Where is an interesting weekend getaway in the New England States?
Q. Looking for an active weekend, interesting restaurants, shopping and sights.
A. Depends on where you are located and how much driving you want to do. Iâm in Connecticut so first:
1. Litchfield County: Lots of antiques, great (and/or cheap) restaurants and hotels, beautiful scenery. Fishing, hiking, boating (lake or river), lots of odd little museums. The Connecticut Wine Trail has several vineyards with tastings and you can buy wine on Sunday. Do not miss Hopkins Inn & Vineyard on the hill overlooking Lake Waramaug in New Preston. Go to Falls Village and ask âem where the falls are.
2. New London County: Mystic Seaport and Aquarium. Downtown Mystic for general strolling and junk store browsing, boat trips, the worldâs neatest bascule drawbridge and two, count âem two ice cream shops. Lobsters & Steamers at Abbottâs just down the road in Noank on the river. And when youâre tired of that you can run up the Thames and blow the kidâs college fund at the Casinos.
Massachusetts:
1. Cape Cod: There are lots of neat things to do on the Cape but I prefer the "ebow up" part. The National Seashore is one long endless fantastic beach from Eastham to Provincetown. Chatham (restaurants), Orleans (fish market, restaurants), Eastham (National Seashore Visitor Center), Wellfleet (seafood at Moby Dickâs), Truro (ainât nuthinâ there and itâs all beautiful), Provincetown: Key West for Yankees, great people watching town, lots of odd little shops and galleries, great restaurants, incredible beaches, funky bars. Climb the Pilgrim Monument tower for the best view on the Cape. Sit in the window seat at Governor Bradfordâs, sip a Black & Tan and watch the parade.
2. Boston. If you canât find something fun to do in Boston on the weekend, itâs time to pull the plug on yer heart monitor and pack it in for good. Walk Boylston Street and pick a restaurant at random. Blow your life savings at Quincy Market, pillage the food court and recover at the Green Dragon Pub around the corner.
3. Cape Anne: Gloucester & Rockport are good walking towns. You canât walk 10 feet without tripping over a great seafood restaurant. Lots of little galleries and shops. Rockport is dry, bring yer own beer. Gloucester is a working fishing port. Take the Duck Tour (so you look like a dope, youâre never gonna see any of those people again anyway).
Maine:
1. South Shore, Ogunquit area. Restaurants, bars, shops & galleries, live theater, great beaches. Seafood at Barnacle Billyâs (there are two, upscale and lobster shack, both are great) in Perkins Cove. (Take the trolley, there ainât no parking). The Marginal Way is a beautiful waterfront walking path.
2. Portland: Honest. They have done a terrific job of converting a formerly dingy seaport and factory town into a real gem. Itâs a walking town and there are a zillion shops, galleries, great restaurants and brew pubs (donât miss Bull Feeneyâs Pub and make sure to ask âem who Bull was when he wasnât at home). Ride the CAT Ferry to Nova Scotia.
3. Freeport: L.L. Bean and a couple of dozen outlet stores. Take the time to walk around. Youâll trip over some real deals. Be sure to hit Beanâs Outlet store for great stuff and very reasonable prices. Drive down some of those rocky peninsulas that stick out into the ocean. Youâll mostly find a great seafood place at the end of each one that nobody knows about but the locals.
4. Camden/Rockport: Camden is the tourist area with shops, restaurants and schooner cruises. Rockport is the artsy area with galleries and a beautiful harbor.
5. Mount Desert Island: Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Be sure to make the sunrise from the top of Cadillac Mountain (relax, you can drive). Drive the circular road through the park or hit the hiking trails. The scenery is incredible. Drive the back roads and look for the lobster shacks where the locals go. Bar Harbor is a min-Key West with great bars and restaurants, shops and galleries. You can catch the CAT Ferry here too. Do not miss the Atlantic Brewing Company up the road from Bar Harbor. Real brewpub beer (the Cole Porter is to die for) AND a smokehouse with outside eating area. You can get great ribs, pork, chicken, sausage etc., right out of the smoker (order the sampler platter) and their own beer on tap. Itâs a gluttonâs Jackpot!.
Foliage season is almost here...get on the road. :)
1. Litchfield County: Lots of antiques, great (and/or cheap) restaurants and hotels, beautiful scenery. Fishing, hiking, boating (lake or river), lots of odd little museums. The Connecticut Wine Trail has several vineyards with tastings and you can buy wine on Sunday. Do not miss Hopkins Inn & Vineyard on the hill overlooking Lake Waramaug in New Preston. Go to Falls Village and ask âem where the falls are.
2. New London County: Mystic Seaport and Aquarium. Downtown Mystic for general strolling and junk store browsing, boat trips, the worldâs neatest bascule drawbridge and two, count âem two ice cream shops. Lobsters & Steamers at Abbottâs just down the road in Noank on the river. And when youâre tired of that you can run up the Thames and blow the kidâs college fund at the Casinos.
Massachusetts:
1. Cape Cod: There are lots of neat things to do on the Cape but I prefer the "ebow up" part. The National Seashore is one long endless fantastic beach from Eastham to Provincetown. Chatham (restaurants), Orleans (fish market, restaurants), Eastham (National Seashore Visitor Center), Wellfleet (seafood at Moby Dickâs), Truro (ainât nuthinâ there and itâs all beautiful), Provincetown: Key West for Yankees, great people watching town, lots of odd little shops and galleries, great restaurants, incredible beaches, funky bars. Climb the Pilgrim Monument tower for the best view on the Cape. Sit in the window seat at Governor Bradfordâs, sip a Black & Tan and watch the parade.
2. Boston. If you canât find something fun to do in Boston on the weekend, itâs time to pull the plug on yer heart monitor and pack it in for good. Walk Boylston Street and pick a restaurant at random. Blow your life savings at Quincy Market, pillage the food court and recover at the Green Dragon Pub around the corner.
3. Cape Anne: Gloucester & Rockport are good walking towns. You canât walk 10 feet without tripping over a great seafood restaurant. Lots of little galleries and shops. Rockport is dry, bring yer own beer. Gloucester is a working fishing port. Take the Duck Tour (so you look like a dope, youâre never gonna see any of those people again anyway).
Maine:
1. South Shore, Ogunquit area. Restaurants, bars, shops & galleries, live theater, great beaches. Seafood at Barnacle Billyâs (there are two, upscale and lobster shack, both are great) in Perkins Cove. (Take the trolley, there ainât no parking). The Marginal Way is a beautiful waterfront walking path.
2. Portland: Honest. They have done a terrific job of converting a formerly dingy seaport and factory town into a real gem. Itâs a walking town and there are a zillion shops, galleries, great restaurants and brew pubs (donât miss Bull Feeneyâs Pub and make sure to ask âem who Bull was when he wasnât at home). Ride the CAT Ferry to Nova Scotia.
3. Freeport: L.L. Bean and a couple of dozen outlet stores. Take the time to walk around. Youâll trip over some real deals. Be sure to hit Beanâs Outlet store for great stuff and very reasonable prices. Drive down some of those rocky peninsulas that stick out into the ocean. Youâll mostly find a great seafood place at the end of each one that nobody knows about but the locals.
4. Camden/Rockport: Camden is the tourist area with shops, restaurants and schooner cruises. Rockport is the artsy area with galleries and a beautiful harbor.
5. Mount Desert Island: Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Be sure to make the sunrise from the top of Cadillac Mountain (relax, you can drive). Drive the circular road through the park or hit the hiking trails. The scenery is incredible. Drive the back roads and look for the lobster shacks where the locals go. Bar Harbor is a min-Key West with great bars and restaurants, shops and galleries. You can catch the CAT Ferry here too. Do not miss the Atlantic Brewing Company up the road from Bar Harbor. Real brewpub beer (the Cole Porter is to die for) AND a smokehouse with outside eating area. You can get great ribs, pork, chicken, sausage etc., right out of the smoker (order the sampler platter) and their own beer on tap. Itâs a gluttonâs Jackpot!.
Foliage season is almost here...get on the road. :)
Where is the best area for Boston Beach Hotels?
Q. I'm in Boston for a few days for the marathon. Where is the best beachfront area with hotels???
A. Not a lot of beaches in Boston, but we have much waterfront. Both the Waterfront and Seaport districts have great hotels with views. The new Westin Waterfront (near the convention center), The Boston Harbor Hotel, Renaissance Boston Waterfront, Intercontinental, Marriott Long Wharf, Fairmont Battery Wharf, Seaport Hotel. The ones nearer Long Wharf are easier to get around on the T. Anything with a view will be spendy.
Live in Boston, want to get away for 4 days, where can I go within 3 hours ride?
Q. I'm family oriented, not the partying kind. Have 3 small kids... Wife doesn't want to go to Mystic Aquarium or New Hampshire camping.
A. There are a couple of interesting looking resort-ish options:
- http://www.cocokeywaterresort.com/locations/fitchburg/water-park/attractions.aspx (my friends kids LOVE this place - even the brainiac kid)
- http://www.bromley.com/ (I'm no kid, but I must admit, that alpine slide looks really fun)
- http://www.polarcaves.com/index/ (spelunking lite)
These packaged places are easy but could add up with all the admission and ticket prices.
It also depends on your kids ages.
A different approach would be to find a hotel with a pool near various attractions. Near Portsmouth NH or Portland ME offer lots of things to do and see:
Plum Island has nice board walk trails in the dunes. Go before summer on Friday or Monday for best access. However, it seems they took away the rest rooms, so be forewarned. Nearby Newburyport is a classic seaport town with a good range of eating and shopping.
A little further north up Rt 1a there are some great Lobster shack places that are great with kids - semi outside. I like Browns: http://www.brownslobsterpound.com/index.php
You can either take 95 to travel further north, or take the shore route (avoid Rt 1 unless you need to go to Home Depot or need gas)
In Portsmouth there are restaurants and shops. This might be a good place to stay. The restored village of Strawberry Banke is cool and offers something less noisy but still with a chance to move around: http://www.strawberybanke.org/home.html
Between Portsmouth and Portland (1 hr drive) there are loads of small seaside towns and beaches (for exploring more than swimming) Please avoid the outlet malls.
Portland Offers loads of museums, parks and even ferry rides.
http://www.alphamom.com/hotspots/2008/06/activities-with-kids-portland-maine.php
http://www.cascobaylines.com/route_map.htm
One great excursion is a trip to Peaks Island - a small year round island with a trail circling the island and a restaurant at the dock. The complete circuit might be too much for small kids. But the boat ride, exploring the rocky beaches and hike are fun.
Once you settle on a place you can research further for activities.
Enjoy!
- http://www.cocokeywaterresort.com/locations/fitchburg/water-park/attractions.aspx (my friends kids LOVE this place - even the brainiac kid)
- http://www.bromley.com/ (I'm no kid, but I must admit, that alpine slide looks really fun)
- http://www.polarcaves.com/index/ (spelunking lite)
These packaged places are easy but could add up with all the admission and ticket prices.
It also depends on your kids ages.
A different approach would be to find a hotel with a pool near various attractions. Near Portsmouth NH or Portland ME offer lots of things to do and see:
Plum Island has nice board walk trails in the dunes. Go before summer on Friday or Monday for best access. However, it seems they took away the rest rooms, so be forewarned. Nearby Newburyport is a classic seaport town with a good range of eating and shopping.
A little further north up Rt 1a there are some great Lobster shack places that are great with kids - semi outside. I like Browns: http://www.brownslobsterpound.com/index.php
You can either take 95 to travel further north, or take the shore route (avoid Rt 1 unless you need to go to Home Depot or need gas)
In Portsmouth there are restaurants and shops. This might be a good place to stay. The restored village of Strawberry Banke is cool and offers something less noisy but still with a chance to move around: http://www.strawberybanke.org/home.html
Between Portsmouth and Portland (1 hr drive) there are loads of small seaside towns and beaches (for exploring more than swimming) Please avoid the outlet malls.
Portland Offers loads of museums, parks and even ferry rides.
http://www.alphamom.com/hotspots/2008/06/activities-with-kids-portland-maine.php
http://www.cascobaylines.com/route_map.htm
One great excursion is a trip to Peaks Island - a small year round island with a trail circling the island and a restaurant at the dock. The complete circuit might be too much for small kids. But the boat ride, exploring the rocky beaches and hike are fun.
Once you settle on a place you can research further for activities.
Enjoy!
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