Help me plan an October road trip from DC to Boston!
September 6, 2015 10:22 AM Subscribe
We're driving up for a wedding from DC to Boston, and decided to take our time on our way north! What are some fun attractions along the route that we could hit? We'll be driving on 95, past Philly, NYC, New Haven, and Providence. Our interests tend towards the foodie, the wacky, and the scenic. We're open to driving off the route for a ways. Hive mind, what are your suggestions?
If you are actually going to Boston, going thru Hartford and Sturbridge is quicker. I'm guessing you wedding is actually a bit south of Beantown.
You could look up all the places Guy Fieri has gone on Triple D, and eat at as many as you can. I know there is at least one in coastal CT, and a couple in Providence.
Otherwise, there are famous pizza places in New Haven. Providence has a population of Portugese/Cape Verde descent, so you might find an interesting restaurant, though I can't suggest any.
There are some big beach parks along the CT coast, if you want to stretch your legs.
The CT casinos are not far off your route.
posted by SemiSalt at 3:57 PM on September 6, 2015
You could look up all the places Guy Fieri has gone on Triple D, and eat at as many as you can. I know there is at least one in coastal CT, and a couple in Providence.
Otherwise, there are famous pizza places in New Haven. Providence has a population of Portugese/Cape Verde descent, so you might find an interesting restaurant, though I can't suggest any.
There are some big beach parks along the CT coast, if you want to stretch your legs.
The CT casinos are not far off your route.
posted by SemiSalt at 3:57 PM on September 6, 2015
Best answer: This drive is kind of my life! (Grew up in NJ, lived all along 95 in PA, CT, MA, and NH). So here are some cool side trips - I'll concentrate on the New England part. Yeah, 95 is slower, but it seems like that's a plus for you - and there is a lot more to see nearby it, as it closely follows the coast most of the time.
Connecticut:
Frank Pepe's Pizza Napoletana - amazing
Louis Lunch - claims to have invented the hamburger, whatever, but cute old place and great sandwich
Griswold Inn, Essex, has live traditional music of some sort every night of the week in an old-time brass-and-wood pub- sea chanteys Monday nights are an incredible experience.
Niantic Book Barn
Mystic Seaport
Abbott's Lobster in the Rough (if it's still open)
Stonington Borough, Stonington Lighthouse and Noah's Restaurant - best fresh seafood in the entire region.
Rhode Island:
Watch Hill - adorable tiny beach town with old-fashioned carousel and cute shops Napatree Point is there which offers a great 2-mi walk through dunes to west-facing sunset beaches,Ninigret Salt Pond - great for kayaking, scenic, shorebirds, etc.
The Fantastic Umbrella Factory, quirky hippie-type shops in the woods with roaming wild peacocks, hard to describe, fun to visit
Make sure you hit Federal Hill in Providence around lunch or dinner time so you can eat at Venda Ravioli and also pick up awesome Italian specialty foods to bring back or give as gifts
RISD Museum
Massachusetts
Onset, MA - little ways off 95 but a beautiful Victorian seaside village
New Bedford, MA - one of the nation's largest working fishing ports, great Whaling Museum/National Park - eat at Antonio's for massive portions of Portuguese food
Nantasket - old-timey beach town with another carousel, great long sandy beach
Boston Harbor Islands - get on the water and take a National Parks cruise to several islands with recreatiion facilities, trails, picnic areas, etc.
Boston Public Market - just opened this summer, a foodie heaven. I would tell you not to miss the apple cider donuts but I doubt you would miss them anyway, their heavenly smell permeates the whole building and they are the most delicious I've ever had, plus Wolf Meadow Farm Italian-style cheese, MA craft beers and ciders, meats, seafood, ice cream..
posted by Miko at 8:23 PM on September 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
Connecticut:
Frank Pepe's Pizza Napoletana - amazing
Louis Lunch - claims to have invented the hamburger, whatever, but cute old place and great sandwich
Griswold Inn, Essex, has live traditional music of some sort every night of the week in an old-time brass-and-wood pub- sea chanteys Monday nights are an incredible experience.
Niantic Book Barn
Mystic Seaport
Abbott's Lobster in the Rough (if it's still open)
Stonington Borough, Stonington Lighthouse and Noah's Restaurant - best fresh seafood in the entire region.
Rhode Island:
Watch Hill - adorable tiny beach town with old-fashioned carousel and cute shops Napatree Point is there which offers a great 2-mi walk through dunes to west-facing sunset beaches,Ninigret Salt Pond - great for kayaking, scenic, shorebirds, etc.
The Fantastic Umbrella Factory, quirky hippie-type shops in the woods with roaming wild peacocks, hard to describe, fun to visit
Make sure you hit Federal Hill in Providence around lunch or dinner time so you can eat at Venda Ravioli and also pick up awesome Italian specialty foods to bring back or give as gifts
RISD Museum
Massachusetts
Onset, MA - little ways off 95 but a beautiful Victorian seaside village
New Bedford, MA - one of the nation's largest working fishing ports, great Whaling Museum/National Park - eat at Antonio's for massive portions of Portuguese food
Nantasket - old-timey beach town with another carousel, great long sandy beach
Boston Harbor Islands - get on the water and take a National Parks cruise to several islands with recreatiion facilities, trails, picnic areas, etc.
Boston Public Market - just opened this summer, a foodie heaven. I would tell you not to miss the apple cider donuts but I doubt you would miss them anyway, their heavenly smell permeates the whole building and they are the most delicious I've ever had, plus Wolf Meadow Farm Italian-style cheese, MA craft beers and ciders, meats, seafood, ice cream..
posted by Miko at 8:23 PM on September 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philly is not too far off 95 and is a wonderfully bizarre and haunting place to explore and stretch your legs if you have good weather. Abandoned for the last several years, everything is now overgrown and left to ruin.
posted by veery at 4:24 AM on September 7, 2015
posted by veery at 4:24 AM on September 7, 2015
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posted by DarlingBri at 11:08 AM on September 6, 2015 [1 favorite]