Notheast Trip Reccomendations OT

kl8ton

Looking for any recommendations for must see or must do for our upcoming NE trip.  We leave in a week or less.  We kind of fly by the seat if our pants.   We're a family of 8. We tend to shy away from big city and we gravitate towards National parks, nature, views,  small towns, etc.  

We are starting in west Michigan and plan to hit Niagara Falls area,  finger lakes in NY, spend time in Maine, Nova Scotia, and Bay of Fundy. 

This time of year we should not have issues finding campsites.  We should see some nice color too. 

We plan on Acadia while in Maine. 

I am visiting a customer in London ON too.


Thanks in advance. 

SamIAm2

Wife, son, and I visited Dundas Castle in London ON years ago and had a really nice time. Beautiful place and gardens.

Acn

While you're at Acadia check out Schoodic Point as well, it is a different segment of the park that is on the mainland, not on MDI.  Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain is a must, and I love biking along the carriage roads.  For trails, the Jordan Pond Path and Bubble hikes are great and pretty family friendly.  Depending on how old all the kids are and your comfort level with heights, the Precipice trail is amazing.

Also in Maine, I'd highly recommend Camden - it's a little town on Penobscot Bay that has a really nice walkable downtown and there is a state park right there.  The view of the bay from the top of Mt. Battie is phenomenal.  Greenville and the Moosehead Lake area is great, as is the Millinocket/Baxter State Park area.  If that is something you might be interested, I'd do some research - the name is Baxter State Park, but it isn't part of the state park system, it is run by a 3 person authority and has different rules and limitations.

On your way to Canada, check out West Quoddy Head Light (the easternmost point in the contiguous US), and I definitely recommend Roosevelt Campobello International Park.  My daughter loved Tea with Eleanor, which was tea and cookies while docents spoke about her life.

Mt Washington in New Hampshire is worth a visit; it has some of the most extreme weather on the planet (the highest wind speed ever recorded at a surface weather station - 231 mph - was captured there in 1934).  If you want to try and hike it, be way overprepared, it is probably the most dangerous small mountain in the country.

CornfedMA

Great recommendations above.

If you’re coming down the NYS Thruway on the way to Maine, the best small town stops are over the state line in Mass. Specifically, the Berkshires- Sheffield, Great Barrington, Lenox, etc. Some good small restaurants, breweries, B&B’s and camping areas. If you’re coming through in a couple weeks, you’ll see a lot of color. Things are just starting to turn now.

If you want to get into some small, old northeast sea towns, you can’t beat Newburyport MA, Portsmouth NH or Portland, ME. Although Portland has grown a bunch lately, so it’s more of a small city, but the old port area is a great time.  

fishlessman

first train up mt washington is a coal fired steam cog.  bobs clam shack in kittery, the clam shack in kennebunk,  bay haven in cornish maine is the hidden gem for fried clams etc and is close to mt washington, the kangamangus, and north cornway.  the pubs in the old port are great

fishlessman

find this beer

fruitguy

I would suggest Letchworth State Park. It is about 14,000 acres. It is sometimes called the Grand Canyon of the east. Great for hikes. They also have ballon rides but this time off year is tough with the weather as the wind needs to be in single digits. 

fruitguy

There is also the Adirondack Park also in NY. Six million acres the places to visit are endless. 

Foghorn

fishlessman said:

find this beer

This cannot be overstated.

The Allagash website can help you find it.

3 bottles fit easily in your suitcase.  Or so I've heard.

Eggcelsior

I highly recommend the Adirondacks in NY and the Presidential range in NH. I’ll never forget my Mt Washington trip. It was on of the clearest days on record. At the summit, we could see Montreal looking northwest and Boston to the east/southeast.

Carolina Q

I assume you won't be heading up I-95 through Connecticut. But if you are, you might want to stop in New Haven for pizza. Frank Pepe's, Modern Apizza and Sally's come to mind. Try the white clam. Pepe's is famous for it, not sure about the others. Surprisingly delicious!

If you're a Norman Rockwell fan, his museum is in Stockbridge Mass, just off the Mass Pike (I-90). I visited once, many years ago, and don't really remember much about the visit except my inlaws were annoying. Also, there is NOTHING else to do in Stockbridge. But if you like small towns, Rockwell and art museums... https://www.nrm.org

Also, Old Sturbridge Village is just a bit further along in Sturbridge. A  Williamsburg type colonial recreation. https://www.osv.org

If you are in Freeport ME and want to visit LL Bean, consider a midnight visit. NO customers and free coffee.  I assume they're still open 24x7 anyway.  During the day, it's a madhouse! We used to drive thru there once or twice a year, headed up the coast for camping/fishing. We'd leave here after work, pull into Freeport about midnight and stop at LLB for last minute supplies and fishing licenses. That's when we discovered the relaxed experience - and the coffee. Been to Beans many times - those were the only visits that weren't hectic.

Freeport used to be a sleepy little village, Bean's was a rickety old barn and there was nothing else there (except a drug store/lunch counter with great ham salad sandwiches). With Bean's increasing popularity over the years, the town is now like outlet city, but I don't recall the other stores staying open all night. Been quite a while since I went thru.

Oh, on Main Street, just a block or two north of Bean's is McDonald's. The town wouldn't allow it unless they made it look like the surrounding structures. So, they bought an old house and turned it into a fast food joint. I ate there once. Nice place - food's the same.
Can't go to Maine without getting a lobstah roll. Never been there, but Red's Eats in Wiscasset is supposed to be good. Hole in the wall, as they all are. Plenty of other places along the way too.

Enjoy your trip!

kingsmoke

On your way to Niagara Falls there is a great drive thru African Safari. you would have go thru Port Huron instead of Detroit. https://lionsafari.com/

kl8ton

Thanks all. Time to do some planning! 

smak

Acn said:

...Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain is a must...

As an alternative to this...   If you park at the Gorham Mountain Trail parking lot, you can walk across the road to the shoreline at watch the sunrise in solitude.

Then you can hike the Gorham Mountain Trail (about 2 miles), see more great views, and then be ready for breakfast.

Great way to start the day.