New England Road Trip

In our quest to visit all of the lower 48 states before my oldest son graduates, we made our voyage to the New England States. I’m a bit behind in sharing this trip as we visited in 2021. However, I didn’t want to miss the chance to share with you the detailed itinerary I created to make this trip as memorable as our road trip to South Dakota.

As in the past, I enjoyed planning this trip and filling it with bits of history and sports. Those seem to be the things my family really enjoys when visiting an area. And as always, getting to experience some of the local favorites is always a highlight as well.

On to our itinerary! We started this adventure in upstate New York after picking both of our kids up at their summer camp. If you’re venturing from Ohio, don’t miss stopping at Niagara Falls on the way up. (I highly recommend the American side and not the Canadian side. I’ve visited both over the last few years. If you want to know why, send me a message or leave a comment and I can go into more detail.)

New England States Road Trip Itinerary

Day 1 – Vermont

His Majesty’s Fort, VT – Looking for a place to stop for lunch, I stumbled onto this gem. With beautiful views and a nice little museum, this was a great place for us to get out of the car, relax and take in a little history.

Burlington, VT – We made a quick stop in Burlington to check out the town. We found it super crowded with very little parking, so I’m not sure we would recommend it.

Our Stay in Vermont – We stayed in an AirBnb with laundry which was key since we had just picked the boys up from camp. It was a great place for us as a family.

Day 2 – New Hampshire & Maine

Mount Washington, NH – We viewed Mount Washington from the base because of time constraints, but if we went back it would be great to book a train trip to the top!

South Bristol Maine – In researching where to stay on our trip, we wanted a couple of things. We wanted privacy and we wanted a view of the ocean. Living in Ohio, we don’t see much of the ocean, so this was a treat for us. On this day, our goal was to arrive at our destination and relax after a long few days of driving. We stayed at this AirBnb for a few days while exploring the area.

Day 3 – Maine

Maine Maritime Museum – This stop was a true highlight for us. Not only was seeing the history of shipbuilding so interesting, but right beside the museum as you drive in you can see many of the current ships being built for today in Bath!

Red’s Eats – My son likes to try the food a state is known for in the state. It’s been fun for us to find local favorites. This one, I would not recommend. The line was LONG and for no reason but for slow service. In fact we felt like it was long just to look popular. The lobster is cold – which may be how some like it. But for waiting for so long you would have thought it would have at least been a warm meal. My son’s hot dog – was the best he’s ever had, though.

Cap’n Fish Lobster Tour – We booked a boat tour – because we were in Maine! While the lobster portion of the tour was underwhelming, the boat ride was fantastic and we got to see a lot of seals. It was great to get a view of many of the lighthouses. We really enjoyed it!

Day 4 – Maine

Camden Hills State Park – Opting to get a little hiking in, we ventured to a state park. We took the hike up the Mount Battie Trail to the top of the mountain. I do not recommend it with kids. While the trail was only half a mile, it was so steep that we were on hands and knees climbing up. My husband went down on his own to bring the car up. You can drive to the top or take other trails. The views are worth it. So although we recommend visiting the park, take a different trail unless you like scaling rocks with your kids.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse – This one was a spur of the moment find, and we loved it. Lots of rocks to climb on and the views are spectacular. Highly recommend.

Shaw’s Fish and Lobster Wharf – On our way back to the AirBnb from Pemaquid, we enjoyed dinner at this restaurant. We learned more about the lobster industry here eating dinner than anywhere else. Great views and delicious food.

Day 5 – Massachusetts

Marginal Way  – On our way to Boston from Maine, we stopped at this area to walk along the cost. We hopped onto the trail at Perkins cove and just spent a half an hour walking around and stretching our legs.

Fenway Park – My boys are both very into baseball, and so our trip included a stay in Boston. Where history and sports collide! We visited Fenway Park for a baseball game and it was awesome!

Quincy, Ma – While in Boston we stayed in Quincy. It was a great spot for a quick train ride into the city to avoid the traffic. Trust me – so worth it to avoid the traffic! The Airbnb was perfect for our needs. We picked it based on location and it was great for that.

Day 6 – Massachusetts

Boston Freedom Tour – Wow! This tour was AMAZING. A lot of walking – which is an understatement but my then 12 and 9 year old did great. Highly recommend. I would go back to Boston just to spend more time there. We really enjoyed the city.

USS Constitution – We packed a lot into this day, but this added bit was worth it. My youngest son especially, really enjoyed the museum. It is definitely geared towards kids.

Day 7 – Rhode Island & Connecticut

Plymouth, MA – We booked tickets for a tour from The Jenny Interpretive Centre. One of the best tours we have every been on. Highly highly recommend!

The Breakers, RI – We did an audio tour of this area of New Port Rhode Island. It was enjoyable as we drove through. We didn’t have time to stop at any of the houses, but hope to if we return.

Hartford Yard Goats – To round out our stay, we watched the Hartford Yard Goats play in baseball. We stayed nearby in a hotel so we could walk there – and it was s surprise for our boys. Great fun!

Day 8 – Connecticut

Mark Twain Home – This home tour was amazing and special for us. My boys both like to read, so we had listened to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer on the road trip.

Day 9 – Home

We went home from Connecticut staying the night in Dubois, Pennsylvania as a halfway point. As always, we found a hotel with a pool because that is why the boys think we travel! They love the pool!

More Places in New England to Visit

We couldn’t do it all, and here’s a few places I hope we can visit in the future that looked interesting as I planned out our trip.

Acadia National Park – We were a few hours from the park but it still felt like too far after driving all the way to Maine from Ohio. It looks like a beautiful place, and we hope to visit some day.

Adams National Historical Park – We love visiting historic Presidential parks but we just didn’t have time to do it all in Massachusetts this time. I would definitely like to visit again.

Salem, MA – As the home of the Salem witch trials, we thought it would be interesting to visit but we just didn’t have time. There isn’t much there so a quick stop is all you need.

St. Ann’s Church (167 Ocean Avenue, Kennebunkport, Maine)

Printable Itinerary

As with my other trips, here is my detailed itinerary to travel to New England. It’s what we followed. If you’re looking for additional travel tips with kids, make sure to visit my South Dakota road trip where I outlined them. We used all those tips again to make this another memorable experience for our family!