Questions on NYC to Maine Trip

My friend and I are planning to spend 2 weeks around the 4th of July
weekend in the northeast, starting with a few days in NYC and then driving
through CT, RI, NH, VT, and ME. We definitely want to spend some time in
Acadia National Park and we're considering Cape Cod and/or Martha's
Vineyard, but otherwise we don't have any definite plans on where else to
go. We will skip Boston since we've both been there before, and we'd like
to see areas that are new to us. I would appreciate some advice on the
following:

- We could cover all the rest of the states by staying on I-95, so we'd
have to detour to go to VT, but we want to say we've been there. :-) What
would you consider to be highlights to visit in VT in summer?

- My friend wants to leave things flexible and not book hotels ahead of
time, except in places where we definitely know we want to visit like NYC
and near Acadia, and probably someplace over 4th of July weekend itself.
Is this a good idea during the summer? Will we have trouble finding
moderately priced accommodations (say $50-$80/night) without reserving in
advance? I don't know how popular the area is for summer tourists.

- Any suggestions for "must see" along this route?

Thanks for your help!

Mary

On Fri, 02 Apr 2004 19:35:03 -0800, ML wrote:

My friend and I are planning to spend 2 weeks around the 4th of July
weekend in the northeast, starting with a few days in NYC and then driving
through CT, RI, NH, VT, and ME. We definitely want to spend some time in
Acadia National Park and we're considering Cape Cod and/or Martha's
Vineyard, but otherwise we don't have any definite plans on where else to
go. We will skip Boston since we've both been there before, and we'd like
to see areas that are new to us. I would appreciate some advice on the
following:

- We could cover all the rest of the states by staying on I-95, so we'd
have to detour to go to VT, but we want to say we've been there. :-) What
would you consider to be highlights to visit in VT in summer?

- My friend wants to leave things flexible and not book hotels ahead of
time, except in places where we definitely know we want to visit like NYC
and near Acadia, and probably someplace over 4th of July weekend itself.
Is this a good idea during the summer? Will we have trouble finding
moderately priced accommodations (say $50-$80/night) without reserving in
advance? I don't know how popular the area is for summer tourists.

- Any suggestions for "must see" along this route?

Thanks for your help!

Mary
Lake Champlain in VT.
Lakes region in NH
Largest casino in the world is in Eastern CT called Foxwoods.
Mystic Seaport in CT

respond here or email responses to

On Fri, 02 Apr 2004 23:11:41 -0500, Russell Patterson
wrote:

Lake Champlain in VT.
Lakes region in NH
Largest casino in the world is in Eastern CT called Foxwoods.
Mystic Seaport in CT

Also in NH: White Mountains in the northern part of the state. Last
time I was there (1996, so a while ago), I loved the area around Twin
Mountain and enjoyed hiking in Franconia Notch State Park.

One thing you can do in Vermont is get a map showing scenic routes and
drive along some, and get some carbonated maple sap when you see some
in a roadside store. It's only 3% sugar but has wonderful maple taste.
I also found the Mobil Travel Guide of some use in finding places to
stay and points of interest - and occasionally, restaurants (but that
was before I discovered www.chowhound.com, and subsequently,
www.egullet.com).

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

ML wrote:


- My friend wants to leave things flexible and not book hotels ahead of
time, except in places where we definitely know we want to visit like NYC
and near Acadia, and probably someplace over 4th of July weekend itself.
Is this a good idea during the summer? Will we have trouble finding
moderately priced accommodations (say $50-$80/night) without reserving in
advance? I don't know how popular the area is for summer tourists.

I wouldn't recommend not having reservations in Acadia. We have been
there when nothing was available on the whole island. I suspect you'll
have to pay more for a room than that although there are a wide
variety of accommodations available.

ML wrote in message ...
Thanks for all of the suggestions! Unfortunately I don't think camping
will be too practical, since I am flying to NYC from California and I don't
want to haul a bunch of camping gear with me. I think I will look at
making hotel reservations ahead of time and see how things go. A backup
plan is to change the timing of the trip to September around Labor Day
instead of around 4th of July, which hopefully reduces the crowds somewhat.

Mary

Still a bit iffy. As the Labor Day weekend is last gasp of summer it's
again quite a popular time for travel in the New England region. Just
past that weekend might work for the "no-plan" approach--but is still
a bit iffy for your budget. You can totally rule out late September
due to Invasion of the Leafus (bad horror-movie pun for fall-foliage
tourism). You might want to consider the "commuter" approach for your
trip, in which you book-as-you-go in less desirable (cheaper)
locations and take day trips to the places you really want to visit.

Nancy

Right after Labor Day, after all the schools open, would be a good time to
visit Maine. The summer is doable, it's crowded and to be safe reservations
would be the way to go. Labor Day weekend is the last big gasp. Usually, the
weather is still OK but don't expect to get in a lot of swimming. If you
want a place in Southern Maine, try Windham, Naples, South Casco all about
14 miles west of Portland. There are several small motels located on Route
301 (I Believe). They never seem to be full all the time and it could serve
as a base for some travel around the area. Also, after Labor Day, a number
of places start to have special packages for both week day and weekends.
Maine and New Hamp Inns/motels etc. advertise all the time in the Sunday
Boston Globe You don't want to wait to far into Sept, early Oct. because
that's when all the leaf lookers start coming around..
MLD
"ML" wrote in message
...
Thanks for all of the suggestions! Unfortunately I don't think camping
will be too practical, since I am flying to NYC from California and I
don't
want to haul a bunch of camping gear with me. I think I will look at
making hotel reservations ahead of time and see how things go. A backup
plan is to change the timing of the trip to September around Labor Day
instead of around 4th of July, which hopefully reduces the crowds
somewhat.

Mary

On Fri, 09 Apr 2004 19:30:27 GMT, "MLD" wrote:

Right after Labor Day, after all the schools open, would be a good time to
visit Maine.

I concur. The best trips I ever had to Maine were in September. The
weather is great, everything is still open, and the crowds are mostly
gone.

---
Bob

i concur also