Photo by Muffy Aldrich
The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Favorite Stretch of a New England Road?

Photo by Salt Water New England

 As summer comes to an end and the roads start to unclog once again, what is your favorite stretch of a New England road for driving?

33 comments:

  1. Along the coast on Route 127 through Beverly Farms, Manchester by the Sea, Gloucester, and Rockport.


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    1. This is a superb stretch of road

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  2. The Merritt Parkway! Wow - what a beautiful road. Twice not once but twice I have been pulled over on that road for DRIVING TOO SLOW! And both times but years apart in the month of October. I'll bet had Vincent van Gogh or Alfred Sisley been New Englanders - - they would have painted Merritt Parkway.

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    1. Dave Letterman: the Merritt Speedway

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  3. Route 1A beginning in North Beverly and proceeding through Wenham, Hamilton, Ipswich, Rowley, and Newbury, ending in Newburyport.

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  4. Kancamagus Highway.

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  5. Short, but it’s oh so sweet. Conn Rt 254 from Thomaston to Litchfield. It’s uphill all the way. Drive it. You’ll climb into the hills feeling like you’re shedding all the mid-state and coast line congestion. And you are.

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  6. The stretch of road to my friend’s house in Wellfleet.

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  7. ditto; The Kancamagus Highway. Great fall drive, some fantastic waterfalls…

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  8. I have two. In Vermont, Rte. 4 between Woodstock and Mendon, with the Ottauquechee River flowing right beside it. And on Cape Cod (the "Preferred Northside" as my snobbish MIL would say,) Rte. 6A, the historic Old King's Highway.

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    1. Your MIL is exactly right. My father wouldn't even go to the "other side" during the summer, unless absolutely necessary.

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    2. Especially in early spring when all of the daffodils are in bloom between Sandwich and Yarmouth Port

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    3. The "Yellow Season". Daffs and forsythia!

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  9. There’s the other end of the spectrum. Stay away from Route 41 from South Egremont MA to Sharon CT. The very poorly maintained road has numerous potholes and frost heaves. The roadside is cluttered with poorly designed strip malls, fast food joints, and abandoned vehicles. It’s a mess. Just don’t go there.

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    1. Your tongue is firmly planted in your cheek.

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  10. Over the covered bridge in Sharon, CT, then thru Canaan, CT and on to Stockbridge, MA. In fall, this is heaven.

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  11. Hands down, Cape Cod's Route 6A.

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    1. Thanks Patsy...Don't forget to honk and wave as you drive by! (Lisa)

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    2. And on 6A, the Captain's Mile is amazing! Right, Lisa? :)

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    3. Yes...And a designated National Scenic Byway!

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  12. I agree, driving out the cape after tourists clear out is nice. I also like Route 100 in Vermont, New Hampshire's coastal byway (1A, 1B along the seacoast), and the scenic drive near Rangeley Lake in Maine - state route 17/16.

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  13. Seawall Road south of Southwest Harbor, ME - on one particular stretch, you feel as though you are literally driving through the ocean.

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    1. I bike MDI all the time. Seawall Rd does make you feel like you're flying over the waves. The road did become part of the ocean last spring. Most of the major roads on the island got resurfaced this year, so dig in :))

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  14. Rout 2 along the Deerfield River in the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts in late October.

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  15. Such a fun question! Either Route 129 from South Bristol, Maine, all the way down to Christmas Cove or Route 130 from Bristol, past Bristol Mills all the way to Pemaquid Point including Pemaquid Loop Road which goes around the point and comes back to face the lighthouse. Also the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park (off season) along the ocean from Bar Harbor, past Otter Cliff, Seal Harbor and then to Northeast Harbor. The one I have never tried but is on my bucket list is the "Airline" Road in Maine, Route Nine from Bangor to Calais through blueberry country. It must be gorgeous. is the subject of legends and is often compared to the old Route 66 in the Southwest..

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  16. Ellsworth, Maine to Lubec Maine starting with 182 and finishing with Route One then on the way back I do Route One all the way. In the summer, wear your swimwear and stop at the many lakes and take a dip in the Blackswoods. Just watch out for the ghost of Catherine!

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  17. Cape Cod's Route 6a!

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  18. I love Route 6A as well -- my wife grew up in Barnstable Village -- but my favorite stretch to drive is North Road/State Road on the Vineyard. One of the many places I look forward to every summer.

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  19. Holy cats, the embarrassment of riches in New England as far as scenic drives are concerned.

    So I will offer a slightly different answer... in the early 1990s driving though Fenwick, CT seeing Katharine Hepburn's house for the first time, and then realizing the person walking down the driveway toward us was actually she. Miss Hepburn waved and we waved and we drove on. Best drive ever.

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  20. Vermont route 100 between Waitsfield and Stockbridge, along the eastern slope of the Green Mountains, then Vermont 107 along the White River.

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