New England, July 2022, ~2.5 Weeks

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Originally Posted by glc

Billy, they are driving back to STL, no round trip air.

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OOPS - Didn't catch that part :)

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Originally Posted by Mass Tim

And from my last trip into New York state, it seems at least some parts of the state still have toll booth gates.

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As of later last year the NY Thruway has gone entirely EZ Pass or pay by plate. The bridges across the Hudson (which are only tolled going West to East outside the Thruway Berkshire Spur one) are slowly converting but should all be that way sometime soon. I think many of the places in/around NYC have switched as well, but not sure if all have (there are quite a few bridges/tunnels etc. down that way).

First of all, thank you all for responding, and I apologize for taking so long to check back in.

As glc said, I am driving the round trip and my wife and daughter would be flying in to some appropriate airport and then driving back with me. We have done this a couple times in the past for trips to California and I enjoy some solo time on the road (and my wife doesn't mind - she keeps telling me to get out on my own more)

Buck: If I had to prioritize, I would probably prefer concentrating on ME, NH, VT and leaving Mystic/Newport/etc. for a future trip - perhaps in a few years when our daughter is off to college and we are not constrained so much by the school year.

Also: I really, really want to avoid Logan if at all possible - the last time we flew into Logan, several years ago, an old friend picked us up and watching her drive back from Logan into Somerville was an experience. There are very few places in the US/Canada I would actively avoid driving and Boston is top of the list - although public transit back to Logan was no issue as I recall.

Looking at flights, it is very easy for us to avoid Logan and we would be looking to go into Portland as our first choice as my wife has a bunch of Southwest points that can be used to get into there (but I will check Bangor too hadn't thought of that - thanks glc)

For reasons that are too long to get into, 4th of July probably doesn't work for my wife and daughter due to my daughter's time constraints in STL. I could likely be somewhere in Northern New England, but it wouldn't work for my wife and daughter. (I actually grew up in a very small town myself, albeit in the West) and have very fond memories of the 4th of July parade...)

As for Cooperstown, I would be looking to drop by on the way East (I am the baseball fan - I will spare my family) so I would miss the Induction ceremony by a long way,

Also: Billy, thanks for the framing of Albany to Acadia in a day - that helps me get some scale. I usually travel in the West and I guess I was thinking that the going would be a good deal slower in New England

Southwest doesn't service Bangor. They do service Albany, Hartford, Manchester, Portland, Providence, Rochester, Syracuse, and Logan. If you are going to Cooperstown anyway, Albany would be very convenient, it's about 75 miles east - then head on into VT, NH, and ME. If you would rather go through NH and VT on the way back, then Portland would make more sense.

OK, It looks like your trip is starting to firm up. So at this point you should be looking, I think, for a basic backbone of your RoadTrip that lets your wife and daughter fly into whichever airport works out best for the three of you, see as much as you comfortably can of northern New England, and finally return to St. Louis. So, assuming you'll be flying into one of the airports that have been discussed so far, what might such a drive look like?

Your initial goal should be to get to Portland, whether to pick up your family or to start the main portion of your trip. If they fly into Syracuse, Albany or Hartford, then you might want to head for MA-2 across northern Massachusetts to I-495/I-95 north. If your family is with you at this point, there are some nice beaches along the New Hampshre coast including Hampton Beach and Rye Beach. Next up is the quintessential New England lighthouse in York, ME. And things just get better after Portland.

Using I-295 out of Portland to Brunswick would put you on US-1 along the 'rock-ribbed' coast of Maine. As i noted in my initial response, there are a few less-visited peninsulas northeast ('Down East') of Portland including those leading to Boothbay Harbor, South Bristol, and Pemaquid Point. Of course, the more popular distination is Acadia National Park, which for you might mark a turn-around point for heading back through inland northern New England.

From Ellsworth, I'd suggest looking at US-1A to Bangor and then US-2 into northern New Hampshire. There a drive to the top of Mount Washington would be in order. In Jefferson NH there are a couple of small amusement parks that would be perfect for a young child. Continuing west, you should consider driving to/through Stowe, the Trapp Family Lodge (the Baron and Maria von Trapp are buried in a small private cemetary on the grounds), and Smugglers Notch ending up on the shore of Lake Champlain.

Now, depending on how much time you have to get back to St. Louis, you can either take a 'direct' route such as I-87/I-84/I-81/I-80/I-71/I-70, or you could continue taking scenic roads and visit Gettysburg, the Shenandoah Valley, New River Gorge and Mammoth Cave.

But, again, that's just one possibility out of many.

AZBuck