Driving to Maine -- where to stay overnight?

[Anonymous]

We're leaving to drive to Maine on a Friday afternoon and trying to work out where to book an inexpensive hotel to break up the trip. Would it be reasonable to assume we can get to CT in 6 hours or so? Factoring in rush hour and driving around New York City.

[Anonymous]

The two times we've gone to Maine we've stopped at Sturbridge on the way and gone to Old Sturbridge Village.

[Anonymous]

Friday afternoons up the east coast are terrible. Not just New York, but DC, Baltimore, Philly, and then NYC. We did a version of this drive (to NH) and left at 5:30 am on Saturday and did the drive in a day. Pretty easy, except for about 20 minutes with a bad wreck (at 9 am on a Saturday!) on the George Washington Bridge.

[Anonymous]

I would drive to Portland, ME and then have an easy drive the next day.

[Anonymous]

Do not leave Friday afternoon. Absolute worst time. We have driven to Maine from MD many times usually leave at 2 or 3 in the morning. We drive straight through. Depends though on where you are going in Maine. Southern part drive straight. Bar harbor you could stay in Portland to break up the trip.

[Anonymous]

If you DO end up leaving on a Friday afternoon then it will take you 5-7 hours to get to New Haven, CT, which is a good stopping point since that is probably where you will hop of 95 to get onto 91. Right off of 95 is a La Quinta, which isn't luxurious but it does the trick. A little bit further in, immediately next to the Yale Campus, is an Omni and a Courtyard Marriott. There are some good places for dinner in New Haven.

But once you get to New Haven you are almost there if you're going to Portland (2-2.5 hours more?) so you are almost better off keeping moving. Bar Harbor is maybe another 5-6 hours (?) so New Haven would be a good stopping point depending on what time you start.

Be sure to use Waze or Drive the whole time you are on the road so that you can catch any changes in traffic routes because of accidents. FWIW no matter how many times we have made the drive (20-30 times a year for the past 3-4 years) and almost every time of day we have found that the fastest route usually involves the GW Bridge except for one time we took the Lincoln Tunnel (OMG never, ever again) and the Tappen Zee Bridge twice. Use your EZ Pass to save time on the turnpikes and the bridge.

[Anonymous]

When we stay in Bar Harbor, we usually drive to Freeport and stay there. We get up in the morning, do our back to school shopping at LL Bean and the outlets, have lunch, and then drive on to Bar Harbor and arrive right at check in time.

Agree with those who say that Friday is bad. It is. We usually leave on Thursday and get north of Boston before Friday, but last year we waited and left Friday morning. Unless you leave very late in the evening, you're going to hit a city (Baltimore/Philly/NY/Boston) at rush hour, and when you add the beach traffic in every state, oh my. Last time we went, there was a horrible wreck that shut down the interstate in Massachusetts. Waze was invaluable. Steered us off the interstate and down back roads until we were past the blockage.

The one thing I could quibble with Waze on is that it will almost always tell you to take the GW bridge in NY, and I think the Tappan Zee is less frustrating, even if it takes you further out of your way. Do take the Merritt Parkway (Waze will probably guide you there).

[Anonymous]

How far into Maine are you traveling? I agree with the PP who suggested the Tappan Zee vs the GW Bridge. We drive to NH several times a year and Friday afternoons are never a good time to travel, north or south. We leave here before dawn and drive straight through. Unless you're going well beyond Portland, I wouldn't stop overnight.

[Anonymous]

Or, you could fly to Boston or Portland and rent a car from there.

[Anonymous]

+1 on Tappen Zee but check route times as you approach.

[Anonymous]

I'd check the Tappen Zee & GW bridges for traffic as you approach NY. If you want to get through more of CT & have less to drive the next day then I'd stay in the seaside town of Mystic. You can easily get an affordable hotel off of I95 in the town of Mystic and will feel like you're on vacation already as opposed to being in the less ideal area of New Haven.

[Anonymous]

When we have driven, we've stayed overnight with relatives in New Haven, CT. Perfect split.

We now fly. I hate long drives.

[Anonymous]

We are staying with friends in Boston on the way there (Bar Harbor). We are all probably going to be annoyed by the drive!

[Anonymous]

From here to the CT border is roughly 4.5 hours with absolutely no traffic maintaining at least 60 mph the whole time. To New Haven is about 6 hours if you factor in one stop and marginal traffic. I manage from here to my parents' in Madison, CT (about 20 minutes up 95 from New Haven) in about 6.5 with 2 stops (my small kids need 2 bathroom breaks at least). The fastest I have ever made it, in perfect traffic conditions and a stop just for gas is 5.5 hours.

But you aren't going to get to CT in 6 hours leaving here on a Friday afternoon. Or at least, if you somehow manage it, you won't get any further than just over the border and it is $$$.

If you have to leave on Friday, definitely go Tapanzee and ignore the directions to go GW and Cross Bronx. Avoid the Cross Bronx at all costs. You can also decide after the Tapanzee to take the Hutchinson to the Merritt which can be faster, but again, probably not on Friday night. I generally take the Garden State instead of the NJTP by getting off the NJTP at Exit 11.

[Anonymous]

I used to love Old Sturbridge as a kid so I am glad to hear someone thinks it is still worth a visit.

Mystic is a terrible idea-- going past New Haven on 95 will take you out of your way and that stretch of 95 is usually congested.

We have sometimes left around 7 pm and then you could get to New Haven between 1 and 2 am, if you think that works for you/your family.