Suggestions needed for mini-road trip from Boston to NYC

[burninmylight78]

Hi,
My friend and I are planning a mini 6-day road trip in August; we'll be flying in to Boston and we want to see as much as possible in the New England area before going to NYC. We definitely want to spend a couple of days in Boston and the surrounding suburbs, and we also plan on visiting a friend in Vermont, so we're basically going to have a full 3 days to drive down to NYC. I would really appreciate any suggestions regarding scenic routes and places to visit along the way.
Thanks :)

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

The simple fact is that it's almost impossible to find a non-scenic route in northern New England. So, leaving aside one of your three days for visiting with your friend, and one day for the actual driving (half day to 'Vermont', half day to NYC), what you really need are some routes with things to see and do along them. It would help, of course, if I knew where in Vermont you were going, but for the sake of general suggestions I assume it's somewhere in the Montpelier/Stowe/Burlington area. Again, you really can't go wrong once you get out of the major cities, but MA-2/MA-2A, the Mohawk Trail, west to US-5 north through the Connecticut River Valley to VT-14 north to Montpelier and US-2 to Burlington if needed will keep you on very pleasant roads all the way while never being too far from an Interstate should you run out of time to dawdle. That route also takes you by Lexington and Concord, Historic Deerfield, the Vermont State Craft Center, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Quechee Gorge, and the famous floating bridge in Brookfield, VT.

Between 'Vermont' and NYC you can't do better than VT-100 south through the heart of the state to VT-9 west into New York, NY-22 south to the Chathams and finishing up on the Taconic Parkway into the city. Along the way are the President Coolidge Homestead, the Vermont Country Store, Bennington Battlefield, the Shaker Museum, Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, and the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

AZBuck

[burninmylight78]

Thanks for the welcome and for the great suggestions!

I guess I wasn't really clear about VT, sorry. My friend goes to Dartmouth and is looking for a place in VT that's close enough for him to commute to school/work, so it's definitely going to be near the state border, if that helps.

[AZBuck]

OK - then you're going to be in the Hanover area, near Quechee Gorge, and the directions from Boston are still the way I would go (not the shortest, but a relaxing drive). Then from Hanover backtrack to White River Junction and take VT-14 up to North Royalton and VT-107 over to VT-100 south and continue as previously indicated.

AZBuck

[burninmylight78]

Thank you again, AZBuck!

[rogerskevin]

You'll find plenty of things to do in Boston to fill your three days there. I would recommend starting off by walking the Freedom Trail. It's a great walking tour of the best historical sites in the city, and it will help you get oriented and take note of neighborhoods you want to explore further.