Originally Posted by
SteveA
We are looking for a vacation location where we can rent a cabin for a week - from where we can:…
* Do cycling day trips on quiet country roads
* Do some lake canoeing (without large, fast & loud motorboats)
* Do some day hiking
* Be within 4 hours of an interesting historical site/sites
We are looking for something within a 10 hour drive of Southwestern Ohio.
This is not a touring-specific question but we figure that other touring cyclists may be aware of locations like this. If anyone can recommend a forum better-suited for this question please let us know and we will repost there.
Thanks!
Steve & Linda
Originally Posted by
BlarneyHammer
... Or I'm sure there are some users from the Northeast that can help you out.
I enjoy replying to these open-ended requests for destinations, and I have a stock answer – Metro Boston. I have the sense from your OP that you are looking for a more a more rural venue, but here is why Metro Boston would fulfill your criteria.
First of all, while lodging in downtown Boston is expensive, if you are just looking for a base of operations, better deals can be found farther out in the city or suburbs, served by public transit. Besides that, in the Metro are are many resort areas particularly on the coastline, that rent cottages. For example our family has visited Rockport for several summers. Just recently we received an advertisement from one such resort (see link).
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
...[Rockport is a]resort town on Metro Boston’s scenic North Shore,
a nice cycling route 40 miles long north of our condo in downtown Boston.
The region is also good for road cycling,and train service with the fully assembled bikes is readily available.I described it in my
Cycling Guide to Metro Boston as:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
…North Shore: Beautiful Atlantic coastline,especially north of Lynn, to include Nahant,Marblehead and Marblehead Neck, on through Salem, Beverly and into ritzy Beverly Farms, and up to seafaring Gloucester, Rockport, Ipswich,etc…
So one could travel by train from Boston to Rockport [or cycle, in either direction], and then it’s a short walk …to Rockport Center which itself is an interesting walkable resort town, including beaches.
Originally Posted by
SteveA
* Do cycling day trips on quiet country roads.
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
Personally. I'm very happy cycling in Metro Boston, and have posted an informal
Cycling Guide to Metro Boston that would make a nice hub and spoke tour of nine days[including travel time]. It may seem parochial, but I think the cycling around here is great.
One can be in scenic countryside within about one hour from downtown,while passing through an interesting, compact urban and suburban scene. Furthermore you can extend your range with a convenient Commuter Rail that allows
fully-assembled bikes during off-peak hours.In Spring through Fall it’s a temperate climate.
Originally Posted by
SteveA
*Do some lake canoeing (without large, fast & loud motor boats)
The Charles River is popular for canoeing,and other water transport, as well as much of the Atlantic coastline. There are also many inland lakes / ponds, e.g. Walden Pond
Originally Posted by
SteveA
* Do some day hiking
Boston is considered America’s most walkable city. For walks further afield, particularly in the countryside, the Appalachian Mountain Club, for example is a source.
Originally Posted by
SteveA
* Be within 4 hours of interesting historical site/sites
Say no more…this is Boston.
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
"Suggestions for the next epic ride"...Besides the cycling, Boston is such a popular tourist destination that there will always be something interesting to do off the bike…culture, nightlife, sports and so forth.
I know you would like to avoid the urban experience, and further out into New England could satisfy that condition. Camping near Boston too would be problematic, but not impossible. If you’ve never been here before, the experience may be even more…epic.
Originally Posted by
SteveA
…We are looking for something within a 10 hour drive of Southwestern Ohio.
I’m a native Michigander, and we frequently drive about 700 miles from Boston to Metropolitan Detroit in about 13 hours, but that includes two border crossings of Canada. From Mapquest, Boston is about 840 miles from Dayton. FYA a BF subscriber came out from Dayton to visit for just a weekend Bike Ride, and had a good time.
Originally Posted by
rtool
Spent a great weekend with Jim (Jim from boston).Arrived Friday afternoon and we took off for a ride around the city. Rode to Harvard University following a local MUP, and then took a non-street ride to see the USS Constitution. Great ride with plenty to see.…Excellent [long Saturday] ride had a real great time.
Sunday I took off on my own to ride the Minute Man Trail. Weather was great going to Lexington and Bedford, but it rained fairly heavy on my way back. MinutemanTrail is really nice and wide with plenty to see along the way.
Jim took me on walking tours of Boston each evening and it was great having someone telling me all about Boston. Last time I was in Boston was in 1960.Seen many sites I had totally forgotten about. Jim is quite the tour leader.Very knowledgeable about Boston and passed on lots of it’s history.We also ate extremely well. Everything from fresh fish to Italian, and ending Sunday evening at a Thai restaurant. All-in-all it was a great weekend...
On a few different Forums, I have posted,
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
I live in Kenmore Square…
I personally enjoy showing visitors around Boston, and I have offered some open-ended invitations on a few Forums to look me up if visiting Boston, for advice or to meet up. I do usually need a couple days notice to alter my schedule...
Finally, other sources for suggested destinations might be the Regional Discussion Forums, such as Northeast, Great Lakes, and Southeast.
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
BTW,over the years I have responded to several of these threads with open-ended requests for travel destinations. One thing they have in common is that the OP never informs us of the final destination, much less how was the trip, even when requested to do so. 
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 04-15-17 at 09:08 AM.