Touring The Northeastern US

Touring the Northeastern US could fill an entire summer if you are able to devote this much time to the endeavor. However, but don’t pass up on even a short trip here.

A photographer, history buff or food lover will find more places to see and experiences to enjoy in the Northeastern US than can be imagined. I know because I am all three and recently spent an entire summer in the Northeast pursuing these same endeavors! Children will happily enjoy the same route, because many parks cater to both the family focused traveler as well as the retired traveler.

To narrow down your route if you have limited time to travel or if you need a guide to start you out in the right direction for an entire summer of adventure, pickup a copy of the Good Sam 2015 North American RV Travel and Savings Guide. Review this year’s Trips of a Lifetime section in the front of the book for descriptions of “picture perfect”, “living history” and “food lover” trips. Several articles make reference to the Northeastern US specifically. Don’t miss the preceding section called Fun, Families & Camping for additional suggestions for the Northeast. Both sections offer really interesting reading with great ideas for this region and many others.

What are some of my favorite memories? On the food side there are the appetizer crab cakes at Bill’s Seafood (large enough to make an entire meal) or the Italian food at Luigi’s Restaurant in Clinton, Connecticut. In Mystic, Connecticut, we were compelled to try pizza made famous for a movie of the same name at Mystic Pizza. These were not to be outdone by lobster rolls, ice cream and wild blueberry pie in Bar Harbor, Maine.

There is no end to the photographic opportunities. While in Bar Harbor, we climbed Cadillac Mountain reaching the highest point in Acadia National Park. Later driving along the coast below, we heard the waves crash against rocks at aptly named Thunder Hole. Traveling further north to Lubec, Maine, we hiked to the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse situated on the easternmost point of land in the continental United States. To the west we searched successfully for loons on Trickey Lake near Naples, Maine. I came to believe wild moose in Maine are a fairytale told to tourists to keep us driving around in search of them. The highway department would disagree. They put up warning signs everywhere for the real creatures! We finally resorted to visiting a zoo to photograph the elusive moose at The Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, Maine. In Freeport, Maine you can see a taxidermy display at the L. L. Bean retail store called “The Final Charge-Locked Moose” whose two magnificent bodies with locked antlers were preserved for display-one of only two of its kind in North America.

Revolutionary War battle grounds, town squares, historic churches, museums, the grounds of Yale University founded in 1701 and the oldest house in Connecticut built in 1639 can be seen in New Haven, East Haven and Guilford, Connecticut respectively. The list goes on and on. My personal blog for the summer was over 300 pages long! But you get the idea now of what this area has to offer. Don’t miss it.

West Quoddy Head Light, Lubec, Maine

West Quoddy Head Light, Lubec, Maine

Wild Blueberry Pie – Maine

Steamed Maine Lobster

Crab cakes at Bill’s Seafood.

Italian food at Luigi’s Restaurant in Clinton, Connecticut.

Maine Coastline near Thunder Hole