A 2,771 mile road trip from Kentucky to Maine during peak fall foliage.
Day 1
Around 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 1 we left Lexington and headed north towards Maine. While we had a general idea of where we wanted to end up each night, we had only booked a few accommodations ahead of time to allow us some flexibility if we ran into any traffic or made better time than anticipated.
We made a quick stretch break at the Youghiogheny Overlook Welcome Center after crossing into Maryland as the sun was setting. We found a hotel for the night in Delaware and caught a few hours of sleep.
Our first day we made charging stops in West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
Day 2
We were back on the road around 7:30 a.m. to start our second day and planned to make it to Cape Cod by the evening. As we approached New York City our GPS routed us across the George Washington Bridge. Even though it was after the morning rush hour, traffic was a mess as multiple lanes merged together to cross the bridge.
It tuns out the George Washington Bridge is the busiest bridge in the WORLD, with over 250,000 motor vehicles crossing it each day. That number is even crazier when you consider it is a toll bridge and we received a $17 bill in the mail after our trip for crossing it. At least we did end up with a decent view of Manhattan!
Our first charging stop of the day was in Greenwich, Connecticut in a service plaza just off Highway 15. Many of the Tesla Supercharging locations we stopped at throughout New England were in service plazas or rest areas immediately off the highway. This made it really convenient to make quick charging stops while we picked up food or took bathroom breaks.
There weren’t many food places near our second stop in Midford, Connecticut so we picked up food once we got off the highway and had a picnic at the charger!
Instead of staying on I-195, we crossed the Claiborne Pell/Newport Bridge so we could visit Newport, Rhode Island. We spent half an hour walking through the streets and exploring the harbor.
We stayed the night at DoubleTree by Hilton Cape Cod. This hotel was one of the more affordable hotel options in the area and also offered free Tesla charging so we were able to charge up overnight!
Before going to sleep we made reservations through The Steamship Authority for a ferry ride from Cape Cod to Nantucket for the following morning.
Day 3
Our ferry departed Hyannis Harbor at 8:15 a.m. and was around an hour ride to Nantuckett. The ferry was $50 round trip per person.
We spent the morning exploring the small island of Nantuckett. The island is small and the touristy areas were very walk-able, so we roamed around taking in all of the local charm. We visited the Brant Point Lighthouse and ate lunch at the Nantucket Tavern and Gazebo before taking the ferry back to Hyannis.
As we continued north, we passed a sign for Plymouth Rock and decided to detour so we could see the site where the Pilgrims stepped off the Mayflower in 1620. We both were underwhelmed once we arrived. In my head I had envisioned a something akin to a boulder, but instead it was a small rock enclosed in a portico. (Note: According to the web, this “small rock” weighs approximately 10 tons.) There are some other historical monuments in the area in addition to some restaurants and harbor.
Our route then took us through Boston and then into Maine. Our final charging stop of the day was in Freeport, Maine which happened to be located at the L.L. Bean Headquarters and Flagship Store that is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! While the car charged up we browsed the store and Ashley was able to get her picture on a 16-foot version of their signature rubber-bottom boot.
Around 11 p.m. we made it to our AirBnB for the night, the Moss & Maple Inn.
Day 4
We enjoyed a slow(er) morning at the Moss & Maple Inn. They provided breakfast for us and we ate with several others that had stayed there. Before heading off the explore Acadia National Park I took some quick drone shots of the bed and breakfast and surrounding area of Southwest Harbor.
Our visit to Acadia National Park started at the Ocean Path Trailhead. We took a short trail from the parking lot down to Sand Beach to see Newport Cove and the rocky coastline.
It was then time for the Beehive Trail. I had researched this hike ahead of time but had intentionally left out some details when telling Ashley about it. It’s only 1.5 miles in length, but there are several sections you have to climb ladders and use metal rungs that are fixed into the surrounding rock. Since the trail is a loop, it’s recommended to go in a counterclockwise direction so you go up the ladders instead of having to climb down them.
Along the trail we were offered breathtaking views of Sand Beach below and the surrounding forests.
Once completing the hike we took a scenic drive along Park Loop Rd. and up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Bar Harbor before making an hour drive to Exeter, Maine where we stayed at Hampton Inn and Suites Exeter.
Day 5
Our plan for Day 5 was to drive through New Hampshire and Vermont en route to Niagara Falls. Our first charging stop was at the New Hampshire Hooksett Welcome Center, which had an Apple Cider Donuts shop!
Enjoying some back roads we took in the fall scenery and came across some fun stops including the Grafton Village Cheese Company and Creamery Covered Bridge.
Our day ended in New York where we stayed at the Quality Hotel & Suites At The Falls .
Day 6
After a nights rest, we walked from the hotel and crossed over into Canada to see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side.
Once we checked out of the hotel, we picked a route that crossed us through Canada on our way back home. We weren’t in Canada very long before crossing back into Buffalo, New York where we decided we should try some of the wings they are known for!
We stopped to eat lunch at the Buffalo Brewpub and the Buffalo Bills happened to be playing the Tennessee Titans. With food in our stomach we made the final push towards home! We made quick charging stops in Macedonia, Ohio and Polaris, Ohio. We pulled back into the garage just before 10 p.m.
Final Notes
This was one of our favorite trips thus far. While we spent a considerable amount of time driving, the Tesla Autopilot features made the drive much more enjoyable as it helped to reduce fatigue and stress. I don’t think this trip would have been nearly as enjoyable without the Tesla.
If we had more time we would have loved to spend more time in Acadia National Park and had the chance to visit Martha’s Vineyard.
You can see the general route we took HERE.
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