Where to go & what to see in the area?

Hi,

We%26#39;ll be in the USA in September on a month long road trip which will take us across from the East to the West Coast.

We scheduled 3 nights to stay in Boston but feel we want to see more of the surronding area.

Our plan now is to spend 2 nights in Boston which will give us a day and a night free.

Can anyone reccommend what we should see and visit and best places stay?

From here, we%26#39;re driving off to Niagara Falls via Cooperstown.

Thanks

Barbie

Where to go %26amp; what to see in the area?

Hi Barbie,

Sept is a great month to visit altho a bit early to see the foliage up in northern new England. Two days in Boston will give you a small flavor of the city and you will want to come back. Things that you may want to consider:

trip tp Cape Cod and Provincetown - this will take a full day

great beaches and quaint villages. OR

take 95 north and drive the coast of Maine for 100 or so miles and west into New hampshire staying in the village of Jackson. The Snowflake Inn is a great place to stay in the heart of the villabe. It is hard to drive through the White Mountains and not want to stop all the time to take pictures. If the leaves have changed you will be in for a treat. May even see moose, black bears, deer and red fox.

From there you can drive into Vermont and down to Cooperstown towards Niagara Falls. I was born in Buffalo and have seen the falls many times. They are always majestic. hope this helps.

Dave

Where to go %26amp; what to see in the area?

The previous post had a great idea, but there is a great deal of driving in both those options.

If you want less driving, you can hit southern NH and VT on your way over to Cooperstown. If you want to hike, there are many hikes, from Mt. Monadnock to smaller hikes, all around there. There are numerous antique shops and beautiful views. Route 101 cuts across southern NH and is pretty (especially in the less populated western side of the state). From Keene, route 101 ends but route 9 will take you west into VT.

Brattleboro is a nice artsy town; you could take route 9 west into Bennington, a historical town, or take route 30 up north by Stratton and into Manchester, VT, where there are many, many outlets. En route, you can take the Alpine Slide on Bromley Mtn, if that%26#39;s your thing. Manchester has a zillion really nice inns and great restaurants.

From Manchester, you can take some pretty back roads into NYS and over to the Thruway to Cooperstown. Route 22 is in NY parallel to route 7 from VT/MA, north and south, and I would take 22 anytime. Less crowded. But another route from Manchester is route 7 south to route 313 west to Cambridge NY, 22 south to 67 through Hoosick Falls. It%26#39;s amazing how different (and less ritzy) upstate New York is from VT.

Wow, you are so lucky!

I love New Hampshire too (my family has a vacation cottage there). The area of New Hampshire you would want to visit is the mountains area. There you can visit Mount Washington, either by cog railway or by the auto toll road. Also, there are a number of ski areas which run during the summer to bring you to the summits for great views. The Polar Caves, The Flume and the Lost River are also other tourist atractions in the mountains area. I believe that the drive would be at least 2 hours one way, from Boston to the area. Maybe a little more.

You could tie in Arcadia National Park on the coast of Maine, before going to New Hampshire. If you like, you could also stop into the Salem, Rockpost and/or Gloucester Massachusetts (which are north of Boston) before heading into Maine.

If you decide against a northward trip from Boston, I%26#39;d recommend a stop in Old Sturbridge Village (Sturbridge, Massachusetts), which is a short trip from the ';Mass Pike';, which is the east/west interstate toll road that runs across the state. Also heading west, the Basketball Hall of Fame is in Springfield, Mass, which is just off I-91 (not too far from the Mass Pike). A little furthur west in the Berkshires (mountains/hills) of western Massachusetts is the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass. There are many other museums and hiking trails in the area, including the tallest mountain in Massachusetts, Mount Greylock (it has an auto road to the top). The Clark Art Museum is in nearby Williamstown and MassMOCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) is also in nearby North Adams, Massachussetts. Heading furthur west, Jiminy Peak ski area in Hancock Mass has an alpine slide which you can ride from top to bottom. And, also in Hancock, Mass is Hancock Shaker Village (a recreated Shaker village / museum).

Just to the west of here is Albany, NY. In the city center is the Empire State Plaza. The New York State museum is located here and has a very moving display of the September 11th, World Trade Center. They have a fire truck from ';ground zero';. The exibit is well done. The cost is free, but they request a small donation at the door.

South west of Albany is Howe%26#39;s Caves. I%26#39;m not sure how far out of the way it is, to get back on course for Cooperstown, but Howes Cave%26#39;s are quite impressive. You take an elevator down and tour the caves by boat and on foot!

Enjoy your trip, whichever route you decide to take. Stop at as many national parks as you can. They are inexpensive and beautiful! Be prepared for a lot of driving! I%26#39;ve done the trip myself, quite a few years ago, in about 2 1/2 weeks! We got on each other%26#39;s nerves after spending so much time in the car, but we also had a great time and have many great memories!

By the way.... I read on Frommers.com of an Aussie couple who travelled as a family to the US in 2004. They split their trip up with flights to different areas of the country, and then drove from there. I%26#39;m not suggesting the same for you, but they also made a family web site about their travels. It was very interesting reading and also might give you some pointers. The site is: http://dominic.kelly.site.net.au

Westernmass

A few more thoughts.

Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island in Maine is truly beautiful, but it is a 4-5 hour drive from Boston (a good 4 hours from Portsmouth). Closer to Boston is Camden, also on the coast of Maine, and just over the border into Maine is Ogunquit. Ogunquit has a wonderful beach and a nice cliff walk as well. I recommend the Cliff House as a place to stay in Ogunquit. If you are in the right building, the ocean soars outside every room and is stunning.

The previous post is absolutely right about the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. They have a truly stunning collection of paintings, especially from the 19th century (such as Homer, Sargent, Renoir, Monet, Cassatt, Degas, etc.) The Clarks wanted an out-of-the-way spot so that their collection would not be bombed. The Williams College Art museum is not so bad. Mass MOCA is good if you are into contemporary installation art. The old mills in North Adams Mass that were turned into Mass MOCA are almost more interesting than the art.

Also in upstate NY is Saratoga Springs: with shops, a racetrack (with August racing) and an incredible outdoors performing arts center. See SPAC online.

Fish