3 month trip to New England

[Cindy and Ray's Grand Tour]

Hi everyone, well Cindy and I had a great 6-month Grand Tour of the West Coast and several National Parks last summer. Now we are planning a 3-month Grand Tour of New England for this summer. We plan to leave the Jacksonville FL area around June 1st and spend about two weeks getting to Northern Pennsylvania or New York. We are seeking information and advice on great places to camp and play tourist from NY north to Maine. We like to drive around 200 miles and park for 3 days to a week depending on what there is to see in the area. Any advice for good routes for a big rig and RV Parks for a big rig is appreciated.

[CalandLinda]

Hi Ray & Cindy! We lived in Jacksonville, FL for 23 years before moving to the up-state foothills section of SC.

I’m originally from Maine and have traveled there from both FL & SC. I can’t tell you how to travel through the large cities and their metropolitan areas; we’ve never done it with our RV rig.

We vary highways from time to time, especially if we want to visit Foxwoods in CT. Basically, from FL we go up I-95 to I-26 to I-77 in Columbia, SC and then on to I-81. You can take I-81 into PN then decide how you want to avoid the large cities. Boston has a belt system. It’s best used on a weekend. Once around Boston we use mostly US & state highways and roads to avoid tolls and the congestions.

From our SC home we take US-25 & I26 up to I-81 and then I-79/US-19 all the way to Erie, PN. Then we just travel rural roads along the lakes and St. Lawrence River all the way to VT where we connect with US-2. Then you’re on your own because there will be a lot of short distance state and rural roads used to get to the Atlantic Ocean in Maine.

RV Parks & CGs we’ve used on those routes.

The new Green Acres RV Park – Walterboro, SC Exit &57
The Barnyard RV Park, Lexington, SC
Fort Chiswell RV Park, Max Meadows, VA
Dixie Caverns RV CG, Salem, VA
Johnstown KOA, Johnstown, PA
Korn’s CG, Middleton, NY
Beckley Exabition Coal Mine CG, Beckley, WV
Odetha RV Resort, Bozrah, CT
AA Royal Motel & CG, North Tonawanda, NY
Coles Creek SP, Massena, NY
Apple Island RV Resort, South Hero, VT
Whit’s End CG, West Ossipee, NH
Beaver Dam CG, Berwick, ME
Walnut Grove CG, Alfred, ME
Timberland Acres RV Park, Trenton, ME

The only one without a FHU is Coles Creek SP. They do have a modern black tank dump station When leaving the CG.

[Daryles]

We did something similar last year.
Gettysburg. They have a driving tour and an app to see the local battlefields. Stayed at Drummer Boy Campground.
Philadelphia, so much history to see here. Clarksboro KoA is the closest Campground.
Boston area. Toured cape cod, Martha's Vinyard, USS Constitution.
Salem. Dark part of our history here. Took the salem witch museum tour. Lessons to be learned.
Maine, Bar Harbor. Acadia NP. 157 miles of hiking and biking trails. If you have bikes you will use them here. We rode about every other day.
New Hampshire, Flume Gorge, Mount Washington weather observatory. Ride the Cog Railway.
NY, Niagara Falls.
Michigan UP. Mackinac Island.

This year we are taking the same route i95, and staying at many of the same places but are heading up to Nova Scotia for a month. Hopefully many restrictions will be eased before then.

[twindman]

An interesting place we found was the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage site in PA near the border. There are a lot of canals, etc in the area. My wife's ancestors had a grist mill on the river in the area near Freemansburg so we were looking for things along the canal.

[jcurtis934]

If you are a civil war buff, then there are several sites to see off interstate 81. In Maryland, there is antietam that is worth the visit. Gettysburg in pa is great. Frank lloyd Wright's Falling Water house is worth a visit. Interstate 76 and 83 were kind of rough in spots, but that was a couple of years ago.

[WeBeFulltime]

While in PA don't miss Lancaster County and the Amish communities.

[Moondragon]

Nice CG in Gloucester, limited availability (with FHU) for big rigs (call ahead). From there easy ride to Hammond Castle (Manchester by the Sea) and Salem. Train station close by for touring Boston sights.

[bcrvman]

Originally Posted by Cindy and Ray's Grand Tour

Hi everyone, well Cindy and I had a great 6-month Grand Tour of the West Coast and several National Parks last summer. Now we are planning a 3-month Grand Tour of New England for this summer. We plan to leave the Jacksonville FL area around June 1st and spend about two weeks getting to Northern Pennsylvania or New York. We are seeking information and advice on great places to camp and play tourist from NY north to Maine. We like to drive around 200 miles and park for 3 days to a week depending on what there is to see in the area. Any advice for good routes for a big rig and RV Parks for a big rig is appreciated.

The west coast is big rig country, the east coast not so much. If you belong to Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome, you just set the search to your length and can see what is available. I did a search for <45ft. slideouts allowed and found 96 sites in ME, NH, V.

[Jim in Halifax]

This year we are taking the same route i95, and staying at many of the same places but are heading up to Nova Scotia for a month. Hopefully many restrictions will be eased before the

They just announced on the weekend that ALL RESTRICTIONS re Covid-19 will be lifted on 21st March!!!! Welcome to Canada & Nova Scotia!!!!! j PS Make reservations before arrival

[Daryles]

Originally Posted by Jim in Halifax

This year we are taking the same route i95, and staying at many of the same places but are heading up to Nova Scotia for a month. Hopefully many restrictions will be eased before the

They just announced on the weekend that ALL RESTRICTIONS re Covid-19 will be lifted on 21st March!!!! Welcome to Canada & Nova Scotia!!!!! j PS Make reservations before arrival

Thanks for the info!!
Yes we have made all our reservations. We have printed out the current checklist and gathering all our documents in one binder.

Looking forward to seeing your beautiful country

[Jim in Halifax]

If you have any questions I would be very happy to answer any questions re our Province(s) (--NS,NB,PEI--) ---via private or forum messages etc Each province have tourist travel guides that can be mailed out to tourists....I do not know if you can google them for 1-800 tel numbers from USA & request same...I assume so! Jim

[Daryles]

Originally Posted by Jim in Halifax

If you have any questions I would be very happy to answer any questions re our Province(s) (--NS,NB,PEI--) ---via private or forum messages etc Each province have tourist travel guides that can be mailed out to tourists....I do not know if you can google them for 1-800 tel numbers from USA & request same...I assume so! Jim

Thanks, sent you a PM

[Bourbon County]

During your travels, don't forget about intercourse........Intercourse, PA that is! It's a quaint little town in Amish country east of Lancaster, very near Bird In Hand, PA. Possibly the most photographed city limit sign in the country

[Cindy and Ray's Grand Tour]

Thanks all, if anyone else has something to add, we would appreciate it.

[DebNJim B]

We winter in the south and head north in the spring to Upstate NY. I avoid BA-WASH zone of I95 at all costs. Generally, take I81. If we use I95 in south, we cut over I64 and pause a night a Walnut Hills in VA where 64 connects with I81. After you've enjoyed Civil War sites and Amish country in PA you can either cling to I81 to central NY or cut over I78 to NJ and then take I87 north, however that is a toll road till Albany. Once in the Albany area, Saratoga and Lake George has much to offer for both tourists and RVers. From Albany you can go I90 East into MA and New England. I'm not too familiar with that area but I know there is much to see and do. Reservations in all these areas may prove a task during the summer season, but a little planning will go a long way.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

[Cindy and Ray's Grand Tour]

Well the RV is out of storage and into a local RV park for cleaning and loading for our 3 month journey. Leave June 1st. Will visit friends and family in SC, NC and Virginia before going up I-81 through PA. They up to Plattsburgh, NY (Day trip to Montreal maybe) for a week. Then across US 2 to Bangor, ME. Then down the coast for a month before heading west across NY from New Haven to I81 again. No NYC, Philly, Baltimore or DC. Still interested in any good information anyone can give.

[Seaulayter]

We stayed at Croton Point Park several years ago and really enjoyed the campground. The Croton-Harmon Trian Station is at the entrance of the campground. You can park your truck there and it's a little over an hour ride on the train into NYC. Not much help on routes,