I live a couple miles away from Plymouth, in Kingston MA. If you have any questions on the area, just send me a message. The beachs are beautiful and the waterfront area is a nice area to see.
- Harry B.

Oh...and Salem, Ma...wonderful history...witches...and Plymouth Rock...and the plantation. And I love Gloucester MA http://www.gloucesterma.com/
My sister lives on the Martha Vineyard - its expensive to bring your car over and back.

Must try to get to Plymouth Plantation, it's a recreation of the original settlement. There are people there who take the part of the settlers going about their day. We loved that place.

Just a word to the wise about Boston.........Unless things have changed since we visited, traffic is a little crazy. It's a wonderful place with lot's to see and do but it's not easy to dr

On your way to DC you could also detour thru NYC and see a broadway show. There are some really good ones out there.

many of the theaters in Boston are made for small, short people...if your folks are in their 80's they may have a hard time sitting in many of those small seats. I have never been to a show in NY they may be better.

Actually, you can get fantastic lobster in all the seacoast states. I find that RI, MA, CT, lobster is just as good as Maine,,,,cost less too for some reason.. Passing thru Rhode Island - Newport, RI has beautiful mansions, the cliff walk, beaches, etc. It is a port city so there are awesome things to do all year long.

Totally agree with adding Shelburne Museum to your list.

Lowell National Park --- birthplace of Industrial Revolution, looms, quilt museum http://www.nequiltmuseum.org/ . The NPS does a wonderful job explaining the area and they have a great tour with a canal boat ride, visit to the factory and boarding house. Really makes you feel for the young women and kids who were employed by these mills. http://www.nps.gov/lowe/index.htm

Willard Clock Museum in N. Grafton, MA. http://www.willardhouse.org/ Just visit their website and if you fall in love with the photos then it is a must stop. The tour will take at most 2 hrs and when I visited with my elderly parentsthe docents really geared their talk to older folks, very nice visit. I returned a year later with my boys and they did not care for chatting with my boys---very well behaved and listening boys--but the docents were not engaging at all.

Higgins Armory, Worcester, MA --- The Higgins family was quite wealthy and one loved armory. This unique collection is a must-see if anyone in your travelling party likes medieval armor.

Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA --- If you are into seeing historic naval ships it has a few. From here stop in to see Submarine Base in New London, CT There is the USS Nautilus, first nuclear sub, and a few others there. http://www.militarynewcomers.com/NEW..._historic.html

And if you like aquariums the New England Aquarium in Boston is the finest in the country IMHO.

Carole, (lived in middle-Mass for 16yrs)

While in Vermont, consideer going to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory! It's a wonderful tour on how the bears are made, repaired, etc.

As for Ben & Jerry's, I wasn't impressed. People tell me it used to be better a few years back before it was bought from the original owners. Also, the tour, if I remember correctly, involved a lot of stairs.

Just MHO.

Between Niagara Falls and CT, go through the Finger Lakes region. There are many many wineries to visit, but it is also just a beautiful part of the country.

Totally agree.