• Introduction
• 1. Blue Ridge Parkway
• 2. Hana Highway
• 3. Highway 1
• 4. Highway 12
• 5. Going-to-the-Sun Road
• 6. Million Dollar Highway
• 7. Red Rock Scenic Byway
• 8. Seward Highway
• 9. Sonoma and Napa Valleys
• 10. U.S. Route 1

U.S. Route 1

Traversing some of the oldest roads in the country, U.S. Route 1 takes you on a historic journey through New England, covering five states (namely, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine) and encompassing a bevy of sights, coastal villages, state parks, and notable cities. We recommend starting in Connecticut and driving all the way up to the coast of Maine, following the highway up to Providence, where the city’s colonial history is displayed in numerous museums and historical sites (particularly so Roger Williams Park, where Williams landed and founded his colony). Route 1 then goes straight through the heart of Boston, with its extension 1A winding through charming Cape Anne, past seaside towns, historic Salem, and along some beaches in New Hampshire (1A and Route 1 meet again in Newburyport and continue on through New Hampshire). Portsmouth is just a short drive off the highway on U.S. Route 4. Here, you can check out the stately homes and mansions, some of which date from the late 1600s, and take a Portsmouth cemetery tour for a review of New England history. Along Route 1 in Maine, you can stop at the outlets in Kittery, the beach towns of York, Ogunquit, and Old Orchard Beach, and the historic maritime city of Portland, settled shortly after the Pilgrims first landed. Further up the Maine coast you’ll find spectacular water views; Roosevelt Campobello International Park (the onetime summer home of FDR); and Reversing Falls Park, home to a narrow channel where the tide is so fast, it creates a sort of whirlpool effect. This jaunt is best in fall when a carpet of russet and gold foliage blankets the rolling hillsides.

See United States Travel Guide