Trip to Plymouth, MA and VT

[kandb]

We live in northern NJ. We want to go to Plymouth and Vermont during April, 2019. Our children are 15, 15 and 10 years old. Any suggestions? Is Salem close to Plymouth? What areas in VT are nice/fun to see? We will be going for approx. 5 days total. Usually stay in Marriott's but open to other hotels. Thanks

 

[princessfionasmom]

Plymouth is south of Boston and Salem is north of Boston. Depending on traffic it could take 1&1/2 to 2 hrs to get from Plymouth to Salem. I live near Plymouth, about a 1/2 hr north. I go down a few times during the summer to eat and walk around. I’ve taken the ferry from Plymouth to Provincetown for the day. It’s a nice boat ride, when the weather is nice. April weather is iffy around here but can be nice. Provincetown is nice to walk around and also has some good restaurants. My sister lives in Jeffersonville VT, it’s way up there but it’s beautiful. It’s near Burlington and Stowe Mountian. Stowe Mtn has a gondola ride that runs year round. The drive from Plymouth to Jeffersonville is probably about 5.5-6 hrs so might be too far up for a short trip. Depending on the winter there could still be snow up there which could add to drive times. I don’t know any other areas in VT. With such a short trip, I think doing Plymouth, Salem and Boston might be enough unless you’re skipping Boston. If I were coming up for a trip I’d probably want to do a loop and find somewhere in southern VT, then head to Salem and finish in Plymouth before heading home. I hope someone chimes in with some ideas for southern VT.

 

[kandb]

Plymouth is south of Boston and Salem is north of Boston. Depending on traffic it could take 1&1/2 to 2 hrs to get from Plymouth to Salem. I live near Plymouth, about a 1/2 hr north. I go down a few times during the summer to eat and walk around. I’ve taken the ferry from Plymouth to Provincetown for the day. It’s a nice boat ride, when the weather is nice. April weather is iffy around here but can be nice. Provincetown is nice to walk around and also has some good restaurants. My sister lives in Jeffersonville VT, it’s way up there but it’s beautiful. It’s near Burlington and Stowe Mountian. Stowe Mtn has a gondola ride that runs year round. The drive from Plymouth to Jeffersonville is probably about 5.5-6 hrs so might be too far up for a short trip. Depending on the winter there could still be snow up there which could add to drive times. I don’t know any other areas in VT. With such a short trip, I think doing Plymouth, Salem and Boston might be enough unless you’re skipping Boston. If I were coming up for a trip I’d probably want to do a loop and find somewhere in southern VT, then head to Salem and finish in Plymouth before heading home. I hope someone chimes in with some ideas for southern VT.

Thank you so much for the great information

 

[1st*toright]

I agree with @kandb that Plymouth, Salem, Boston would be a good trip. You could even check out Gloucester, which is another neat town up near Salem. Lots to see just in that area.

If you really want to hit one of the northern New England states, you might consider doing Plymouth, Salem and New Hampshire or Maine, rather than VT. North/south access is easy, but getting across to Vermont from Salem either entails wiggle waggling across New Hampshire or going a ways south and across MA to go north again into VT - probably a 3 hour drive, vs. going north from Salem when you can be in New Hampshire or Maine in an hour or less. Portsmouth, New Hampshire is neat, and there is plenty to see on the Maine coast (although April is pretty out of season for that).

My favorite parts of VT are Burlington (on Lake Champlain) and the mountains up near Canada (we did a trip where we visited Jay Peak in April - people were still skiiing - it was awesome). But that is way the heck up there, and would be a long drive if you're trying to do the Boston area too.

 

[scrapquitler]

What do you want to do if you visit Vermont, and when in April are you planning to visit? Early April vs. Late April can be wildly different weather wise (there could still be blizzards and skiing in Early April, and late April will most likely be full on Mud Season, which isn't a pretty time to visit and drive around on dirty roads if you aren't used to it). We live in Southern Vermont (Mt. Snow area) and by mid-late April the ski area closes and a lot of businesses close for a few weeks as well, it's the slowest time of year and business owners finally get to take a break themselves. You might find some of the places you want to visit closed if you don't plan ahead. If the weather is still cold, and you visit in early April, there still might be good skiing. Further north, there's more likely to be skiing into mid April.

 

[potterfanatic]

I live in central Vermont and I recommend Stowe because it has resorts, the Trapp Family Lodge is fun to visit even if you don't stay there, or you can go to Ben and Jerrys and Green Mountain Coffee in Waterbury.

 

[lanejudy]

Stowe VT is a great area to visit; it's going to be probably a 4.5-5 hour drive from Plymouth MA. In the southern part of the state is Brattleboro or Bennington. Brattleboro is in the southeastern corner so it will be the shortest drive from Plymouth, probably just under 3 hours. The Vermont Maple Museum is nearby, and I think there is a lot of arts in the Brattleboro area (galleries, theaters, etc.). Bennington is on the southwestern corner of the state, about an hour east of Brattleboro. I think Route 9 passes through some quite little town like Marlboro and Wilmington. There's the Bennington Battle monument, Bennington Pottery and the Robert Frost stone house at Bennington College come to mind immediately. About a half hour north is Manchester VT with Hildene (Robert Todd Lincoln's estate) and outlets.

In April, depending on weather, you may still find sugaring season in progress.

I think it all depends on how much travel you want to do between stops, as well as what your interests are -- history, museums, shopping, etc. Try Googling the communities mentioned to see what grabs you.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Jimsig]

.... I live near Plymouth, about a 1/2 hr north..

We must be neighbors