New England car guy road trip

My father and I are looking to head out the first weekend in October, either Thursday afternoon or Friday morning, depending on my work schedule, through Sunday. It may be bumped up to this weekend if I don't pick up more hours and reservations can be made. The itinerary is staying at the navy base lodge in Newport, RI, visiting the Factory Five headquarters in Wareham, MA, and eating seafood. I look forward to checking out the display GTM in the showroom as I have wanted one since it was announced 14 years ago. 

Starting at my place in Whitney Point, NY, the quickest route is I88 to I90. Slightly longer and more scenic would be 17/I86 heading down state and though Connecticut. The return trip on Sunday will likely involve RT20 and stopping at the lake/cottage my dad vacationed at as a kid. 

As always, I'm open to advice or suggestions on things to do/see/and eat.  Thanks. 

I wouldn't care which route I took as long as I was there......sorry not much help, but that time of the year in that part of the USA is bucketlist fodder...enjoy!

Nothing constructive to add but has it been 14 years since the GTM made it's debut? I'm getting old.

The review of the LS7 GTM by GRM was hilarious. I have a vague recollection of whoever wrote it stating  that they used to jump from airplanes for a  a living and it terrified them. I've wanted one ever since. We need that one accessible in the online archives. 

In reply to The0retical :

I recall a blurb in Car Craft from '03 or '04 when they announced it. I don't think they shipped until '05 or '06. Either way, they are on gen 2 or 3 now. 

My advice would be avoid all interstates. Set your GPS for "Curvy Roads" and then under avoidances select "Highway/Interstate", "Ferries" and then unselect "Toll roads", "Unpaved Roads". Put a waypoint at the top of Mt Washington Auto Road. Drive to Rhode Island :)

Another p.o.i. my father wants to hit is F40 Motorsports from Chasing Classic Cars in Portland, CT. 

Have you been to Lime Rock Park before?  Check the schedule http://limerock.com/calendar

Bennington vermont is up there

I don't have time right now to look at alternatives but I88 and I90 are perhaps the most boring roads in the northeast.  If (or when) I travel for travels sake I avoid them at all cost.

Brian said:

Another p.o.i. my father wants to hit is F40 Motorsports from Chasing Classic Cars in Portland, CT. 

Wayne is great, but his place is small and only moderately interesting. You will feel like you are in the way, and Roger sets his own hours, so you probably wouldn't get to meet him. There's also nothing else around there.

Automotive Restorations in Stratford and Black Horse Garage in Bridgeport are much more interesting, though they are in southern Connecticut and would require going on I-95, which is awful.

Go north from Rhode Island instead. Go up to Maine and drive along the coast. If you have enough time, go to the Owls Head Transportation Museum.

TRoglodyte said:

Bennington vermont is up there

Yes. Hemmings is a pretty cool place to visit.

If you are there, also drive a few miles north to Mt. Equinox and drive up the toll road, but only come down if your brakes are up to it. Watch out for walking monks as you go around the blind hairpins.

You can do both in one afternoon.

Clubloose North is having an event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on the 7th and 8th of October. Maybe spectate for a bit?

I'd recommend NY17->55->44 through the Gunks on the west side of the Hudson, cross at either Poughkeepsie or above Kingston on NY199, east to NY22, north to Bennington, east on VT9 to Brattleboro, then swing either north to hit Mt. Washington or south to Newport, depending on how much time you have. Nice scenery, lots of little towns with good restaurants.

If you're into track work, make sure to check out Palmer Motorsports Park up in Palmer, MA.  If you're going up to Mt Washington, Club Motorsports just opened in NH. 

Palmer, Thompson, Lime Rock and now Club Motorsports is all the car-guy stuff I have time for nowadays :) 

If you're going by Sturbridge, MA, send me a note.  I'm always up for an excuse to go to the BBQ place up there :)

If you're talking the weekend of 10/6-8, you may want to consider going to central MA.  It's not strictly a car-guy thing, but Collings Foundation has a WW2 re-enactment going on that weekend.  Located in Stow, just off I-495.  They have some of everything motorized - cars of many types including many race cars as well as antiques, military vehicles, aircraft, etc. , and the re-enactment show is very cool.  I'm hoping to make a pilgrimage east that weekend (parents live about five minutes away).

Larz Anderson Museum is closer in to Boston if you're venturing that far east.  

In addition to LimeRock, there's Thompson, CT, and Palmer, MA road courses.

Since you mention Navy lodge, and I've already drifted away from strictly cars, the USS Massachusetts and several other ships are in Fall River.  Also, the Groton submarine museum in Groton, CT, which includes the Nautilus.

If you hit Factory Five, King Richard's Faire will be going on in Carver.  Its about 10 minutes away.  It runs every weekend from Labor Day until late October.  Its pricey at $32 per person plus whatever you buy inside, but who can resist a renasaince faire with lots of girls running around in very low cut dresses.  I'm about 1.5 miles up the street from there if you like TR8s.  Chris is around the corner from me if you like Mazdas with magic spinning Doritos.  Fro Oct 6-Sunday October 8, the Cape Cod British Car club will be having its annual British car festival in Falmouth.  Falmouth is about 25 minutes from Factory Five and is on Cape Cod.  Saturday has driving events.  Sunday is the car show.  The will be lots of cranberry picking going on as well.  Tourist love to stop, watch, and take pics.  The Plymouth waterfront is a pretty cool place, and has some good seafood.

Audrain Auto Museum

On Bellevue Ave., about a mile south from where you'll be staying

Newport Car Museum

Actually located in Portsmouth directly  in front of the big Raytheon factory ... About a mile north from where you'll be staying

Rte. 2 through Mass. is a nice fall drive.   Pretty curvy too.

iceracer wrote:

Rte. 2 through Mass. is a nice fall drive.   Pretty curvy too.

I agree. And if you do this be sure to stop to eat here, in North Adams, MA:

The Golden Eagle

Spectacular view!

I did Rt2 on my way home from an autocross and it was a hoot. If you get to Mt Washington swing by castle in the clouds, cool old house with 5-sided rocks.

If you are in the Boston area on 10/8 and you like old VW's, this is happening at the Larz Anderson Museum on the lawn:

The Larz Anderson itself is a cool place. It's considered by some to be the nation's oldest car collection. Larz Anderson himself was collecting cars back in the 'Teens and 20's! He had some cool early cars, like a 1901 Winton Bullet, aka the car that raced Henry Ford in his Sweepstakes Racer. He also had a 1906 Charron-Girodot-Voight (CGV) that might just be the first RV ever built, with a rear seat that converted into a bed and even an onboard toilet. 

They are also having a supercar exhibit right now, with some cool stuff like a 1968 Lambo Miura and a Jaguar XJ220. 

Thanks for the suggestions. Overall I don't think dad plans on going anywhere north of 90. As far as fun drives, the trip will be made in the most boring vehicle at our disposal, an '07 Taurus. On the bright side, it is by far the most comfortable. Lastly, Sunday will be the drive home, on the road first thing in the morning. 

Watch out for cops on RT17 in NY - it's a beautiful drive littered with police.

Currently the itinerary is drive out Thursday after I get out of work, FFR on Friday, Saturday in Newport(I will suggest the car museum), return on Sunday. Current wild card is what we take. The Taurus is going in the shop for rear brakes on Wednesday and if it takes more than a day we take the mustang. Upside, road trip in a mustang. Downside, 300+ miles, 5+ hours with the mileage and NVH of a modified mustang. 

The trip went well. Drove out after work Thursday, had my D'angelos at the first rest area. The hotel was basic but clean and comfortable.

Friday morning we went to Factory Five and spent 1.5-2 hours there, including close to an hour chat and extra tour with Dave Smith. The man's enthusiasm is infectious. He showed us the 33 pickup they are building with one of the Spike TV car shows this week(HPTV?). When my father asked about the space frame in the gen 3 coupe, and if the Mk5 roadster will be space frame that launched a solid 15 minute story, equal parts business and auto enthusiast, about the background and future of their use of space frames.  I sat in every car in the showroom, including my beloved GTM. Easy ingress, less so egress, but plenty of room for my large frame. 

More story later.