Northeastern United States

[darrcan]

I want to plan a 7 day roadtrip from the west part of NJ through the north eastern united states (vermont, new york, mass, maine, etc). It would just be my wife and I. We love fishing, golf, tennis, good food, nature etc. Any suggestions?????

[Quebec Gen]

For nice mountains sceneries and activities : Adirondacks region Upstate NY, Baxter State Park, Acadia/Bar Harbor, ME, Green Mountains, VT, White Mountains, NH.

In ME, of course, you can go sea fishing. You can go fish almost everywhere in Vermont, there are a lot of public boat ramps for fishermen, private lakes to enjoy, especially in the areas east and south of Lake Memphremagog (routes 14, 15 and 16, Barton area). If you like to fish in rivers, try the Missisquoi River near Montgomery on route 118 (be sure to check out the many covered bridges along that route). Willoughby and Crystal Lakes have great swimming areas. If you like bigger lakes, there is still Memphremagog and Champlain (NY). Near Plattsburg, NY there is a nice State Park on Lake Champlain called Pointe au Roche, the park is great for pic-nics. Check out Ausable Chasm area in NY.

Good food is everywhere, but it depends on what you are looking for. For more upscale food, stick to the cities, try the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington, VT, main street in Stowe, VT, Boston, MA, Ogunquit, ME, Portland, ME. If you like seafood try Wormwoods restaurant at Camp Ellis, near Saco, ME and the delicious lobster rolls at the little downtown shack in Kennebunk. For ice cream, try Ben & Jerry's on the Church street market place in Burlington. Try a cup of green mountain coffee and some Lake Champlain chocolates. If you feel adventurous, come north of the border, to the Auberge at Ste-Catherine-de-Hatley (Quebec). Take I-55 north, take the SR108 exit, turn right, go up the hill, the Auberge will be on your left just after the church. They have a very nice view and the food is yummy! (only 20 min north of the border). Or you could just cross the border, go to any greasy spoon and ask for a poutine. You can also go to Magog for a great vaiety of restaurants from Japanese (sushi shop if you're in a hurry ++) to Italian, Vietnamese, and French. You'll find plenty of places to play tennis and golf, especially in VT and Quebec.

Have a great trip!

Gen

[AZBuck]

Given your stated interests, I'd suggest that, at least for a good part of this trip, you settle down in one place. Fortunately, New England abounds in inns and resorts that cater to your tastes. A quick sampling of some possibilities: Waumbec Inn (Jefferson, NH), Woodstock Inn (Woodstock, VT), Mt. Washington Resort (Bretton Woods, NH), Ocean Edge Resort (Brewster, MA), Interlaken Resort (Lakeville, CT). The list could go on almost indefinitely. These tend to be a bit pricey, but the ones I'm most familiar with just exude charm, elegance and relaxation.

Due to recent family weddings in the Boston area, my wife and I have enjoyed spending 2 separate weeks in New England over the last few years. For one, we settled down in eastern Connecticut and for the other we were in north central Vermont. We then did day trips from these locations and managed to cover quite a bit of ground. You can reach many of the attractions that Gen mentions from a well located 'base camp' (or two) and those that you can't get to comfortably can be part of a more ROAD aspect of the trip at either the beginning, or end (or both).

Once you settle on a location and time (a critical variable) more specific suggestions should be forthcoming.

AZBuck