New England, USA – Family Road trip
Flying to Boston, USA
A trip that was definitely on our bucket list was New England, in the North East of the USA. We felt that now would be a perfect time to go on a family holiday to New England, with our daughter being reasonably easy to fly with (if we were lucky) at just under 2 years old. Thank you for coming to read New England, USA – Family Road trip.
Our trip
In order to see the famous New England ‘Fall’ we headed out there in early October. We were ready to leaf peep with all the other tourists that flock there at that time of year. We did a loop starting in Boston and finishing in Boston. As we’d been on a city break in Boston before we didn’t go into the city (although I’d recommend it, it’s great). New England is a geographical region made up of six states of the northeastern United States. Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, bar the last two we saw lots of what the other states have to offer.
We flew with BA from Heathrow T5, which is always our favoured option as it’s so close to home. The flight was uneventful. The toddler, for the first time, was relatively content and able to stay seated happily for more than a few minutes – win!
Car hire dramas!
Upon arrival at Boston airport we had endless dramas with the hire car (none of which was down to us). We ended up swapping the car and the car seat numerous times before finally being ready to go. See our post on travel essentials for avoiding car seat fusses. Our very tired child screamed through the whole thing as she was very jet lagged and fed up (as were we!)
Maine
We headed straight to Portland, Maine which was directly north on the Atlantic Coast. It was about 2 hours drive from Boston.
We stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton (paying £302.44 for 2 nights) which was pretty basic but it had a huge bedroom and separate Living Room which suited us perfectly for a couple of nights. Dinner that night was Taco Bell, needs must!
Whilst in Portland we visited the Children’s Museum and Theatre. It was a great way to spend a drizzly morning and allow our little one to run off some energy. We paid $11.50 for each of us (under 18 month olds are free).
Later that day we drove to the Lobster Shack at Two Lights for lobster rolls, pecan pie (me) and whoopee pie (Dave). I found out I don’t like lobster but the chips and pecan pie were to die for. Well worth the trip.
New Hampshire
We headed off to our first Airbnb of the trip in the lovely New Hampshire town of Jackson. The photos on Airbnb had not done it justice so we were blown over by how nice it was. It was topped off with the fire pit in the back garden and babbling Ellis River running past the house.
We stayed in Jackson for 4 nights (we paid £622.73), and explored the local area as well as Jackson itself. North Conway was only a short drive away so we went there and took a trip on the scenic railroad. The windows were down and the views were spectacular. We paid $18 for adults and our 23 month old was free.
The weather in general on the holiday was mild and pleasant – I don’t think it rained once during our visit.
What we did in New Hampshire
We took a day trip to Fryeburg Fair which is considered to be one of the best agricultural fairs in the USA.
There was endless livestock and agricultural shows with over 3,000 animals. It was a really authentic American experience and we loved feeding the goats and seeing the HUGE dairy cows. We paid $12 for adults and under 12’s go free which is great!
Every time we drove anywhere we were treated to the most beautiful scenery. Vibrant reds, vivid oranges and luminous yellow leaves are on full display everywhere you go. We took endless photos (of much the same thing!) as it was so stunning.We also took a trip to Loon Mountain in the White Mountains as my parents were in the area at the same time so we’d arranged to meet up. Of all the fall scenery this was probably the best and seeing it high up on the gondola ride was spectacular.
Vermont
We moved on to stay at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Burlington which cost £602.87 for 4 nights. Again, whilst they provide the Suites setup that works so well with a young family, the standard was pretty poor. They’re going to have to up their game if they want to compete with the airbnb properties that will no doubt keep coming on to the market. Having said all that, it was a good base to explore that area of New England.
What we did in Vermont
We took a trip to the home of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream in Waterbury and did a factory tour (with ice cream tasting included!). The story of Ben and Jerry’s is really very lovely. Back in 1978 they did a $5 correspondence course in ice cream-making. Then with a $12,000 investment ($4,000 of it borrowed), Ben and Jerry open their first ice cream scoop shop in Burlington, Vermont.
It’s definitely worth a visit to the factory to learn more. It’s $4 for adults and children under 12 go free.
We spent time going on drives and having picnics. The weather was easily mild enough for us to park up and eat at the picnic areas along the roadside. After a few days we moved onto our final stop of Putney, Vermont. We stayed in a beautiful Airbnb which was a renovated school house. It was one of the more expensive Airbnb’s that we’ve stayed in at £406 for 2 nights, but you can see why, it was worth the extra money.
On the way to break up the drive, we stopped at Billings Farm, a huge farm and museum showcasing what rural Vermont has to offer. After some delicious ice cream and a stroll we headed on to Putney.
The airbnb had a lot of land out the back of it so we climbed the hill each evening and sat by the fire pit. We were never actually brave enough to light with a 2 year old with us! We just enjoyed looking out on the beautiful New England countryside.
Whilst in this area of Vermont we took a few drives to explore some of the small, quintessential New England towns this region has to offer. They were everything you could imagine, white picket fences and US flags hanging from flag poles, tiny post offices and convenience stores filled with local produce.
Heading home
Sadly our holiday was over so we headed back to Boston. After a 1 night stay at the Hilton Boston Logan Aiport, we flew early morning back to London. The hotel was adjoined to the terminal so fantastic in that respect. But as far as cleanliness and standard is concerned it was one of the very worst hotels I’ve ever seen in either Europe or the US. At £238 for the night I was appalled (and told them so).
Summary
Dave and I have travelled extensively in the USA and have always loved it. New England lived up to all our expectations and the Airbnbs were (and still are) some of the nicest we’ve ever stayed in. The US really does do road trips very well. Thank you for coming to read New England, USA – Family Road trip.
