Looking for a New Englander

[Eeyore1928]

We have decided to go to the New England area next year for vacation. We are looking at the Labor day week. This is what we wan tto see...Boston ( justa few places), Salem, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, and Maine Coast. We want to go whale watching as well. Can you give me anything we will miss? Or any places we must see/stay/eat? WE are hoping to take a ferry to the islands, just not sure of the schedule and availability.
Any help would be great!

 

[C.Ann]

About ten years ago my adult DD and I took a mother/daughter vacation in the New England area.. We made our "base" on the Cape - near Hyannisport.. While there we traveled to Plymouth (to see the Mayflower; Plymouth Rock; the Plymouth Wax Museum; Plimoth Plantation; Ocean Spray Factory; the cranberry bogs; etc.).. We explored Hyannisport; the JFK Museum; swung by the Kennedy Compund numerous times; etc. We traveled to Newport, Rhode Island and went on the mansion tours - as well as Hammersmith Farm.. We took the ferry to Martha's Vineyard - docking in Oaks Bluff - where we rented bikes and rode around the island..

It was the best trip ever!!! We went the second or third week of September and it was awesome.. The weather was beautiful and the crowds non-existant..

If you are going to go north of Boston (to Salem), be sure to visit Gloucester (a wonderful fishing village); the Hammond Castle; and Rockport (an artsy seaside town)..

There is so much to do from Salem all the way down to the Cape it's hard to remember it all!

A GREAT area to vacation!

 

[ChibiJones]

I would recommend cutting out Maine. You have a lot of stuff to see in just a week, and most of it is in South-Eastern Mass. If you base yourself there, you can take the MBTA commuter rail (Plymouth Line) into Boston for the day. I'm pretty sure I saw whale watching kiosks last time I was in Plymouth. I know they also have them at the New England Aquarium.

A word of caution while planning. Distances may look close on the map, but that can be deceiving when you're planning travel time. Not all highways and state routes are fast-moving. It's also a busy tourist week, so traffic on the Cape will be congested.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

I would recommend cutting out Maine. You have a lot of stuff to see in just a week, and most of it is in South-Eastern Mass. If you base yourself there, you can take the MBTA commuter rail (Plymouth Line) into Boston for the day. I'm pretty sure I saw whale watching kiosks last time I was in Plymouth. I know they also have them at the New England Aquarium.

A word of caution while planning. Distances may look close on the map, but that can be deceiving when you're planning travel time. Not all highways and state routes are fast-moving. It's also a busy tourist week, so traffic on the Cape will be congested.

I'll have to agree with this. Traffic on the Cape is always horrendous that time of year (or any other holiday weekend, for that matter.) Either pick the Maine coast or the Mass coast, unless you're going to be here awhile. I also heard that Vermont is beautiful. Believe it or not, I've never been there even though I've lived in New England my entire life.

 

[Eeyore1928]

Okay...this may sound stupid to some of you....
In Boston we really only want to see the harbor and the Bull and Finch.
We were hoping that we could see both Martha's and Nantu. in 1 day. Just a quick look around. As far as Salem just a drive thorugh maybe stop at a witch museum or something.
Cape Cod maybe a day
The Maine Coast mostly wanted to go see the Acadia National Park.
We were hoping to see it in a week.
My husband hates to shop.......so not much of that at all. Mostly just stop in unique restaurants and see the coasts.
What would be a good bet for hotels?

 

[mtemm]

honestly I think you would not get much out of anything on this trip if those are your plans. I would urge you to pick and choose and spend a little more time in each place...to me it sounds like a lot of driving/traveling with very little payoff. of course, this is your vacation and you should do what you want to do.

Nantucket and M.V. in one day? Why not pick one island instead? That way you can actually see something of it.

Do you really only want to see Boston Harbor and the Bull and Finch while in Boston? There is so much more to do and see there. Do you want to see the Bull and Finch because of Cheers? I'll warn you, it doesn't look anything like the set of cheers. I used to take out of town guests there often and almost all were disappointed because they were looking for the set. Its a cute little place, completely overrun with tourists though.

Salem is an awesome town, but really more of a walking town than a driving town. If you are only going to make one stop there, though, I would highly recommend the Witch Dungeon Museum. Way better than the Witch Museum, and would give you a nice overview.

Acadia is way the heck up there in Maine (about 8 hours from Salem). I guess since all you want to do in Boston and Salem is 3 stops (assuming you stick with your plan) you could book on up there and cover all of this in one day (meaning boston, salem, and driving to acadia)...one long day, but doable. Then you could spend some time in Acadia.

Personally I'd rethink things. Again, jmho.

 

[mtemm]

just had another thought here...isn't labor day weekend move-in weekend for college students in boston? if it is, I would say just skip it for this trip. any boston folks know for sure? seriously, it is a nightmare to drive or try to get around in during that time.

 

[ChibiJones]

just had another thought here...isn't labor day weekend move-in weekend for college students in boston? if it is, I would say just skip it for this trip. any boston folks know for sure? seriously, it is a nightmare to drive or try to get around in during that time.

OMG!!! How on earth could I have forgotten!! I lived in Allston for 10 years, so I guess I must have blocked the painful memories. Nightmare does not even describe trying to navigate around. We just planned on not leaving the apartment on that day when we lived there.

Most leases in Boston start on Sept. 1st. It's on a Friday next year, so I would guess there will be some students who will choose to come back to the city on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. Classes probably start on Tuesday, Sept. 5th.

 

[mtdevine615]

Well not being too offened but being from Maine, I would cut out going to Mass. At least the Boston area. If you want to see the rugged coast of New England stick with the great state of Maine. We're further away but it's worth the trip. I know how they feel about putting in links lately, so try Maine.gov for our web site. Maine

 

[Crankyshank]

Double any travel time you've been given from map quest or wherever else you get maps from.

You can't do MV and Nantucket in one day. I would pick one island. MV is more fun and touristy than Nantucket, but Nantucket is more quintessential New England imho. If you're doing Labor Day week, I would avoid the weekend itself for reasons all ready mentioned.
Instead of Maine, I would probably do Newport RI. From Newport you could actually take a ferry to Block Island instead of doing MV or Nantucket. Block Island can definitely be done in a day and it's a lesser tourist travelled hidden gem. Plus you're less likely to be dealing with booked ferries coming back from Block Island as opposed to MV and Nantucket (lots of college kids moving off island, summer residents leaving, etc...)

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

While there are many great restaurants, Union Oyster house in Boston (near Faneuil Hall) is one of the most Historic.

Nantucket is so photo perfect that it would be my pick over Martha's Vineyard. You could rent bikes and do a bike ride there.It also has a whaling museum open 'till Columbus day. (Think there is another great whaling museum in New Bedford if do Rhode Island as other poster suggested.)
Martha's Vineyard does have a bus that goes around. Ferrying a car over would be expensive and might require prior resevations.
Traffic can be backed up several hours coming on to the Cape Friday evening or Saturday morning and backed up several hours leaving Sundays or Monday Holidays.
Traffic changes drastically after Labor day so one week later would be better if don't have school age kids yet.

 

[ChibiJones]

Also, if you decide to see southern Mass./RI, check out flights into Providence. If you decide to go to Maine instead of Mass., look into flying into Manchester, NH. Both airports might be cheaper than Boston, and you would avoid the hassle of driving out of the city.

The harbor isn't really all that exciting. I've never been to Bull & Finch, but I've heard it isn't all that exciting. If you're not interested in anything else, like the Freedom Trail, one of the tours, any of the museums, then I would say to skip Boston.

 

[dejr_8]

Having lived in the Boston area for over 10 years I think that you will probably miss out on some of the wonderful things that Boston has to offer if that is all you are planning on doing. You have to just get out and walk around to enjoy this city. The best way to see most of the city is on the freedom trail. It is a long walk but you do get to see so much and it can be done in a day. When I first visited Boston I also wanted to see the Bull and Finch pub and it was not at all like on "Cheers". The harbor... that is all it is, a harbor. You can very easily see both of these places if you take the freedom trail.
Acadia is beautiful! Bar Harbor is the nicest little town and it has so many beautiful bed and breakfasts. If you do go you can't miss Cadillac Mountain. Try to go for sunset or sunrise but remember it gets cold up there. It is about a 6-7 hour drive from Boston but well worth it.
Salem is also a nice town to visit although if you are short on time there isn't much to do. The witch museums are neat but you won't miss too much if you don't visit them. The House of Seven Grables is a great place to visit.

 

[Eeyore1928]

Thanks everyone! I know it sounds like a strange vacation to some of you. We just are not interested in museums or a lot fo historical sites ( sorry). Really just the natural beauty of the coast and a few ( Bull and Finch) sites. I have my heart set on Maine, my hubby on Bull and Finch. Also Marthas just to say we have done it.
On the whale watching...where is the best place to go?

 

[Eeyore1928]

bump

 

[goofy4tink]

Are you flying in or driving up? From Boston it's about a 4 hr drive to Arcadia and it could be more, I'm just guesstimating. It would be about 2 hrs to Hyannis and then from there an hour to Martha's Vineyard or 3hr. to Nantucket by ferry. No way could you do both easily. So....
If you're here for a week, drive to Hyannis, check it out, ferry to Martha's Vineyard (yes, Nantucket is nicer but much further away), check that out and take the ferry back. Stay overnight in Hyannis. Maybe take a whalewatch from there. Drive back to Boston, check out the things you want to do there for the day, head north to Salem, stay overnight there and then head for Arcadia. Spend 2 or 3 days in Maine and head back to Boston. Yes, it is crampacked full. But it sounds like you aren't looking for relaxing, just intensive. And remember, there is a LOT of traffic on the roads that week-end. Between tourist, like yourself, and the returning students, and people coming back from the Cape and Maine after being there for the summer...well, you get the picture. If you could hold off until the following weekend you might be better off.

 

[Mermaid02]

Thanks everyone! I know it sounds like a strange vacation to some of you. We just are not interested in museums or a lot fo historical sites ( sorry). Really just the natural beauty of the coast and a few ( Bull and Finch) sites. I have my heart set on Maine, my hubby on Bull and Finch. Also Marthas just to say we have done it.
On the whale watching...where is the best place to go?

If this is what you want, come to Maine. Mt. Desert Island (pronounced dessert as in, "I'll have chocolate cake" not desert as in "the desert is really hot" It's desert "I'm going to desert the army") Anyway- If you want to see rugged coastline, this is the place for you. It's gorgeous.

 

[Aneille]

Thanks everyone! I know it sounds like a strange vacation to some of you. We just are not interested in museums or a lot fo historical sites ( sorry). Really just the natural beauty of the coast and a few ( Bull and Finch) sites. I have my heart set on Maine, my hubby on Bull and Finch. Also Marthas just to say we have done it.
On the whale watching...where is the best place to go?

The drive from Boston to Arcadia is about 6-7 hours. We went this past August. Arcadia is gorgeous though and if you want to see natural beauty its a great place.

You could do a day down the Cape and 1/2 day in Boston and get done what your husband likes and then I'd head right up to Maine for the rest of the week.

And about Whale Watching I don't know the best place but I am pretty sure you can get a trip out of the Cape, Boston and Maine. I'd look around and see which fits into your schedule. You can also take the Cat out of Bar Harbor Maine and head to Nova Scotia.

 

[Mermaid02]

Not picking on anyone- as a native Mainer and living close to the island, I just have to point out that there is no "R" in Acadia. It is Acadia National Park. In Maine we tend to drop our "r's" we certainly never add them!

 

[mtemm]

Not picking on anyone- as a native Mainer and living close to the island, I just have to point out that there is no "R" in Acadia. It is Acadia National Park. In Maine we tend to drop our "r's" we certainly never add them!

now, now, sometimes "r's" are added, usually at the end of words they don't belong to. I moved to new england when I was a soph. in college. one of my college roomates and dear friends did a really funny thing, at least to my accent free (aka california) ears. She would open a "draw" (aka drawer), but she would drawer (aka draw) a picture. lol. I used to ask her why she wouldn't just switch how she said them.