New England Road Trip - Martha's Vineyard (Day4-6)

Every time we take a road trip, we always look back and ask ourselves what our favorite part was and what we would want to see and do again in the future.  On this trip, the answer to that question is Martha’s Vineyard.  We had such a lovely time visiting the Vineyard.  We would love to go back again sometime and stay at least two or three full days.  Even though our schedule said that MV was on days 4-6 of our trip, we really only had one full day to spend on MV. 

 

 

After catching an evening ferry ride to MV on Wednesday, we checked into Menemsha Inn for a relaxing evening together.  Menemsha is a more secluded part of the island and was about a twenty minute drive from the ferry.  We were actually able to catch an earlier ferry than what we had planned, so that gave us a little more time to relax once we checked into our room.  Menemsha Inn was the least romantic, but most reasonably priced place we stayed on this trip.  It was certainly nicer than a Comfort Inn, but I would describe it as more practical than romantic.  I found the room to feel a little dated, but it was nice overall.  And of course, all of the buildings on the grounds had the classic MV look to them.  Our room had a standard sleeping area, bathroom, living area and balcony with a beautiful view of the sunset over the water.  Breakfast was buffet style and was pretty good.  The inn was a fifteen minute walk from the beach if you followed the trails, or less than a five minute drive.  The main reason why I would stay at Menemsha Inn again is because guests get a pass to Lucy Vincent Beach.  This beach is maybe a ten minute drive from the inn.  It is a private beach and one of the most beautiful places on the island.  We were the only ones on the beach the morning that we were there.  It was my favorite place that we went to on this part of our trip, and if we would have not stayed at Menemsha Inn, we probably would have missed out on seeing such a beautiful place.

 

We ate lunch in Edgartown, a quaint well-kept town with cute shops and places to eat.  We then spent the afternoon basking in the sun on South Beach.  South Beach is a public beach, but it is such a long beach that it felt very quiet and secluded to us.  Unlike the rocks and boulders found along the cliffs of Lucy Vincent Beach, South Beach was a flat sandy beach surrounded by tall grasses.  The water was too cold for us to go swimming.  There were people getting in the water, but I thought it was way too cold for that.  We took this trip in the middle of June, and it was perfect weather for relaxing on the beach with a good book or taking a nap with the waves crashing and ocean breeze blowing, but it was still a little too chilly for swimming.

 

And because the beach is one of my favorite places to be, when we arrived back to our room, we cleaned up and drove down to Menemasha Beach to watch the sunset over the ocean.  It is the best place to watch the sunset on the island.  The beach quickly fills up with onlookers who have packed a picnic dinner, brought their grills for a beach cookout or grabbed takeout from The Bite, all with the intent of enjoying good company, eating great food and watching a beautiful view as the sun slowly slips away over the horizon.  We chose to watch the sunset from our beach shared as we shared a bowl of clam chowder, an order of fried clams and a fish sandwich from The Bite.  The Bite is a little shack by the beach and is highly recommended as one of the best places to grab fresh beach-shack food on the island.  It was pretty good food, but the view and the company made it taste even better.

 

After breakfast on Friday morning, we checked out of the inn, took a ferry ride back to Woods Hole, and said good bye to the island that made me feel happy and relaxed with all of its beauty.  We were on the road by noon and we spent the next sixteen hours driving back towards home.  Martha’s Vineyard was the perfect way to end our final road trip as a family of two.  I will always look back on this trip with fond memories and see it as one of the last adventures we were able to take together before we had kids.  Looking back, this trip is even more special to me now than it was then. 

 

 

Below are is our MV itenerary and a few pictures from this part of our trip.

 

Summer Vacation

New England Road Trip

Day 4 Part 2

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Stop at Four Seas Ice Cream, Cape Cod around 7:00 p.m. (40 min)

              360 S. Maine Street, Centerville, Ma

              508-7775-1394

Arrive at Steamship Authority – Woods Hill by 8:30 p.m. (43 min)

              1 Railroad Ave, Woods Hill, MA 02543

              Parking $24 for two days

Ferry Ride to Martha’s Vineyard ($32 for two)

              Departs Wood Hills 9:45 p.m.

              Arrives Vineyard Havens 11:00 p.m.

Check into Menemesha Inn ($280 for two nights)

              12 Menemesha Inn Rd, Chilmark, Dukes, MA 02535

              508-645-2521

Dinner and relaxing evening in cabin

Summer Vacation

New England Road Trip

Day 5

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Walk the trails down to the beach
Breakfast at the inn
Drive to Lucy Vincent Beach for the morning

Drive to Edgartown for lunch at Among the Flowers Café

              17 Mayhew Lane, Edgartown Ma

Walk the town and visit the shops
Drive to South Beach in Edgartown for the afternoon

Dinner back at The Bite on Menemesha Beach

               29 Basin Road, Menemesha Ma

Sunset on Menemesha Beach

Summer Vacation

New England Road Trip

Day 6

Friday, June 21, 2013

Breakfast at the inn and check out

Ferry Ride ($32 for both)

              Departs Vineyard Haven

              Arrives Wood Hills

Travel towards home

Pack cooler with lunch on the road

Drive straight through the night or stop and get a hotel for the night and finish driving on Saturday

 

 

New England Road Trip - Kennebunkport, ME (Days 3-4)

When I began planning our New England road trip, there were some iconic New England cuisines that I new I wanted try.  For example, I knew I needed to try Boston clam chowda, a New England lobster roll, fried clams, and of course Maine lobster.  To eat a traditional Maine lobster dinner, our journey needed to take us to Maine.

For this part of our trip, I chose to stay in Kennebunkport.   One reason for that is because Kennebunkport is located in the southeast part of Maine, so we didn’t have to drive too far up the coast to find our lobster dinner.  But in my research, Kennebunkport also had a few other things that I found to be attractive.  The actual town itself is small and kind of touristy, with several little gift shops.  It made for a quiet place to take an evening walk.  Plus it is on the coast, so it offered us a place to walk the beautiful rocky beaches and take in the scenery of the Northeast.   

 

Kennebunkport even has whale watching tours, although we chose to go whale watching a few hours south, in order to fit whale watching into our schedule. Whale watching is a three hour tour, so after leaving Maine, we stopped at 7 Seas Whale Watch off the coast of Massachusetts, just before stopping at Plymouth to see historical Plymouth Rock, which is actually just a rock placed in a gated area for tourist to see.  I wish there would have been more whales to see, but we did get to follow two or three whales that day.  They are beautiful and magnificent creatures up close.  It was definitely an adventure worth our time and money.

Kennebunkport also offered us my idea of a classic Maine lobster dinner.  Newman’s Lobster Hut is about as casual as it gets, just as I imagined it to be.  In my research, it was one of the best places to grab a traditional lobster dinner in Maine.  I had never had lobster before this trip.  Lobsters make for a filling meal and are not exactly cheap, so I ordered a salad and Matt ordered a lobster for us to “share”, although you really aren’t supposed to share a meal at Numan’s.  There wasn’t much sharing though, because after a few bites, I discovered that I was not much of lobster fan.  I didn’t care for the taste, but when in Rome, right?  I mean, you can’t go to Maine and not try lobster.

While I might not have loved the taste of the traditional lobster dinner, I did have the best meal of the entire trip in Kennebunkport.  If ever visiting this coastal town, one must stop by the Clam Shack and try the fried clams.  They are fabulous!  The Clam Shack has been featured on the Food Network, and their fried clams didn’t disappoint.  It is literally just a little shack in town, where you walk up to the window and order, wait for your food to come out piping hot and then eat at the outdoor picnic tables nearby.  We also tried a lobster roll from the Clam Shack.  It was prepared much differently than the traditional lobster rolls of Boston.  The Clam Shack prepares a much more simple roll, but just as tasty as the traditional lobster roll.  While I might not care for a traditional lobster dinner, I do like lobster rolls.  Mayonnaise makes everything better.

For me, the best part of Kennebunkport was the cottage where we stayed. The Cottages of Cabot Cove offer a variety of small, picturesque cottages for lodging.   When I say small, I mean small.  Only a few hundred square feet, and yet they all offer a living area, kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area.  When you hear the square footage you think tiny, but then you walk up to the cottage and you see cozy.  The cottages are actually all really close together, but they appear much more private thanks to great landscaping. The grounds also offer a place to go kayaking or row boating.  The Cottages of Cabot Cove was the coziest place we stayed on this trip. as well as the most hospitable. Even though we brought our own food to cook, the “breakfast fairy” comes around in the morning and hangs a bag of yummy muffins, juice, yogurt and other snacks on the door.  Ok, it was really just a worker hanging a bag of goodies on our door, but the idea of calling her the "breakfast fairy" makes the concept seem so much more enchanting.   If I was just looking to relax and do nothing on vacation, this would have been a good place to do just that.  I could have easily curled up in my tiny little cottage and read a good book, penned an entry in my journal or typed a blog entry on my laptop.   While I’m not sure that Maine was my favorite stop on this trip (it was a little too chilly for me, considering it was the middle of June), it was by far my favorite place of lodging on this trip.  Yes, the cottage was priced a bit high, but I think it was worth it.  It was at least worth splurging a little for one night.

Summer Vacation

The Northeast Coast

Day 3 Part 2

Tuesday, June 19, 2013

Check into the Cottages at Cabot Cove 4:00 p.m. ($239 a night)

              www.cabotcovecottages.com       

              7 South Main Street, Kennebunkport, ME

Shops on Dock Square 6:00 p.m.     

Dinner – Nunan’s Lobster Hut at 7:00 ($30 for two)

              www.nunanslobsterhut.com

              9 Mills Road Kennebunport, ME 04046

Relaxing evening in cottages

 

Summer Vacation

The Northeast Coast

Day 4 Part 1

Wednesday, June 20, 2013

 

Make breakfast in cottage

Relaxing morning on the Cove

Lunch at the Clam Shack at 10:00 am ($30 for two)

              (lobster roll $16.75, fried clam roll $8.95, lg. cole slaw, $3.75)

              www.theclamshack.net

              PO Box 620C Kennebunkport, ME 04046

Leave ME after lunch, drive towards Gloucester, MA (1 hr. 45 min)

Stop at Lighthouses in NH

7 Seas Whale Watching ($96 for two)

                http://7seaswhalewatch.com.

              63 Rogers Street, Gloucester, MA                

              888-283-1776

              Tour Leaves at 1:30 and is about 3 hours long

              Boat Starts boarding at 12:30

Stop in Plymouth around 5:00 p.m. (1 hr. 39 min)

New England Road Trip - Boston, MA (Days 2-3)

Anytime we take a road trip, I always plan a combination of quiet sleepy towns and the hustle and bustle of the city.  The reason for that is because I prefer visiting quiet and peaceful scenery that help me relax, but Matt prefers visiting a big city where there is lots to see and do.  We had already been to NYC together, so for this road trip we spent twenty-four hours in Boston.

 

Boston is such a beautiful and historic city.  We arrived in the afternoon and checked into our hotel, just as planned.  The hotel was a cute boutique hotel in a safe area within walking distance to everything we wanted to see.  Once we parked the car at a nearby parking garage, we didn’t need to do anymore driving until we were ready to leave the city.

Even though I had planned out every detail of this vacation, we actually diverted from the planned itinerary for this part of our trip.  Rather than catching the train and heading across town for dinner, like we had planned, we decided to just walk the city and find a place to eat as we explored.  The reason for that is because I didn’t make reservations for dinner, and we were on limited time to see everything we wanted to see in Boston. 

 

We spent the evening walking around the historic part of the city.  This meant that we didn’t need to take the Freedom Trail tour the falling morning, like we had planned, because we actually followed the trail that evening while exploring the city.  The trail is easy to follow.  No need to pay money for a tour guide unless you want to stick to their schedule and hear all of the things that you have probably already read in your history books.

Along the way we stopped for dinner at Pagliuca's Restaurant.  We actually only stopped here, because we got caught in a torrential downpour.  Seriously, I’m talking raining cats and dogs.  The kind of rain where an umbrella is of little use to you. Dripping wet, we entered one of the first little Italian places we saw.  I ordered the lobster ravioli, and it was really good.  After dinner, the rain had passed and a rainbow appeared over the city.  Before heading back to our hotel for the evening, we stopped by a local bakery and shared a Boston cream pie.

The following morning, we enjoyed more of the modern part of the city.  We walked to “the Common”, a park in the middle of the city, and enjoyed the beautiful public gardens nearby.  From there we walked to China Town, where of course my husband had to stop for a little snack of dim sum.  Afterwards, we headed towards the financial district and walked along the pier, before finishing our afternoon at Faneuil Hall Marketplace where we enjoyed our first ever lobster roll and Boston clam chowda, which was delicious. 

After lunch we walked back to the car and started driving towards our next stop, Maine.  Along the way, we made a quick stop in Salem.  We weren’t there very long.  There really wasn’t much to do there.  It was just some place I wanted to go, so I could say I had been to the infamous town of the historic Salem witch trials.

And that was how we spent twenty-four hours in Boston.  Below is the basic itinerary and a few pictures from this part of our trip.

 

Summer Vacation

New England Road Trip 

Day 2 Part 2

Monday, June 18, 2013

Travel to Boston at 1:00 p.m. (3hrs. 10 min. / 146.76mi)

Check into Bulfinch Hotel at 4:00 p.m.

              107 Merrimac St. Boston, MA 02114

              (617) 624- 0202

              Govt/Rate w/cont.breakfast ($201 + $30 parking)

Take the T to and from Dinner ($10)

              www.mbta.com/rider_tools/trip_planner/

Dinner at Rino’s Place ($35 )

              www.rinosplace.com

              258 Saratogo Street – E Boston, MA 02128

              617-567-7512

Enjoy a restful evening in hotel

Summer Vacation

New England Road Trip

Day 3 Part 1

Tuesday, June 19, 2013

Breakfast in hotel

Sightsee Boston – Freedom Trail

              Walk 10 min. from hotel to Faneuil Hall

              www.thefreedomtrail.org/book-tour/public-tours.shtml

              90 Minute Tour begins at 10:30 ($26 for two)

Boston Chowda for lunch at Faneuil Hall

              Lobster roll, clam chowder ($20 for two)

Leave Boston around 1:00 p.m. and drive to Salem (30 min)

Visit Salem from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

              www.salem.org

Leave Salem and drive towards Kennebunkport stopping for groceries along the way (1 hr. 30 min.)

 

 

 

New England Road Trip - Kent, CT (Days 1-2)

 

When I decided I was going to plan a New England Road Trip, I wanted to find a quaint Connecticut town.  Back when the show Gilmore Girls was airing, I was a huge fan.  Actually, I still am a fan.  I could sit down and watch an entire season in one day.  The show always makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Part of the reason for that is because of the writing of Amy Sherman-Palladino, with her witty characters, such as Lorelei and Rory.  But the other reason is because of the picturesque setting of the fictional town Stars Hollow, and all of the quirky towns people that come along with the small Connecticut town with only one stop light, a book store, Kim’s Antiques, Luke’s Diner and of course the Dragon Fly Inn.

 

In my research, I found a real Connecticut inn that had the look and feel of what I was wanting, placed perfectly in a small Connecticut town. The Inn at Kent Falls was definitely pricy, but the website had me sold with its charm.  Was it really worth the money?  Probably not.  We wouldn’t go back again, if that’s what you are asking, but that’s simply because it is priced really high.  I have no regrets going for one night for one time in my life though.  It was a lovely little bed and breaskfast.  Breakfast was very mediocre, considering the high rates. The inn itself was just a large home converted to a B&B, but they did an excellent job with the interior design.  It had a very "Pottery Barn" feel to it.  We were the only guests there for our one night stay, so we had the whole place to ourselves.  The room was small, but the bathroom was to die for!  I loved that claw foot soaking tub with the old fireplace right beside it!

 

The town of Kent was small and quaint with only one stop light, making it a charming sleepy little New England town.  Kent Falls State Park was a five minute drive from the inn.  The park was small, with a lovely little trail leading to the top of the falls. The falls were a perfect place to sit with a picnic, enjoying food and conversation with the one you love.

 

Below is our itenerary for Kent, Ct. and a few pictures from that part of our trip.

 

 

Summer Vacation

New England Road Trip

Day 1

Sunday, June 16, 2013 

Leave the house at 4:00 a.m. (12 hrs. / 735 mi.)

             Breakfast and Lunch on the road

             Bathroom break around Scranton PA 

Stop at Alexis Diner for take-out at 4:00 p.m. ($20)

              www.thealexisdiner.com

              5023 Rte. 9W. Newburgh, NY

Drive to The Inn at Kent Falls and check in at 5:30 p.m.

(1 hr. / 43 mi.)

                   www.theinnatkentfalls.com

                   Lake Suite - $350 a night

                   107 Kent Cornwall Road, Kent, CT 06757

              860-927-3239

Spend the evening enjoying the inn and the grounds



Summer Vacation

New England Road Trip

Day 2 Part 1

Monday, June 17, 2013

Breakfast at the Inn

Spend the morning enjoying the inn and grounds

Checkout around 10:00 a.m.

Pack a picnic and explore Kent Falls State Park

              462 Kent Cornwall Rd, Kent CT 06757

              Free on the weekdays