Vacation Help

[Puppmom]

DH and I are celebrating our one year anniversary in mid-September and I need some ideas for a weekend away within driving distance of Philadelphia. We''re willing to drive up to 4-5 hours. Any ideas on places and what we can do once we get there would be awesome.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Mystic, CT is just a four hour drive. There's some information about Mystic in this thread, started by soocool: Mystic

My DH and I actually went to Mystic on our first anniversary!!

Also, Newport, RI isn't much farther and is always lovely.

 

[Puppmom]

Funny you mention Mystic! That''s where DH and I went for our mini-honeymoon. I''ll check out Newport.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Wow! That is funny! What a coincidence?!

How about Litchfield, CT? Do you like hiking? You can hike part of the Appalachian trail. There are also tons of antique shops in this area and nice restaurants. And, you can bring your dog (I assume you have at least one because of your name)

. The dog friendly rooms are not the rooms in the photos. I believe there are a few different buildings at this inn/hotel, and there are rooms in the townhouses, which are dog friendly. You can leave your dog(s) in the room when you go out to dinner, so that is convenient.

http://www.interlakeninn.com/

I had called this inn in the spring, and they seem to book up pretty quickly. I haven't been there yet. They have a few different weekend packages that you might be interested in. The site details a lot of activities available in the area.

Let us know what you decide to do!

 

[elle_chris]

My anni was just this past friday and we spent the weekend at Mohonk Mountain House.

The place is just stunning. I can go into everything they offer, but the post would go on forever so here''s the link: http://www.mohonk.com/.
We had a tower room that was beautiful. Two balconies on either side with gorgeous views. Their spa is amazing!! their hiking trails are beautiful, lots to do etc.
It''s about 2 hours from nyc. If you check out the link and are interested, let me know and I''ll post some pics I took.

 

[soocool]

Thanks for the mention LV!

Puppmom, yes I went to Mystic earlier this month. We also visited a winery and lighthouse (at the point) in nearby Stonington and ventured over to Westerly and Watch Hill, RI. (about a 10 mile drive from Stonington) We stopped at Watch Hill beach and went to Nappatree Point and did a little birdwatching (DD is into photography and shot a lot of pics) Next time we hope to visit Fishers Island (ferry from New London, Ct to the island) or spend some time in Block Island.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

What about Boston? That is about 4 hours a way and there is tons to do there

 

[sap483]

If you like wine and the outdoors, the Finger Lakes are between 4 and 5 hours from you. I go with a group of friends in September every year in September, and it's just gorgeous there!

 

[lucyandroger]

If you like the mountains, you could look into Shenandoah national park and skyline drive. There is a lot to do there and a few resorts in the park. http://www.visitshenandoah.com/

 

[sba771]

I am going to second Newport. I know its a little further but its so romantic, relaxing and beautiful in the fall. Man I miss the east coast in the fall. Happy anniversary!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 8/26/2009 7:41:54 PM
Author: elle_chris
My anni was just this past friday and we spent the weekend at Mohonk Mountain House.

The place is just stunning. I can go into everything they offer, but the post would go on forever so here's the link: http://www.mohonk.com/.
We had a tower room that was beautiful. Two balconies on either side with gorgeous views. Their spa is amazing!! their hiking trails are beautiful, lots to do etc.
It's about 2 hours from nyc. If you check out the link and are interested, let me know and I'll post some pics I took.

I'd love to see some pics if you don't mind posting them. I've heard of Mohonk Mountain House. It looks gorgeous, though a little on the pricey side! I noticed they list their rates as per person, not per room. Probably a little over-budget for me, but I'd still love to see the pics! They have hiking trails directly from the premises?

 

[Puppmom]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

LV, thanks for the recommendation. We are looking for some outdoorsy type things to do. We just don''t want our entire getaway to be weather dependent. I''ve never thought of bringing our dog on vacation because I''ve always assumed they aren''t permitted anywhere. He''s our baby and we don''t board him so it would be nice not to have to inconvenience someone in the family for dog sitting.

Elle, Mohonk looks beautiful! I''m going to check it out and see what DH thinks

soocool, when we went to Mystic we also stayed the night at the Inn at Stonington. It was gorgeous and we ate at this FANTASTIC mexican-ish place for dinner. I''m a city girl so they only thing that bugged me about Stonington and Mystic was everything closed so dang early! One night DH and I had ice cream and cookies from the grocery store for dinner because everything closed at 9

Firecracker, I was giggling when you said Boston is a 4 hour drive. My SIL lives in Boston and my ILs insist it takes 6 hours to get there and it does with my FIL driving!

Sap, wine and outdoors sounds like the perfect combo. I''m gonna take a peak at Finger Lakes.

Lucy, Shenandoah looks neat and looks like it would be beautiful in the fall. I''m all about the "package" too...I need things to do or else I just sleep and eat on vacation!

Okay...thanks again. Off to visit all of these websites!

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 8/27/2009 5:13:43 PM
Author: Loves Vintage

I''d love to see some pics if you don''t mind posting them. I''ve heard of Mohonk Mountain House. It looks gorgeous, though a little on the pricey side! I noticed they list their rates as per person, not per room. Probably a little over-budget for me, but I''d still love to see the pics! They have hiking trails directly from the premises?

Sure, here''s a couple. The only thing that wasn''t great was the weather. It rained the whole time we were there.

This is the a view of the lake from our room.

 

[elle_chris]

gardens

 

[elle_chris]

the grounds

 

[elle_chris]

more gardens with the house in the back

 

[elle_chris]

i almost got lost in the maze..

 

[elle_chris]

a hiking trail. They have gazebos all over the trails. They make great rest stops and helped keep us dry.

The trails all start on the property.

 

[elle_chris]

The property is HUGE. You can go hiking and not see anyone for hours.

 

[Loves Vintage]

elle chris,

Thank you for posting the photos. The gardens are amazing!! Maybe we will spend next year''s anniversary there!!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 8/27/2009 5:51:34 PM
Author: puppmom
Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

LV, thanks for the recommendation. We are looking for some outdoorsy type things to do. We just don''t want our entire getaway to be weather dependent. I''ve never thought of bringing our dog on vacation because I''ve always assumed they aren''t permitted anywhere. He''s our baby and we don''t board him so it would be nice not to have to inconvenience someone in the family for dog sitting.

puppmon,

If you search dog-friendly and hotels or inns in the location that you will be visiting, you''ll find sites that list places that allow pets.

We once stayed at the Lazy Dog Inn in New Hampshire with my two greyhounds. There is dog decor throughout the house, which was really cute. If you go out without your dogs, they have a separate kennel area (very, very clean) where you can bring your dog with his bed, etc. and they play lullaby music all day for them! It is so cute. They also take them out into the play area and will play with them.

Although I loved it for my dogs, it was a bit too "potpourri" for me. We realized after our stay there that we aren''t really bed and breakfast people. However, for people that adore their dogs and like B&Bs, this place is really really nice!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 8/28/2009 11:15:27 AM
Author: Loves Vintage

Date: 8/27/2009 5:51:34 PM
Author: puppmom
Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

LV, thanks for the recommendation. We are looking for some outdoorsy type things to do. We just don''t want our entire getaway to be weather dependent. I''ve never thought of bringing our dog on vacation because I''ve always assumed they aren''t permitted anywhere. He''s our baby and we don''t board him so it would be nice not to have to inconvenience someone in the family for dog sitting.

puppmon,

If you search dog-friendly and hotels or inns in the location that you will be visiting, you''ll find sites that list places that allow pets.

We once stayed at the Lazy Dog Inn in New Hampshire with my two greyhounds. There is dog decor throughout the house, which was really cute. If you go out without your dogs, they have a separate kennel area (very, very clean) where you can bring your dog with his bed, etc. and they play lullaby music all day for them! It is so cute. They also take them out into the play area and will play with them.

Although I loved it for my dogs, it was a bit too ''potpourri'' for me. We realized after our stay there that we aren''t really bed and breakfast people. However, for people that adore their dogs and like B&Bs, this place is really really nice!

DH and I go up to the Lazy Dog Inn several times a year--the owners are extraordinarily nice and it''s perfect if you''re doing something during the day and can''t bring the dog (like in the winter if you''re skiing). They have a fenced in area where all the guests'' dogs can play during the day. DH and I are huge B&B lovers, though, and North Conway is perfect for us because we''re outdoorsy, but still like to have a lot of good restaurants/other things to do around. If you guys are avid hikers, a great way to spend the day is going to the LDI, hiking Mt. Washington (our dog hiked it with us once as well), then having dinner at Mary Kelly''s Irish restuarant and heading back to the B&B to spend the evening with our boys and chatting with other dog owners.

If I were you, I''d head to Cape Cod/Martha''s Vineyard/Nantucket. September is my favorite time of year to go to the Cape or Islands. Almost all areas of the Cape Cod National Seashore allow dogs year round (leashed) and several beaches on the islands allow dogs after Labor Day. If not, dogs are always allowed after 5 p.m., even in the summer. Also, dogs are allowed on the ferries and even the buses that go around the islands.

 

[Puppmom]

Wow, Lazy Dog looks like the happiest place on earth!

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. We decided to go with the Cape and we''re so excited!

Here''s a link to where we''ll stay. Hope this works:

Ocean Edge