Questions on NYC to Maine Trip

In article ,
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?

You will pay considerably higher hotel room rates by not booking in
advance. You might end up spending quite a bit of time each day
when you need to find a hotel, just looking for one. Expecting to
find a good hotel, with vacancies, and decent rates in touristy areas
at the height of the summer tourst season is a mistake, in my humble
opinion. With a little planning on the part of your friend and you, you
can save a lot of money and hassle by booking your hotel rooms in
advance. If you decide to change your plans mid-way through, you can
always call the hotels and try to reschedule your dates there, but
there is no guarantee that they will let you do that, but most will
try to help you out if they have rooms available.

Your price range is also a little unrealistic. Have you considered
tent camping instead? You still might need to reserve in advance,
but you will save a lot of money by staying in a camp sight rather
than a hotel room and it is the perfect weather and area for camping.