Portland, ME is another great stopover. Great food and some parks.

We stayed near the traffic circle in Portsmouth (not downtown) over the winter break at the Fairfield Inn. It was $53/night with a free breakfast. Not sure what the summer rates are, but it worked out great for us. It would be perfect for a one-night stop.

If you spend some time in Portsmouth there are great restaurants and coffee shops, history (Strawbery Banke and other historical buildings), a nice park with summer concerts/plays, and more.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for al of the advice. I was actually looking for more than just a place to eat and sleep. Something to kind of tack on to the vacation. I was hoping there would be somewhere worth stopping and spending an extra day. Sounds like Portsmouth could be the answer.

If you end up in Portsmouth, I like Odiorne State Park and New Castle for outside stuff. Portsmouth has been a foodie town since the 70s.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for al of the advice. I was actually looking for more than just a place to eat and sleep. Something to kind of tack on to the vacation. I was hoping there would be somewhere worth stopping and spending an extra day. Sounds like Portsmouth could be the answer.

Or Portland?

We did Portland. Was nice to walk around the Seaport and they have lots of really good food options. We stayed a couple of days in NYC in the backend.

Westerly, RI has really nice beaches and is just past Mystic off 95. I think you are right to avoid Boston. Providence, Newburyport, or Portsmouth are better bets if you want a small city. You could stop at Hampton Beach in NH-it is the antithesis of Acadia.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're stopping somewhere near Tree House Brewing in MA, since it's the best brewery in America and they don't distribute their beer.

+1

Depending on your route, stopping in Shelburne Falls and going to the potholes could be really fun if you are traveling with kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stopping in Mystic does add little bit of time, but I think its worth it. We really enjoyed the Seaport Museum, and took a day cruise out of the port. You can also go to New London & the Submarine Museum.

If OP is looking for more than just a quick stop, I agree Mystic is a good place. But like a PP warned, traffic in that area suuuuuucks.

Traffic sucks and it’s not at all on the way to Maine.

Anonymous wrote:Stopping in Mystic does add little bit of time, but I think its worth it. We really enjoyed the Seaport Museum, and took a day cruise out of the port. You can also go to New London & the Submarine Museum.

If OP is looking for more than just a quick stop, I agree Mystic is a good place. But like a PP warned, traffic in that area suuuuuucks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're stopping somewhere near Tree House Brewing in MA, since it's the best brewery in America and they don't distribute their beer.

+1

Are they the makers of boom sauce?

Are they really better than hill farmstead?

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for al of the advice. I was actually looking for more than just a place to eat and sleep. Something to kind of tack on to the vacation. I was hoping there would be somewhere worth stopping and spending an extra day. Sounds like Portsmouth could be the answer.

Or Portland?

We stopped in Boston but we had friends there.

Stopping in Mystic does add little bit of time, but I think its worth it. We really enjoyed the Seaport Museum, and took a day cruise out of the port. You can also go to New London & the Submarine Museum.

Anonymous wrote:We spent a few days in Boston to break up the drive to Acadia.

To add, we didn’t find the traffic to be problematic. We parked the car and did the rest of our exploring on foot or with Uber. Not sure where one stays with a dog though - we just stayed at a hotel downtown.

We spent a few days in Boston to break up the drive to Acadia.

Thanks for al of the advice. I was actually looking for more than just a place to eat and sleep. Something to kind of tack on to the vacation. I was hoping there would be somewhere worth stopping and spending an extra day. Sounds like Portsmouth could be the answer.