A few months ago, Husband decided we were going on a road trip this year. Completely out of the blue – I got home from work and there were books about New England on the coffee table that he’d randomly bought on a lunchtime bookshop binge. Excitedly, I got to work and had our entire route planned before he finished saying “I wonder if there are any Cheesecake Factories in Massachusetts”.
We got the big map out again on bank holiday Monday and started to finalise our plans (using a spreadsheet on the TV – ever the data nerds). We’ve already paid for three nights at the Revere Boston Common as we found a good deal, so all we had to do it come up with what we’re going to do for the rest of the two weeks. Hopefully something along the lines of the following:
Rockport, MA
We land in Boston and drive straight out to Rockport. It’s only about an hour away, so we’re starting off slow. We might do Salem, MA on the way (or maybe the day after depending on how tired the flight has made us). Being a witch obsessed teen has made me somewhat fascinated by Salem.
Wolfeboro, NH
I can’t wait to see Lake Winnipesaukee. Looks beautiful.
Boothbay Harbor, ME
If we have time, we’d love to do a boat trip out to Monhegan Island as well.
Camden, ME
We debated about whether to go to Augusta or to Camden, but decided on Camden in the end. It looks such a great town, and we’re looking forward to taking a trip to Camden Hills Park.
Conway, NH
Admittedly, there apparently isn’t much here other than an outlet village (which is enough of a draw for me), but it’s we’re we’ve decided to stop here before going across the White Mountains and the Kancamagus Highway.
Burlington, VT
Conveniently near the Ben & Jerry’s factory and The Alchemist Brewery. Fun for everyone!
Bennington, VT
We’re not sure on whether we’ll stay here, but we need somewhere halfway between Burlington and our next stop. And I have to visit the Yankee Candle flagship store. Stop laughing.
Foxwoods, CT
I’m aware that Foxwoods isn’t a town, but it is the 2nd largest casino in the USA. Those two statements don’t really have a connection. FOXWOODS!
Hyannis, MA
We’ve had to go a bit of a weird route because hotel rooms were too expensive for the nights we had planned to stay there. Hyannis is the start of our mini Cape Cod adventure.
Provincetown, MA
Right at the tip of Cape Cod. It’ll be nice to get back to being by the sea again after all that inland driving!
Providence, RI
We’re planning on doing a tour of Brown University. I always wanted to go there when I was younger. I hope they don’t mind random British university Administrators hopping on their tours.
Boston, MA
And this is where we end our trip, taking a detour to Plymouth, MA on the way from Providence. So far, I have planned on visiting the Flour Bakery, going on a Harvard tour and seeing some art. There’s an exhibition on American modernist photographers at the MFA which looks exciting. We’ll probably be exhausted by the time we get here, but hopefully we can stay awake for the last three days.
I think we’re decided on which hotels we’re going to stay at – largely independent places, but the odd chain has sneaked in. We’re not planning on spending a huge amount each night, but I think some places might test our budget a little. Trip Advisor has been a saviour in the planning, as has Trivago – I’ve seen many a hotel that I thought was out of our budget, but Trivago has managed to find us a good deal.
Plotting the towns on a map, we are just driving in a big square, and might be missing out on some amazing towns in the middle so if you have any suggestions, let me know!
Now I just need to wait another 4 months (or so) for our trip to come around. This summer is going to be hard!
(Oh, btw, it’s not really a covert operation. That’s just me quoting Buffy).
untold blisses 