Need your help for a New England trip

[ConnieVa]

My husband and I are planning a trip from Virginia to Lancaster Penn.to see Amish Country. From there we want to go to the New England states.

We will be driving and will be taking our little Maltese along. My hubby is in his early 60's and has lived in Texas most of his life. I am in my mid 50's so keep this in mind when answering. We are both down home people and are not into shopping, hiking etc but want to see the sights. Not into fancy motels as we will be only laying our heads on the pillows at night but not the bottom of the barrel either.

Our trip will be Sept 14- 20. We would rather stay out of heavy traffic. We had thought about NY but decided we want to see more nature and customs. We both love taking pictures and will be taking several camera's I think the coast might be a good choice but not sure of that.

At our age you want to take in all of the sites you can. We are at a loss and hope to get lots of replies.

Thanks
ConnieVa

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

I have lived in both Pennsylvania Dutch country and New England, so maybe I can be of some help. First off, while Lancaster makes a fine base of operations for touring that area of Pennsylvania, the Amish will not be found there or along the tacky confines of US-30, no matter how loudly the signs proclaim that this or that recreated village is 'authentic'. The Amish are a fiercely private people, and not all that open to gawking tourists. Your best bet for seeing the real Amish is to wander the back roads within the triangle roughly defined by Lancaster, Coatesville, and Oxford. Some of the towns traditionally associated with the Amish are along PA-340 such as Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse, but also wander south from there along PA-896, PA-372, and PA-472. While driving these roads, be extremely cautious, especially when topping hills or rounding curves. The horse and buggy rigs will not be going anywhere near the speed limit. Also, as noted, respect their sense of privacy and keep your photo taking as surreptitious as you can. As you drive along, pay attention to the farmhouses. The Amish ones are easy to pick out - they are meticulously maintained and have no wires connecting them to the power lines.

You have a couple of main options for getting from Lancaster to New England while still avoiding heavy traffic. One moderately direct way that still avoids New York City would be to head north along PA-10, I-176, and PA-61 to I-78 eastbound and join up with I-287 north around the western fringes of the metropolitan area. Then, with some moderately complicated navigation (described in some detail here) you can have a fairly pleasant trip around the city. A second alternative requires less navigation and stays even farther from the metro area. For this drive, you would stay on PA-61 north up to Pottsville, PA and join US-209 north through the Delaware Water Gap, and then hook up with I-84 in Milford, PA. Without knowing where you're headed in New England or your specific interests, I'll leave you here. My recommendations would be to either head for the eastern Connecticut coast around Mystic and on into Newport, RI or head northward into Vermont with Lake Champlain and Burlington as your goals. Both offer great relaxing venues and a host of photo opportunities. If either of those destinations appeals, let me know and I can offer many specifics in each area.

AZBuck