The Fury of the Ocean at Scituate, Mass., in March

Thought you might like to see the fury of the ocean after some stormy New England weather.  This video was taken at the Minot neighborhood in Scituate, Mass., which tends to fly under the travel radar when its comes to costal New England. It's really a beautiful spot.  Clearly, this was not an optimal day for an ocean walk, but it does illustrate the many personalities of the New England sea. Personally, we'd rather have a sunny day at the beach, but there's something to be said about experiencing crashing waves with the mist splashing right up in your face!

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New England Trip Planning Inquiry for Coastal Maine, New England Patriots, Scenic Drives, Historical Preservation

We recently received another excellent New England travel inquiry, which we will happily answer right here...

Q: Hi!  We are planning a summer vacation.  Myself, my husband and our 14-year-old son want to visit the New England area.  I want to go on the scenic coast and eat Maine lobster, my son and my husband are BIG New England Patriots fans, and must see anything and everything to do with Bill, Tom, and Wes Welker.  We also are interested in the history of New England.  Can you please, please help me????? Last year my husband planned a three week, wonderful European vacation. I want this vacation to be just as breathtaking.  We will be driving from Northwest Indiana, on or around the last week of July, for 10 to 12 days.  Can you give me the most scenic driving directions?  I know I am asking a lot, but I need help!!!!!!!! Any little bit you can help me, would be soooo appreciated.
Thank you so much for your time.

A: You bet, glad to help! You will certainly find no shortage of travel attractions and destinations, in regards to your planned New England vacation. One coastal region of Maine that we highly recommend is Acadia National Park. The coastal scenery is absolutely spectacular, especially the the 27-mile loop that offers endless ocean and mountain scenery.  For lobster, try the Docksider in the quaint community of Northeast Harbor. It's a classic, Maine lobster shack.

The Patriot Place shopping and entertainment complex at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., should please your New England Patriots fan family members. Here, you can visit the Hall at Patriot Place that wonderfully honors the New England Patriots and football in New England through an incredible playbook of entertaining and educational state-of-the-art video and audio mediums, fan-friendly exhibitions and memorabilia. While at Patriot Place, check out the Patriots Pro Shop, the official store of the New England Patriots. For dining at Patriot Place, CBS Scene is lots of fun (although it can get quite noisy). CBS Scene comprises 15,000 sq. ft. of dining space with three levels of lunch and dinner dining, and 135 SONY Plasma, LCD and graphic projector displays (including table side televisions) playing the best of CBS radio and television entertainment, sports and news programming through the years.  Oh, yes, the food is really good here!
Check out our "Historic New England Towns" article for a taste of the great preservation in New England.  Regarding scenic drives, we recommend reading our "Best New England Scenic Drives" article at VisitingNewEngland.com. We cover a lot of ground here, including the unspoiled part of Cape Cod, the Stowe, Vt., area, and the Mohawk Trail in Massachusetts.

Have fun planning your New England vacation, and please contact us if we can be of further help.


Additional resources: 
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For every hotel reservation made, We donate five percent of our commission to  Brookview House, a homeless shelter for families located in Dorchester, Mass. The Brookview House mission is to assist homeless families in the development of skills necessary to break the cycle of poverty.

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New England Trip Planning Suggestions for a Nine-Day Vacation

Editor's note: We thought it would be a great idea to answer our readers' email inquiries here at the Weekly New England Travel and Vacation Gazette. We hope our perspectives will be helpful to that specific reader and others that are interested in similar New England vacations. Here is the first in a series of many inquiries:

Q.: My wife and I are visiting the US for the first time in August this year. We have nine days to spend exploring New England and want to spend at least three days in Boston. What would you recommend in terms of exploring by car for the rest of the trip? We have been playing with the idea to travel south to New Haven and then back up to Boston via the coast or explore north up the Maine coast. Some advice would be highly appreciated.

A: So many possibilities, so little time!  I do think, however, that nine days of vacation will give you a good sampler of the diversity of New England. Boston to New Haven is a two and a half hour drive, New Haven is particularly impressive around the Yale University area with lots of nice shops and restaurants -- and that incredible, tree-lined campus, Ivy League feel!  When in New Haven, we recommend stopping by Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana at 157 Wooster St. The Italian-style pizza is legendary! On the way back -- along or close to the coast -- we recommend stopping in classic Connecticut towns like Guilford, Mystic, Noank, and Stonington Borough.  Essex, surely one of New England's most beautiful small towns, is a bit north off Route 95 off Route 9.  The town is very Norman Rockwell-like and situated beautifully on the Connecticut River.  Not too far from Essex is a noteworthy New England travel attraction: the Gillette Castle in East Haddam. Here, you'll find a magnificent piece of architecture with 24 rooms, 47 doors (each one different), white oak woodwork and carvings, stone stairways, built-in couches, a movable table on tracks, an inside porch fountain and sweeping views of the Connecticut River.

Crossing into Rhode Island, take some time to visit the beaches in Westerly, the live fishing village of Galilee in Narragansett, and the amazing mansions in Newport. In Newport, you'll find plenty of other attractions, like great seafood restaurants (try the Black Pearl on the waterfront), Easton's Beach, the Cliff Walk and the magnificent Ocean Drive.  From Newport, you might want to hit route 114 to visit Bristol, a charming small town located on the scenic Narragansett and Mt. Hope Bays with a great downtown and plenty of restaurants and shops (and a mile down the  road, the scenic Colt State Park). Going north on Route 114, get on Route 95 and be sure to stop by Providence, a historical city that has experienced a tremendous renaissance. Providence back to Boston is about an hour's drive.

Going north from Boston to the southern Maine coast also is about an hour's drive. You don't have to travel too far up in Maine to get a true taste of the "Down East" lifestyle. Here, you'll find many beaches,  beautiful lighthouses, quaint downtowns, and places to eat lobster (try Fox's Lobster House right near Nubble Lighthouse at Cape Neddick). I would recommend starting your southern Maine itinerary at York Beach, Maine, and working your way through towns like Ogunquit, Wells, Kennebunkport, Kennebunk, Biddeford Pool (part of Biddeford), Old Orchard Beach and ending this part of your trip in Portland.  What a fantastic small city, especially around the Port Exchange neighborhood where you'll stroll the brick and cobblestone while enjoying the many shops and restaurants.  Portland back to Boston is about a two-hour drive.  Oh, and here are some resources for visiting Boston: http://www.visitingnewengland.com/boston-travel-vacations.html . Before you return to Boston, however, we recommend visiting Portsmouth, N.H., a small coastal city with loads of historical charm and plenty of shopping and dining opportunities (some with a water view).

Thanks for writing us! Hope this info helps. Readers, please feel free to post your suggestions here, also. Your feedback will provide additional and valuable trip planning ideas. Thanks and happy travels!

Additional resources: search for hotels at discount rates in more than 300 New England towns and cities

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Christmas Lights Display at Wrentham Town Common

The southwest Boston suburban town of Wrentham, Mass., always comes up with a fantastic Christmas lights display at its beautiful town common. Although the look of this town common is classic New England year-round, things just seem to come alive even more during the holiday season. With a gazebo all decked out in white lights, big trees with multi-colored lights and places to stroll along this multi-acre open space, the holiday spirit is always alive and well at this pleasant, little downtown spot.

We'd love to hear your comments on the Wrentham town common Christmas lights display, or any other holiday travel attraction that you enjoy in New England!

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A Blog That Focuses On Affordable New England Travel Ideas

Nantasket Beach in Hull Mass., is a great place to spend an affordable day (photo by Eric H.)

We recently started The Thrifty New England Traveler blog  at http://www.visitingnewengland.com to help people travel more and spend less in New England.

With a rough economy,  most people interested in New England travel are looking for free and inexpensive things to do, as well as bargains on dining, shopping and lodging.  As lifelong New Englanders interested in low-cost New England travel -- and with neighbors, family and friends also giving suggestions along the way -- we thought this would be a great time to start such a blog.

Some of our most recent posts include an affordable place to watch a baseball game, swim at a lake, visit an educational and entertaining small children's museum, and spend a day at the coast.  As always, we are looking for your ideas on inexpensive New England travel and vacation ideas, so always feel free to contribute.  Hope you enjoy this new blog -- happy, low-cost New England travels!

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