{"id":216,"date":"2022-06-06T21:17:52","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T01:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/towandalong.com\/travel\/?p=216"},"modified":"2023-06-12T21:53:05","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T01:53:05","slug":"east-coast-road-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/towandalong.com\/travel\/east-coast-road-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"East Coast Road Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Summer Family Roadtrip To New England<\/h3>\n

There are many ways to get from North Carolina to Acadia National Park in Maine. We chose a two-week family road trip, because New England in summer is one of my favorite things :-). To say this was one of our best family vacations is no exaggeration. Here\u2019s how we did it, what we learned, and how we will make our next trip even better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Day 1:<\/strong><\/p>\n

We loaded our luggage and left home mid-morning. As a family of five, it was important to pack light. Each person had a carry-on size suitcase<\/a>, except me. I used Away\u2019s medium size bag<\/a>, which allowed me to pack extra items like beach towels, insect repellent, sanitizer wipes and disinfectant spray.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the car I used this collapsible cooler<\/a> for food and drinks. <\/span><\/p>\n

My girls brought blankets and a backpack.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our first stop was Luray Caverns<\/a><\/span> in Virginia. It’<\/span>s the largest in Eastern America, and worth the detour off I-81. First it\u2019s stunning. This mirror pool was one of my favorite places in the caverns.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Second, there are paved walkways that make it easy to stop and marvel at the geological wonder that it is.\u00a0 It took us about an hour to walk through the entire thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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There are other things onsite, but we did not visit the car and carriage caravan museum\u00a0<\/a> or Toy Town Junction.<\/a><\/span>\u00a0The girls didn\u2019t seem interested in either place and I didn\u2019t want to start the road trip forcing fun.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About an hour after leaving Luray Caverns we stopped at a rest stop for our first meal –<\/span> sandwiches, fruit, chips, cookies and drinks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then we drove four hours to our first hotel, stopping at a Wawa in Pennsylvania for gas and subs. A Wawa stop is imperative any time we travel north :-).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our hotel was a Hampton Place in Mahwah, NJ. It checked all of my boxes for a room. Our family of five could fit in one room, it was clean and comfortable, and there was free breakfast.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Day 2:<\/strong><\/p>\n

We had breakfast at the hotel and drove 30 minutes to Woodbury Premium Outlets in Upstate New York.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Shopping is a favorite pastime for our family, so I knew this would be a big hit. We couldn\u2019t buy a lot because of space in our vehicle, but the few pieces we chose made for a good day :-).<\/span><\/p>\n

On the surface, this could seem like a wasted day better spent exploring, but days like this were key to us having a good experience. It added to the laid back feel of the trip and kept everyone happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

After shopping the plan was to stop in Kingston, NY for dinner before driving to Vermont for the night. We drove to the riverfront and enjoyed the view, but we didn\u2019t eat. The restaurant I chose was closed on Sundays so we decided to get a snack from a fast food place and get dinner in Vermont.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we drove through rural New York the winding roads started to get very narrow. At one point we passed a family with a horse and buggy. It added to the charm of the trip and I thought nothing of it. I also thought nothing of the large body of water we were driving towards. I assumed there would be a bridge. I was wrong. Instead we found ourselves at a ferry dock. Waze, the navigation app we used during the trip, didn\u2019t tell us there would be a ferry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Turns out it was divine intervention that we didn\u2019t eat in Kingston. If so, we would have missed the last ferry of the night. Instead, w<\/span>e arrived in Vermont and chose Farmhouse Tap & Grill for dinner. <\/span><\/p>\n

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The food was great and I\u2019d definitely go back again.<\/span><\/p>\n

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fish and chips<\/em><\/p>\n

In Vermont we stayed at the Hampton Inn Colchester. The hotel was similar to our hotel in Mahwah, and the location was central for the things we wanted to do in the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Day 3: Vermont!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I had five things on our to-do list for Vermont!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vermont Teddy Bear Company<\/span><\/p>\n

Chocolate<\/span><\/p>\n

Maple Syrup<\/span><\/p>\n

Apple cider<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben & Jerry\u2019s<\/span><\/p>\n

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At Vermont Teddy Bear we did the tour to learn how their stuffed animals are made. We saw some of their special edition bears, learned some historical facts,\u00a0 and at the end we bought a couple to bring home. Here\u2019s Bernie :-).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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We left there and went to Lake Champlain Chocolates. The hot chocolate was SO. GOOD. We also bought a few treats that did not disappoint.<\/span><\/p>\n

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After two excursions we were ready for some down time so we went to our room to relax.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up was dinner. I gave my girls the assignment to choose the spot and they came back with Our House. When I say that they chose well\u2026 THEY CHOSE WELL.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Our food was amazing!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Day 4:<\/strong> Vermont and New Hampshire<\/span><\/p>\n

After loading up, we stopped for a nutritious breakfast of apple cider donuts and warm apple cider at Cold Hollow Cider Mill. <\/span><\/p>\n

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It was a cool, misty morning, but that didn\u2019t stop us from enjoying our treat. They also have a lovely store where we were able to buy Vermont maple syrup, maple sprinkles and tea. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Due to Covid, Ben & Jerry\u2019s had suspended their tour, but we were able to get ice cream. And in true Ben & Jerry\u2019s fashion, buying ice cream was an experience. Known for their activism, I wasn\u2019t surprised to see this beautiful wall, that featured the Greensboro Four. I only wish I had on my NC A&T alumni t-shirt to pose with the art.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As expected the ice cream was great.<\/p>\n

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Driving through New Hampshire we stopped at Windy Ridge Orchard to pick blueberries.<\/span><\/p>\n

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