My husband and I are trying to plan a week vacation in the New England area and we're having a hard time deciding on what towns to visit and activities to do ... any suggestions on must-see places or must-do activities? We're going the first week of August, so I had ideas of the beach (but which one, so many to choose from!) and whale watching (but is it better to go out of Maine or Mass?) and visiting Martha's Vineyard (but is Nantucket better, or do both?) So many choices, but so little time! Then there's my husband's ideas ... he's thinking more along the lines of mountain/lake activites, or the National park up there (forgot the name). We have 2 kids (10 and 13) so they're our focus. I've researched all over the internet, but getting overwhelmed, and finding more from the merchant's perspective, but would love to hear from ladies with first-hand experience up there. Help! Thanks so much.
I vote for Cape Cod ! you can take a ferry over to the 'islands' if you choose, there are Plenty of Beaches !!!!! Whale watches, seal boat rides....
Its Beautiful! Try looking that up and see what you think !!
You'll have to narrow down your search to one area. The coast of Maine is great - Ogunquit (sp.?) is a great, quaint little beach town with a true New England feel, and you can go to Acadia National Park and hike, etc. I've found the beaches in Maine to be quite cold, so we usually go to Sebago Lake and do a day or two of boating there while we're in Maine. If you or your husband can drive a boat, I would definitely recommend that. Two of the top 10 days of my life have been boating and tubing on Sebago.
I live south of Boston and my ILs have a house on the Cape so we don't "vacation" there but it really is a great place. You can go really rustic (camping) to really upscale (5-star resorts) or anything in-between (hotels, cottages etc.). I find renting a cottage to be the most sensible if you're going to be there more than a few days. From the Cape you can take a day trip (or short overnight trip) to either Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard. I don't know what your budget is but staying on MV is VERY expensive. Think several thousand to rent a house for a week. But day trips over from the Cape are easy and inexpensive. Staying on the south side of the Cape (Harwich, Dennis, Chatham) is better than the north side because the water is warmer. There are great bike trails all over the Cape.
I would skip Boston unless someone in your family really wants to see the city. It's hot and not at its best in the heat of summer.
Bottom line is that the Cape will give you warm beaches, biking, and access to Nantucket and/or MV. Maine will give you colder beaches, biking, hiking, mountains and lakes. Both areas have great shopping and restaurants and a good price range of places to stay.
Plan soon - lots of places are already booked!
Acadia National Park is sooooo beautiful if you get to Maine.
Back in 2002 - after my second son was born - we took a trip up the East Coast in my parents motor home -
We visited New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine....and Acadia National park was BREATHTAKING!!! And we ate a shore side restaurant and ate fresh caught Lobster - YUMMY!!!
We didn't get to Cape Cod - but we enjoyed Boston...walked around the Constitution and all those historical places....
I live in New England and there's a ton of things to see in every state. Your best bet might be to just pick a state and research what activities are available instead of driving around New England trying to fit in a lot of things. Rhode Island is great for beaches, Mass has a lot of historical things (Boston has the freedom trail which is great for a walking tour of history) and beaches. Maine has great parks, beaches, etc.
I lived in MA for 11 years and we loved visiting Cape Cod - Chatham has some very nice beaches and Provincetown is really cool. We also have a time share on Block Island just off the coast of Rhode Island. You need to take a ferry to get there and if you want to take your car you need a reservation and the spots fill up quick - but the beaches and bike riding are awesome and it's not that far from Cape Cod to where you would pick up the ferry at Pt. Judith.
Cape Cod is just a hop, skip and a jump to Boston, M'sV and Nantucket, although every single cottage on the beach is probably booked up for the summer. But you can go to Provincetown which is literally at the end of the country and go up Pilgrim's Tower (I forgot the name) and take in the spectacular view.
You can try Hyannis where there is plenty of whale tours to pick from.
Plymouth is great to visit - the Mayflower II, Plymouth Plantation (live planation) tons of museums - historical and nautical. Not alot of beaches but driving north from Plymouth my husband and I actually found one near some train tracks and camped out there for an afternoon.
Philly can be fun. Independence Hall, the bell, the freedom trail. Just don't be disappointed when you see Betsy Ross' house.
We actually had alot of fun in Mystic, CT (home of the black dog). We stayed at the Steamboat Inn right off the river (near the bridge) and had the best pizza (not Mystic Pizza, it was horrible) and seafood (Capt Daniel Packards restaurant) I can remember. It is beautiful. They have an awesome aquarium too.
We love Rhode Island- there's something for everyone- lots of beaches, historical sites, kayaking, there's the 14 mile East Bay bike path, sunset cruises, a ferry to Block Island, Newport Mansions, theater, music, dance, more than 50 museums, shopping, antiques, the Roger Williams Park Zoo, and great restaurants.
Here's a link to the Children's Activities Page of the RI state tourism website:
http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/what-to-do/childrens-acti...
Hope it helps :)
I highly recommend the Newport Mansions. I'd LOVE to get my kids up for a tour of them. I did 2 years of middle and 2 years of HS in and around the Boston area, and we went there on field trips. AMAZING!! I'll let my kids get a little older before we go, but wow! Also, do you like history stuff? WOW! Boston is AMAZING for that! And so is Concord and Lexington, check out some of the battle re-enactments. Maine is gorgeous and also my birthstate. I don't remember what town it's in, but when we were younger, my mom would take us to the Chocolate Church...there was always some kind of kid activity there - and I was in 2nd grade when we moved, but my sister was in 4th and she still liked it. There really is too much to do in NE for a one week visit, so find what interests you guys and go with that :). I am hoping to get my kids up for the lighting ceremony at Fanuel Hall in November - one of my FAVORITE memories growing up!!
Maine definitely. Willl get back to you later, have to run out to a wake now.
If you are visiting New England soon you should check out all of the discount sites now to get some good deals. Buy with Me, Living Social and Groupon are just a few. Right now Buy with Me has discount for whale watches, sailing and six flags.
I live in NH so my vote would be to visit around here. We love Acadia National Park. We are going there this weekend. The Deserts of Maine looks like something fun to visit for the kids. We are going to try that this year. Also anything in Vermont is great.
