Blogposts from our September 2021 New England road trip are complete. This post will provide 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 the next post – it’s pretty simple to navigate. I’d also suggest a desktop or laptop rather than your phone so photos are a little larger. If you click on the first in a series, you can scroll through the photos by clicking the arrow. Enjoy!

Our itinerary:

Fall for New England 2021
Cleveland, OH (2 nights) Double Tree by Hilton. An overnight was increased to two to see the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. A fantastic Mexican restaurant on Lake Erie topped off a great day of music and kicked off our month-long road trip. If you haven’t seen Rock Hall (especially if you’re a Baby Boomer), book it now! You’ll be glad you did.

Cheers to the Empire State
We made several stops in New York en route to our overnight, starting in Niagara Falls, NY. We were perched right next to the thundering waters of the Niagara River as it dropped 176 feet. The scenic route along Lake Ontario delivered us to our accommodations in Sodus, NY (1 night) Bernap’s Bed & Breakfast and Beyond.

Historic Wilmington
This morning we finished up a few stops in NY and took the scenic route to the historic Crafts Inn in Wilmington, VT (7 nights). There is lots to do in town and within close proximity. This post has some history of Wilmington and a nice walking tour.

Vermont Covered Bridges
Our stay in Wilmington continues with a covered bridge tour and a scenic drive thru Mount Snow Ski Resort. Also: North Bennington Station, Monument Circle in Bennington, ending at the Madison Brewing Company.

The Hundred Mile View
Our stay in Wilmington continues with a stop at the Hogback Mountain Scenic Overlook, a visit to the Southern Vermont Historic Museum, and Beer Naked Brewery. Two more covered bridges with a fabulous deli in between enhanced our move to New Hampshire. This could be the “Ideal Tour.”

Another Week of Wow!
Bartlett, NH (7 nights) Attitash Mountain Village. Three covered bridges right in town, a whistle stop right on property and a ski slope right across the road made this a great place for our next home base.

Castle in the Clouds
Our stay in Bartlett continues with spectacular views from every window at the Castle in the Clouds – built with then-cutting-edge materials and state-of-the-art amenities. It was designed to harmonize with its surroundings and is not pretentious, just gorgeous!

Climb to the Clouds
Our stay in Bartlett continues. The sign warned that the Mount Washington Auto Road is a steep, narrow mountain road with no guardrails and some gravel. If we have a fear of heights, we may not “appreciate” this driving experience and guided tours are available. My chauffeur did not “appreciate” it, but the views were spectacular!

New Hampshire Bridges
Our stay in Bartlett continues with a little background on the life of a covered bridge, four more beautiful bridges, and a stop at Lower Falls Scenic Area on the Swift River. This day had a great finish at Tuckerman’s Brewing Company.

All Things New Hampshire
Our stay in Bartlett continues with a redo of some of our favorite sites: Silver Cascade, Franconia Notch with its breathtaking Flume Gorge, and a stop at one of our favorite breweries. A new addition was Sabbaday Falls, which should not be missed!

History 101
We made stops at Lexington and Concord as a prelude to the history coming up in Boston. Our visit included the Minute Man National Historic Park, a nice walk to the North Bridge, but not nearly enough time on the rest of the Battle Road or in Lexington.

A City on a Hill
Boston, MA (3 nights) The Godfrey Hotel Boston. We picked a hotel right on the Freedom Trail to give us more time in the historic district and less time commuting. Lots of Boston (United States) history in this one!

Walk Into History
Our stay in Boston continues with two days of walking the Freedom Trail, with lots of pictures, our Beantown treat goals, beautiful public gardens, a pint here and a pint there, the USS Constitution and Bunker Hill.

For the Love of Water
Dennis Port, MA (3 nights) The Soundings Seaside Resort. When we’re by big water, visiting lighthouses seems the logical goal, although construction plagued us today. We met Three Sisters and their Nauset Beach Light Station, Highland Light, Cape Cod National Seashore, Province Lands Visitor Center and Provincetown. Of course great seafood is another logical goal!

The Search for Lights
Our stay in Dennis Port continues with a quest for lighthouses that were not being renovated. We started at Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary where we found a lot of birds and the Sandy Neck Light. A couple more lights were closed to the public, turned into inns or positioned behind No Trespassing signs. The Chatham Lighthouse was beautiful, with a shark warning and a great Mayflower story.

As our trip winds down, we head west (home) with an overnight in East Haven, CT (1 night). On the way we find my favorite lighthouses of the trip, fish and chips at an Irish Pub on a wharf, a casino/castle, and some houses owned by the top 1%.

All About Frank
Connellsville, PA (1 night) Comfort Inn. We positioned ourselves nicely for visits to Falling Water and Kentuck Knob, with lunch by the river near the Great Allegheny Passage Bridge. We continued on to Polymath Park for tours of three houses – two designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and the third by one of his apprentices – followed by a wonderful four course meal in the TreeTops.

Mars, PA (1 night) Comfort Inn, Cranberry Township. After our tours, we drove about an hour to get past Pittsburgh. Our last drive on this road trip was a long ten hours, but worth it to sleep in our own bed that night!

Up Next: So Long Snow 2022

Happy trails,
Barb