Blogposts from our Bay State Getaway are finally complete. This post provides an outline of where we went, what we saw and links to posts associated with each stop. 

If you haven’t seen any of the posts, you may want to start at the beginning. Near the bottom of each post, there is a green link that will take you to what’s “Up next: Enjoy!”

Our itinerary:

Bay State Getaway 2022
Cleveland, OH (2 nights) Comfort Inn. When the featured exhibit at Rock Hall changed over to the Beatles, we had to stop again on our way to Hancock, MA (14 nights) Club Wyndham Bentley Brook. Our first outing in MA was at Hancock Shaker Village – where a Country Fair added arts and crafts, live music, and craft beer to the guided tours and beautiful surroundings of the Village.

Day Trip to North Adams
A vigorous walk on the Cascades Trail didn’t yield much in the way of cascades, but this stop was all about the journey. Our next stop was just the opposite – with a quick walk from the parking lot to great reflections in Mill Pond, a manmade marble dam, expansive views, and gorgeous white marble cliffs at Natural Bridge State Park.

A Bounty of Bridges
Lots to see today included a covered bridge with an alien encounter in its past and one that won an award for an outstanding historic preservation. A dip into CT provided another covered bridge and a monument and final resting place of the highest ranking Union officer to be killed in the Civil War. There was also a lengthy chat with a bored security guard, and some harsh shadows as the sun sets on this long (but fabulous) day.

Bridges, Blooms & Beyond
As we near the half-way point, this great day included covered bridges – one, a haunted bridge named (loosely) after my parents – an iron bridge, a discontinued trolley bridge covered in flowers, waterfalls, potholes, and Galumpkis. By now the colors are coming on nicely, which added to the marvelous of Massachusetts.

Hyde Park Overnight
Kingston, NY (1 night) Airbnb. An overnight allowed for two days of sightseeing in Hyde Park, NY with a nice dinner and a sunset cruise in between. First day we visited Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s birthplace, home and final resting place – as well as his Presidential Library and Museum. There was tons of information on his twelve years in office as well as his First Lady’s accomplishments during and after his presidency.

First Lady of the World
Our Hyde Park Overnight continues at Eleanor Roosevelt’s very first home of her own. This was a great place to entertain friends, political associates, and foreign leaders in a relaxed environment. Eleanor wrote books, articles, and columns here, and politicians journeyed here to seek her support and advice. JFK asked Eleanor for her support in his upcoming run for president at a small round table in her living room.

A Vanderbilt Mansion
Our Hyde Park Overnight continues at the Vanderbilt Mansion. Our tour guide gave us a great background in how the other half lived during the Gilded Age and how the Commodore’s grandchildren spent his hard-earned money on very luxurious accommodations. Read how this one particular grandchild was more practical and charitable than his siblings, and how this mansion became a National Historic Site.

Another Day, Another Mansion
Back at our condo in Hancock, we visited Naumkeag – another Gilded Age mansion known for its gardens and its Berkshire “cottage”. Most people don’t think of a cottage as having 44 rooms on 48 acres, but its cedar-shake exterior does give it a more rustic New England charm. All decked out for Halloween with pumpkins in great displays all over the property, it definitely got me in the mood for a pumpkin spice latte!

Waterfalls, History, and Art
As departure-day approaches, this post is filled with random stops to finish off our extensive list of things we wanted to see during our stay. A curvy mountain drive took us to the highest point in Massachusetts where a veterans’ war monument and a lodge built by the CCC sit on its summit. A visit to Susan B. Anthony’s birthplace was chock-full of history and an old mill provided the perfect display space for area artists.

Wow-Worthy Waterfalls
Jamestown, NY (1 nights). A sixteen-hour drive home loomed over the end of our trip. A couple more stops could make the journey slightly less painful, so we found a route that would take us past two AMAZING New York waterfalls with an overnight in Jamestown, NY before our last long day of driving. What an absolutely fabulous ending to an absolutely fabulous fall trip to New England!

Another great road trip is officially in the books!

Up Next: Seeking the Sun 2023

Happy trails,
Barb