One of the (many) reasons why I love Maine so much is its proximity to so many great road trip destinations. The entirety of New England is mere hours away by car (or train, or bus… but for the purposes of this post we’re talking about your own vehicle), Canada is right there, and the entire Eastern Seaboard is at your disposal. Using Portland as a jumping-off point, here are a few recommended road trip destinations for a lovely long weekend getaway.

Old Quebec, Canada.

Portland Maine to Quebec City, Quebec, Canada – 5 hrs 27 min, 274 miles

Quebec City (not to be confused with the entire province which is also called Quebec) has been called “North America’s Little Europe”, with the architecture, language (it’s primarily French-speaking), culture, and general atmosphere that combine to convince U.S. travelers that they’re across the pond, and not just a bit north of their home country. It’s a truly divine city, worthy of a visit that lasts several weeks rather than just a few days. Stay in one of the hotels in Old Quebec and walk to every attraction, restaurant, club, bar, museum, and shop you possibly can without ever having to take your car out of the parking garage.

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Mount Vernon knows how to party.

To be honest, I’m not even sure how one is supposed to celebrate Presidents’ Day. When I was a kid we would dress in powdered wigs and chop down cherry trees, but that’s a lie and I cannot tell it.

I am a big fan of no interest until 2012 on all the sale items in the mall today. So there’s that.

These patriotic souls in Mount Vernon, Virginia put a little more effort into it than most of us. Good on them.

Photo by ConceptJunkie via Flickr

The Frying Pan Tunnel along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

My uncle is an avid motorcyclist. In his many trips back and forth across the country, he makes it a point to plan his route so that he can traverse the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway. He sings the praises of the route so often that my husband and I are now convinced that we simply must plan a vacation in the area.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469 mile stretch of road which connects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. All along the roadway are stunning views and vistas, hiking, camping, and landmarks. The Parkway drive is wildly popular in the fall, during peak foliage conditions.

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My friends, I need some help. See, I’m a planner, and I’m trying to figure out what we’re going to do for our next vacation. We only get a couple a year (if we’re lucky), so I try to make each one really count. For next year, we’re trying to decide between three different destinations. I need help figuring out which one to choose.

Patrons of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

The first option, and the one that is probably the easiest to achieve, is a long weekend in Monterey, California. Given our proximity (Arizona), we could decide to either drive or fly there. It was one of the destinations during our honeymoon coastal tour of California, coming up on nine years ago. We stayed at the exceedingly lovely Hotel Pacific. We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We had an altogether fantastic time, and we’d love to go back.

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