We’ve done most of that stretch many, many times. Every time I drive it, I’m reminded how much our country needs to improve its infrastructure. It’s the pits!
You may forget the traffic problems. Slide in and enjoy. Take the scenic route north.
Two thoughts:
Check out Old Sturbridge Village @ https://www.osv.org/
Portland Maine has become a destination town for fine food.
Sorry about all the typos in my post 39… hopefully you could figure it out.
Today looks to be shaping up to be a great day.
@1214mom There’s just a ton of traffic up and down the northeast corridor and sometimes you can’t avoid it. My daughter lived in Philadelphia and I made the trip from MA to Philly many times and tried lots of different routes and short of driving really early or really late, there was almost always a spot where the traffic sucked, usually the GW Bridge.
Sturbridge Village is no where near where this poster will be…at all.
@1214mom going over the GW bridge is seldom the fastest way…but you got there!
OP here. Just got done riding 26 miles around Portland on our bicycles, and saw 5 lighthouses. Awesome day so far.
Also consider the Portland Museum of Art. The Winslow Homers (and other regional artists) add to the New England/Maine experience. It’s a small museum, easy to do.
If you do travel north on Rt 1 (and I can’t imagine why not,) about 30 miles up, look for the giant blow-up lobster sitting on a restaurant roof. It’s ridiculous.
Welcome to the vast club that loves Maine.
“look for the giant blow-up lobster sitting on a restaurant roof”
Tatse of Maine in Woolrich! But keep driving a little further and get a lobster roll from Red’s Eats.
Day’s Lobster in Yarmouth, (exit 17, go towards Freeport on Rt 1) is awesome. Take out window has great lobster rolls and other foods and you can sit outside to eat by marsh or box up live lobster to take with you. Much less wait than Red’s Eats in Wiscasset.
Minnewaska State Park in the Shawangunk Mountains, near New Paltz, NY. Gorgeous cliff views and waterfalls. The following are Minnewaska highlights. For a long hike, Gertrude’s Nose. For a medium hike, Bonticou Crag (this is in another preserve near Minnewaska). For a short and easy gorgeous hike, Awosting Falls in Minnewaska. Awosting is a really easy stop-and-see destination.
Or visit and stay at the private Mohonk Mountain House there. Beautiful but expensive. Hike on property, and, if you are fit and can scramble over rocks and pull yourself up through a gap between rocks, don’t miss its famous Lemon Squeezer hike!
Another nice hike is Breakneck Ridge in the Hudson Highlands in NY- allegedly the most popular hike in the United States. Again, it is a real hike, with scrambling.
These are good hiking destinations between Maryland and Maine.
@2014mom I’ve been thinking about you today. We had a stretch of horrible, un-Maine-like weather there, and last night a cold front rolled in an banished the heat and humidity. You brought the good weather with you. 
Today was spectacular!
@Consolation, it was spectacular. We did our lighthouse bike ride, then walked around to shops and to check out different cool buildings, then we went to dinner. We walked by the ferry house, and there was a ferry leaving in 3 minutes, so we hopped on for just an hour long ride, but we got some great sunset pics. Now we hope to sleep really well
@2014mom, glad you had such a good day!
Friends from Texas arrived on Sunday. They headed back to MA today. They got to see the full range of weather! They rented a cabin on Long Pond in the Belgrade Lakes region. Just beautiful. We spent a couple of days with them. Thursday morning, I took a shower to cool off. Thursday evening, I took a shower to warm up! Odd day.
I drove a chunk of I-95 in NH this evening @ 5:45. The traffic was surprisingly light for a holiday weekend.
When traveling from New York to Maine, one has the realistic option of taking I84 which passes through Sturbridge Massachusetts. If coming in from New York on I90 (MASS Pike), it meets with I84 in Sturbridge MA. I used to live and work in the area before I moved to ME. The Village director was my neighbor. See https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sturbridge,+MA/@42.1028908,-73.1691303,8z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x89e6a24d2dc6b9c7:0xcedbfdbb3b3eb8a7!2sSturbridge,+MA!3b1!8m2!3d42.1084122!4d-72.0787059!3m4!1s0x89e6a24d2dc6b9c7:0xcedbfdbb3b3eb8a7!8m2!3d42.1084122!4d-72.0787059
The commuter traffic is very heavy around 495 (Worcester), I95, I93 and RT 3 (around Boston). It is best to be out of that area before 4PM (before 3PM on Fridays).
OP here. Trip was awesome. We hiked and bikes and kayaked, and ate and drank too much.
Portland was a great stop to get us through some of the worst traffic and have plenty to do for a couple of days.
We drove all the way home from Bar Harbor today, and the way where you DON’T go through NYC was much better. I’m sure it helped that it was a Saturday, but we drove over 700 miles and really only had a couple of slow downs. We came across Rt 84.
Thanks to all for the advice.
Glad you had a great time, @1214mom.
Thanks @doschicos.
In case this helps others, note there is a huge difference in tolls depending on which way you choose to drive.
We paid a small fortune when we went up 95 through NYC. We didn’t pay much when we took route 84.