. Restaurants, Museums, Plimouth Plantation is even open on Thanksgiving Day and Plymouth, MA is NOT too far from the Cape you know. You could check out Plymouth Rock. What better day to check it all out! I think that would be cool.
You said you wanted to drive then up to explore New Hampshire? If you plan it right when you leave the Vineyard and head up to New Hampshire, if I were you? I wouldn%26#39;t plan on driving up to the mountains. I%26#39;d stay a long the coast. You could leave the Cape and just go to Hampton Beach, NH it%26#39;s 45 minutes from Boston if that gives you an idea of how long it takes to get there. Stay a long the coast and take your time and drive north to Portsmouth, NH and that%26#39;s where you should stay and have dinner if you want at this wonderful restaurant there called ';Anthony Alberto%26#39;s Ristorante Italiano. It%26#39;s at 59 Penhallow Ave., Portsmouth, NH 603 436-4000. www.anthonyalbertos.com so you can check out the menu, it%26#39;s absolutely wonderful there, fabulous atmosphere and unbelievable food.
If you end up here and you want to stay over night somewhere, that might be a better idea? That way you can explore the coast of Maine while you%26#39;re here. You can either stay in this area or head over to Kennebunkport and go check out the ';Wedding cake house.'; Ask any one where it is and they%26#39;ll tell you, better yet? Go to Alisson%26#39;s Restaurant in Kennebunkport at 11 Dock Sq. and ask any one in there and they%26#39;ll tell you, I kid you not! You and your parents haven%26#39;t been to Maine until you see this house, and I%26#39;m serious, your parents will love it when you finally find it! Here%26#39;s a clue...it%26#39;s at 104 Summer St., and the # if you can%26#39;t find it is 297 985-9333. Look for it. There%26#39;s a lot of shops and restaurants to explore in Kennebunkport. You%26#39;ll be busy! If you don%26#39;t want to stay here then you could always go look for the Maine Diner in Wells, Maine for lunch. This is another mission you can take your parents on! It%26#39;s a great place for lunch and here%26#39;s the site so you can check it out. www.mainediner.com
If you explore New England you want to be able to enjoy it yourself too! I think you%26#39;ll really enjoy it if you stay along the coast like you said. It%26#39;s a drive to get up to the mountains and the lake region. Besides by Thanksgiving the leaves are pretty well gone. This way if you stay a long the coast? There%26#39;s nothing like it all year long, it%26#39;s awesome.
At Christmas time we always go to York, ME to see Nubble Light lit up and the York Village homes all lit up at dusk. You should see how beautiful it is. If you were up there a few more weeks you%26#39;d see it all. Unless they started early with the lights, you%26#39;ll have to check it out! Drive at dusk to see it. If you go in to this site www.christmasprelude.com you%26#39;ll see what happens in Kennebunkport every year! It%26#39;s the best!
Enjoy your scenic drive! I think you%26#39;re really going to enjoy it!
Happy Thanksgiving too by the way!
Don%26#39;t get me wrong, there%26#39;s a LOT going on in Portsmouth, NH too! They have a ton of shops and restaurants to explore as well, so you wouldn%26#39;t necessarily have to leave there and rush over to check out Maine, it%26#39;s optional, you know what I mean? You do what you think is best and pace it so you can really have a good time and relax while you%26#39;re sightseeing. Check out www.strawberybanke.org to see what%26#39;s in Portsmouth.
Here%26#39;s something interesting about the Wedding Cake House I wanted you to see....this is through the month of October I believe I don%26#39;t know if it%26#39;ll still be a house tour in November though, but look for this house any way, you have to see it!
The home in Kennebunk, Maine, just 4 miles from the summer home of former President George Bush, opened Thursday for tours the town government has permitted for a month. The effort to aid victims of the Gulf Coast disaster will be forwarded to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, the effort organized by former presidents Bush and Bill Clinton.
';We%26#39;re charging a really cheap fee of $15,'; said Barker with a laugh. He said they are working out special rates for tour buses -- mostly to make collection of the funds easier.
';This a rare, really unique opportunity to see this house,'; said Kennebunk Town Manager Barry Tibbetts. The home has been privately owned since it was built in 1825-26 by shipbuilder George W. Bourne, he said.
';It%26#39;s not easy living in a glass house,'; he said about the home%26#39;s popularity.
The history of the residence is something of a home-improvement story. The Federal-style building was connected to a barn by a shed. When the barn burned in 1852, firefighters tore down the shed to save the house.
Bourne, then retired, had visited the Cathedral of Milan and decided to use that Gothic style for the barn replacement. He then evidently saw the need to draw the style of the home closer to the barn. A variety of Gothic ornamentation was added to the more-simple home: Buttresses support the four corners of the home. An arch over the front door is pierced with a finial. Cornices abound on battlements.
Barker joked about the invention of the scroll saw being the most important feature in the development of the home.
It got the name ';the Wedding Cake House'; when it was featured that way in a postcard at the end of the 19th century.
Barker, 77, said he and Douglas, 73, bought the home about seven years ago as ';an old-age toy,'; and since then have been thrilled at its popularity.
';It%26#39;s the most photographed home on Summer Street,'; he said.
Barker, a retired art dealer, said he always has ';enjoyed being out with the public,'; and that prompted the idea to raise money through tours.
';And we%26#39;re also going to have lunches, dinners and teas in the barn,'; he said
Northbound wrote:
I would suggest you change the order of your stops. Hit Newport first, on your way to the Cape. You can come up 95 North and exit at Rte 138(?) which leads you over the bridge across Jamestown and into Newport. From there you can travel up Rte 24 and catch 195 to the Cape.
The JFK Museum is on the campus of U Mass in Boston, and a worthwhile stop. Have you checked their hours for that weekend? It%26#39;s easy to find, the exit is well marked, and it is just off the expressway into Boston. If you make a stop here, the trip up to NH is only a couple of hours more, and you%26#39;re already on the highway. If you head for mountains, you%26#39;ll make better time if you stick to Rte 93, a quick trip north.
Sound like an ambitious plan, but a great trip.
I completely agree with Northbound%26#39;s itinerary for Portsmouth, NH and ';down east'; Maine. Aside from that, I would highly recommend Provincetown, MA (the ORIGINAL landing place of the Pilgrims)
You may find places like Salem and Rockport, MA worth seeing, too, and Hammond Castle in Gloucester will probably be decorated for Christmas by then. The castle is a reconstructed medieval castle overlooking the rocky coast about 40 miles north of Boston, heading toward the artist colony of Rockport (which is pretty, but will be quiet around then)
On the other hand, Sturbridge (MA) Village would not be out of the way if you wanted to swing a bit west on your way back to NY. It%26#39;s a reconstructed 18th century town. I had a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner in the old tavern there one year!
I%26#39;m looking to fly in from Chicago and take my Harvard University daughter on a trip over the Thanksgiving vacation around the area, but have no concept of where to go. We are looking for deluxe accomodations, historic sites, shopping, scenic views, etc. I would like to make it a scenic tour of the Maine%26#39;s coast, and need help with an itinerary. Help, please.
THANK YOU!
Hello LISAMLAS,
I answered your post a few minutes ago, you have to look for it to see what I think you should do, I think you%26#39;d really like this little game plan!
There%26#39;s ONE important important wonderful idea that I completely forgot about. Every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we drive up to the ';Holiday Lighting of Nubble Light'; It%26#39;s always the Saturday after Thanksgiving every year! It%26#39;s at 5PM but get there early to get a good spot! Parking is free at Short Sands Beach. They have shuttle buses that take you right up to Nubble Light area. They have Holiday Music by local bands and Choral groups; then Santa comes roaring up to Nubble in a shiny red truck with bells ringing away at 6PM sharp with every one in creation singing songs and then Santa throws the switch lighting up the historic Nubble Light House, it%26#39;s a Holiday Tradition By the Sea! It%26#39;s GREAT! You and your daughter HAVE to see it, it%26#39;s wonderful!
It%26#39;s really funny but if you miss this in November? They repeat it in July and every one in creation goes up there to see it again at there July event, it%26#39;s priceless! The only thing missing is the snow and cold!
So if you get the chance, try to get over to Nubble Light House, as you%26#39;re exploring from the Wentworth Resort you could drive up there very easily, it%26#39;s not far at all, in fact you wouldn%26#39;t believe how close it is. From the Portsmouth historic area that I mentioned in my other post? All you do is get to Kittery, ME from the bridge near the Portsmouth%26#39;s Strawbery Banke and Prescott Park. From the Kittery Outlet shops continue up to York and just beyond York Village out on the coast is Nubble Light, in fact it%26#39;s another one that%26#39;s really easy to get to, just ask any one where it is when you%26#39;re up in York!
Have fun and enjoy the time with your daughter, they grow up so fast!!!!
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