Ship of Fools: New England in May - any recommendations gratefully received

Thread: New England in May - any recommendations gratefully received Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by HughWillRidmee (# 15614) on :

My partner and I are expecting to visit her relatives in MA during May/early June.

The plan is to spend a week or so with them in a resort (perhaps Rockport?) and then do our own thing before flying out from Boston. In that three weeks on our own we'd like to see/experience as much as is reasonable for a fairly active, retired couple with rented wheels. I doubt we will repeat the exercise. Current thinking is to establish three week-long bases from which to explore.

Any advice about what and where a couple of hard-boiled atheists who are into scenery, history, architecture, art (she is), museums and trains might enjoy themselves whilst there would be very much appreciated.

Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on :

It may or may not be your thing, but I spent a little time in Burlington, Vermont last June and had a lovely day riding the bike trail that runs along Lake Champlain and then into the Lake for a couple of miles (ie, you have water on either side of you). The lake trail is quite flat. There are a couple of connecting trails as well, some of them will have a bit more of a hill. Bicycles can be hired at 2 or 3 places in Burlington.

Boston itself is pretty great in my opinion. The Freedom Trail is definitely full of history, and the Boston Musem of Fine Arts is very good - especially as your ticket is good for 2 visits. And go to Harvard to see the glass flowers.

[ 13. January 2014, 01:10: Message edited by: orfeo ]

Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :

It's been several decades since I lived in the Boston Area but I think there are still things I can suggest with the caveat that you should check that they haven't vanished since I enjoyed them.

Spring is hard to predict. It can come and be lovely and green or switch from mud to hot and

Upper New England. The shore (Rockport) and the forests are both iconic. lobster, shore dinner and a fried clams are both good and the various chowders. Check RoadFood.com for inexpensive options on the highway.

I've not visited much of Vermont, which is a great state. If you are interested in the history of machine shops, check out the museum of American Precision

Boston has a lot of things, many organized for tourists. Durgin Park is a restaurant which has been around since the mid 19th century and has traditional cuisine from a time when tomato aauce was considered spicy. The Indian pudding and baked beans are both classic choices. It's in the Quincy marketplace which is touristy but worth wondering around. The downtown historical sites are organize into "The Freedom Trail" which are tourist sites with explanations. Boston is a heavily modified city and entirely created Back Bay, especially the architecture of Copley Square and the North End are worth wandering through. The Olmstead parks comprising the emerald necklace are worth walking starting with the Boston Common and the Public Garden. It's a lot easier to use the subway system downtown than drive since Boston drivers are notoriously bad.

Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Palimpsest:
It's a lot easier to use the subway system downtown than drive since Boston drivers are notoriously bad.

And also because the subway system is an absolute breeze. Seriously, it was one of the best I encountered on my travels, mainly because there was clear and plentiful signposting. The morning after I arrived I was already hopping my way across town using multiple lines and not getting lost.

Posted by HughWillRidmee (# 15614) on :

Many thanks folks

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :

My DP, who lived in Maine for over a decade, seconds the suggestion about visiting Vermont.

She'd also suggest Portland, ME, which is the most hip/cosmopolitan city in that state -- a great food scene, "cultcha," and scenic ocean views -- and some of the other little coastal resort areas in that vicinity.

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

I like Concord, New Hampshire very much. In the 19th century the Wells Fargo stage coaches were built in Concord and shipped west on flatcars.

They have a restored Concord coach at the Historical Society, which is in downtown Concord.

Moo

Posted by Dogwalker (# 14135) on :

What are you interested in? Some guidelines could make recommendations easier.

Besides what’s been mentioned, the USS Constitution is a must if you’re interested in naval history. There’s also a WW II destroyer there, and the battleship USS Massachusetts and several other ships are at Battleship Cove in Fall River.

Plimouth Plantation and Old Sturbridge Village are “living history” museums – Plimouth set in 1627 and OSV in the 1830s.

Both Lowell and the Blackstone Valley, from Worcester to Providence RI, have museums relating to the growth of American manufacturing.

Churches? Boston has several worth seeing, either because of their historical connections or architecture. Trinity Church Boston in Copley Square is lovely, in my opinion. Old North Church has connections to Paul Revere’s ride. Old South Church is where they met before the Boston Tea Party.

You will soon realize that you lot are the “bad guys” in a lot of Boston history. But it’s not always that simple: in a cemetery near Boston Common, several graves are marked with the Union Jack.

By all means, go to Vermont. One of my favorite things to do in Burlington in nice weather is to cross Lake Champlain on the ferry from there to Port Kent, NY. It’s relatively expensive by car, but they take walk-ons. If you do take the car, drive north towards Plattsburg, and take the Cumberland Head ferry back to Vermont. You’ll drive through the Champlain Islands, which I think is one of the nicest parts of the state.

The Shelburne Museum, just south of Burlington, is also fun.

If the weather cooperates, consider driving to the top of Mt Washington in New Hampshire, or Mt Mansfield in Vermont. (May could be early for that.) If you do, be prepared for VERY different weather at the top.

New England has a lot of strange things that only the locals know about. Go to Bristol, VT and see the Lord’s Prayer rock. Go to Derby Line and see the Haskell Opera House, with the stage in the US and the audience in Canada. Check out the Round Church in Richmond.

In Massachusetts, you could see the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History at Regis College in Weston, MA, just west of Boston.

I could continue on for a long time, but you get the idea. Everything I've mentioned can be found online; rather than making the host's lives miserable with a bunch of links, I'll let you search for anything that interests you.

One last thought: contact the state tourism boards for information. They're happy to send maps and so on.

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