"Must See's" in Northeastern States

[couvillioncindy@yahoo.com]

We are in PA and will be pulling out sometime in the beginning of April.

We have 60 days to look around the northeastern states.

I was hoping some of you experienced travelers could direct us to see the top "must see's" in this region.

Thanks for your input.

[wolfe10]

Welcome to the FMCA Forum.

Tell us what kind of things you enjoy doing-- that will give us a better ability to answer your questions.

Kids along? Enjoy outdoor stuff? History?

Brett

[winterschloss]

I'd like to join in on this one also. We're planning a NE tour this summer and I'm looking for the really good "Points of Interest" We're interested in historical sites, civil war, and interesting natural settings. Will be traveling the eastern quadrant of the US as far west as Chicago. Isn't there a list a "must see" spots in that general area?

Ken and Linda Winters

[Butch39]

Just a little note that most campgrounds in the northeastern states will not be open that early. We, at times, will have snow/cold weather in April, and may carry over into the first week in May. Generally they do not turn the water on until the second or third week in May. A word to the wise, better check first....

Won't be much to see this early, most seasonal amenities open around Memorial Day....

[tbutler]

Here are a few of the things that we have found interesting in the NE states.

The St. Lawrence Seaway in NE New York, Hwy 37 has some spectacular overlooks on the seaway. There are pull-through roadside parks that are right along the seaway. Traffic is light. We spent an afternoon and stayed over night in one of these late in the season and saw no one after about 6:00 p.m. You can watch the sun set over Canada! We started our drive with a stop at the Eisenhower Locks to watch one of the Great Lakes ships pass through the locks. Then we saw that ship again at our overnight stop. We saw the same ship three years later when we were in Duluth, MN. How cool is that?

You can continue on south and west on Hwy 3 and Hwy 104 which will give you a good look at Northern NY, a very beautiful rural area. You are right along Lake Ontario and can get to the lake for some beach time or fishing if you desire. We stayed at a park near Henderson, NY which had extensive boat docks, right on Lake Ontario. Eventually you reach Niagara Falls which is several days of exploration if you take in the US and Canadian Falls.

We enjoyed touring the Maine Coast which gets less traveled and more interesting as you go north of Acadia National Park. There are some great rugged coastal views and lobster is available everywhere. Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor are worth a stop perhaps for several days depending on your interests. The Maine coast is a fine place to spend a hot summer or part of a summer. The weather is comfortably cool. We briefly considered buying some land there for a summer parking spot but then it was about as far from our families as we could get and we were still enjoying exploring other parts of the country.

We stayed in western Maine at a campground near Dixfield. From there we explored some of the waterfalls (we sat out Hurricane Katrina as it passed over Maine - one day of heavy rain) which were putting on a roaring good show. We also went moose "hunting." Ask at a local campground for places to go in the evening to see moose.

There are numerous Revolutionary War sites to visit around Boston. We walked the Freedom Trail which is like walking through a Revolutionary War textbook. One day and you can see a whole lot of American History. There are so many sites, forts, battlegrounds, etc. that I would suggest you search the internet or visitors centers to get a few suggestions of where to start. We enjoyed touring West Point several years ago. I would put that on my list of places to see.

Cape Cod is worth a visit though you'll want to stick with the car for daytime travel as the traffic can be heavy. Provincetown at the northern tip of the peninsula has a nice monument to the pilgrims with a tower that overlooks the town and the Atlantic Ocean. The Cape Cod Canal provides a short cut from the Atlantic to Buzzards Bay. It is traveled by some spectacular yachts! There is a bike trail along both sides of the canal if you like to ride nice bicycle trails.

We stayed in Connecticut one year and took the train from Hartford into New York City, touring on our own we had a good time. Then several years ago we went back with friends. We stayed at a campground in Florida, NY which about an hour west of the city. They had a tour that operated out of the park several days each week. We were in a van with 4 other couples and a genuine New Yorker who gave us the New York treatment. We got to see a lot more of the city in a short time as he kept hustling us from place to place.

In New Hampshire/Vermont there is Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, Dixville Notch (first polling place to close in the US), Mount Washington which is a drive to the top and a museum and weather extremes. There is also a "cog railway" ride to the top or if you really want adventure you can hike!

We spent several days at Newport, RI where you can walk the seawall trail which goes behind some of the late 1800's early 1900's mansions of the famously wealthy of the time. After you walk the seawall trail, you can walk the street and see the front of those same mansions and also those across the street from them. Many of these are now open for tours.

And yes, the camping season is short in the NE. Basically the campgrounds are fully functioning from Labor Day to Memorial Day. Outside of that window you are well advised to check for status before planning your stay. You will find campgrounds in your directory that list 100's of campsites but you will find only a few available for transient campers. Many of these campgrounds have huge populations of people who stay or maintain permanent sites there. You will find many families with children who summer or weekend in these parks. This is much different than we have found in other areas of the US.

Finally I would mention that when you are on the Maine coast, you are a short ferry ride or a short drive in some places to get to the Maritime Provinces of Canada. These are worth exploring as well...

[danddferr]

In the North East there is plenty to see.

As far as campgrounds go to Normandy Farms in Foxboro, MA. It is open year round right now-- changing in 2012 it will be closed Dec-March.

From there you can easily visit Boston, The Newport Mansions, The New Bedford Whaling Museum, and Battleship Cove in Fall River, plus numerous shopping outlets.

Anyone need more info please feel free to contact me.

This is our neck of the woods and we love to share our gems.

Dan