Activities and Drives
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Trip directions are now only available in the Mass Miata Club Member Only area.

Fall for New England 2 is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy driving your Miata with other enthusiasts while enjoying splendor New England has to offer in the fall! All drives feature scenic highways and back roads, include a morning pit stop and a reasonably priced lunch stop.

Each guided trip will have a lead car, tail car, and be assigned a different CB channel. Turn-by-turn directions for all drives will be included in your event packet so you can drive them as non-guided if you want.

Guided Driving Tours • Paid Driving Events & Tours • Self-Guided Driving Tours

Updated December 4, 2018: Final trips added and trip descriptions updated!

FYI: The Mass Miata Club uses CB radios to communicate during all of its club driving events. A CB radio is not mandatory to participate. However, we highly recommend that you have one in order to get the most fun out these events. Bring your GPS if you have one. It will be helpful for the self guided tours.


Guided Driving Tours

All the drives below are included in the registration fee for FFNE2.

Covered Bridge Trip

New England is known for its covered bridges created for travel by horse and buggy to protect the passages and horse, as well as the bridge from inclement weather and longevity of the structure.  You’ll drive your Miata over several historic covered bridges traveling back in time over wooded country roads with many turns and curves through Massachusetts and New Hampshire. This trip is as much about the drive as the history.

Mileage: 173.7
Total Drive Time: 4 1/2 hours
Total Estimated Trip Time: 7 hours

Sturbridge Village

Old Sturbridge Village is an outdoor history museum depicting New England life in the 1830″s. Following rural picturesque roads to the village you will experience a working farm, homes, blacksmithing, barrel making and more on this 200 acre site.  Engage the authentically costumed historians about the life of settlers and immerse yourself in the village life. There are several shops and restaurants.  Admission: adults – $28, seniors – $26.

Mileage: 123.4
Total Drive Time: 3 ½ hours
Total Estimated Trip Time: 6 ½ to 7 ½ hours

Countryside Tour

Hebert’s Candy Mansion was founded in 1917 and became the first roadside confectioner in the US.  You will arrive via country back roads for a chance to stuff yourself full of delicious candy or ice cream.  Back on the road you will lunch at the historic and oldest operating inn Longfellow’s Wayside Inn where Longfellow, Thoreau and other famous authors and poets wrote.  Lunch cost: $15 – $22.

Mileage: 97.5
Total Drive Time: 3 ¼ hours
Total Estimated Trip Time: 6 hours

Rolling Hills of New Hampshire

The hills of New Hampshire will give you a tranquil drive over twisty back roads and beautiful scenery.  We’ll stop for a reasonably priced lunch and continue on our way again for the signature Mass Miata stop for ice cream at Kimball’s Farm.  After a few more curvy roads we’ll return to our hotel.

Mileage: 198.6
Total Drive Time: 5 ¼ hrs
Total Trip Time Estimate: 7 ½ hrs

Lobster Run

Traveling along the New England coast line of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and southern Maine, you’ll enjoy views of houses lining the beaches along the water’s edge. We’ll stop for lunch at a seafood eatery, also serving landlubber plates, if you wish.  After lunch you’re off to Great Bay in New Hampshire to bask in New England’s fall foliage and, of course, stop at one of our favorite ice cream shops before returning to base.

Mileage: 180
Drive Time: 4 ½ hours
Estimated Trip Time: 7 ½ hours.

Western/Central Massachusetts Trip

Traveling along the Connecticut River Byway and the Mohawk Trail, you’ll see mountain vistas and river valley farm lands stopping at historic Deerfield Village. Then it’s on to the Bridge of Flowers, a beautiful walking bridge over the river in Shelburne Falls, MA. The town boasts several restaurants for you to choose from on your own, some overlooking the bridge and river.  After lunch you’ll travel through a covered bridge and many other picturesque towns.

Mileage: 264
Total Drive Time: 5 hours
Total Estimated Trip Time: 8 – 9 hours

Cows, Brews and Mountain Tours

You’ll be on back roads driving to the top of Wachusett Mountain State Reservation, with spectacular views of Boston. The summit cost is $5 for MA residents, $10 for out of state. Then it’s onto the Stone Cow Brewery for lunch at the kitchen, or outdoor barbecue for $15/pp. Fresh brewed beer is available to accompany your meal, or take home a growler, or cans. The country store will be open for purchasing local items and choose to ride the Cool Bus for a farm tour, the cost is $10/pp. And of course no Mass Miata trip is complete without ice cream.

Mileage: 125
Total Drive Time: 3 ¾ hours
Total Estimated Trip Time: 6 – 7 hours

Micro Brewery Run

A leisurely drive along the Merrimac River brings you to the Riverwalk Brewing Company in picturesque Newburyport, MA. The menu is pub-style, each attendee will be responsible for their meal cost. There are other restaurants of diverse cuisines for lunch, as well. A tour of the brewery is available at no charge. After lunch you will have the option of a short walk (1.2 miles) along the oceanside boardwalk overlooking boats and yachts, which is flat and accessible. Many shops also line the streets of the small town. Parking is at a metered lot at a $1/hour, or street parking.

Mileage: 80
Total Drive Time: 4 hours
Total Trip Time: 7 ½ hours

New England Coastal Route

Prepare yourself for a beautiful scenic ride up the New England Coast traveling eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire, including the towns of Marblehead, Rockport and Gloucester known for the movie “Perfect Storm”. You’ll lunch at the famous Woodman’s for typical New England local catch.  After lunch you’ll cruise to Portsmouth NH with time to investigate the quaint shops and take in the history of the famous seaport and navel base.

Mileage: 186
Total Drive Time: 5 ½ hours
Total Trip Time: 8 ½ hours

Quabbin Reservoir & Wachusett Brewery

This trip will take you through gorgeous back roads in central MA with stops at the tranquil Quabbin Reservoir to  learn about the towns relocated to make way for Boston’s water source.  The lunch stop will be at the Wachusett Brewery with a tour of the brewery.  A short ride back to base completes this beautiful ride.

Mileage: 140
Total Drive Time: 4 ½ hours
Total Trip Time: 6 ½ hours

Kimball’s Ice Cream Run

This is one of our most popular trips we have each spring. You’ll have a leisurely morning with a drive to Kimball’s in Jaffrey, NH for lunch.  After lunch you’ll experience a lovely two hour drive back to Kimball’s in Westford, MA near our hotel for ice cream and time for activities at Kimball’s such as – mini golf, driving range, zip line, batting cages, pitch & putt, and shopping at the country store. You can stay as long as you like, as the hotel is just a couple of miles down the road.

Mileage: 110
Total Drive Time: 3 hours
Total Trip Time: 4 hours

Battle Road Scenic Byway

The first shot of the American Revolution “heard round the world” took place at the historic Lexington Battle Green, one of the stops on this tour of Minuteman National Historical Park, which also includes the Old North Bridge, battle and burial grounds. Learn about Paul Revere’s ride through the landscape of eastern Massachusetts warning citizens of the eminent invasion of the British. The trip includes a reasonably priced lunch stop, and of course, an ice cream stop.                                                                             

Mileage: 53
Total Drive Time: 2 hours
Total Trip Time: 5 hours

Paid Driving Events and Tours

The following drive and tour events require an additional cost to participate.  Registration for the paid events will open during March 2019, about 6 months prior to FFNE2.  We will send out an email to registered participants and post a blog entry when paid event registration is opened.

Boston Tour

Need a break from shifting, navigating and beautiful scenic landscapes? A spacious, comfy bus does the driving while you cruise your way into Boston, known as “The Hub” of the universe. A guided tour gives you a sense of the Commonwealth’s capital, followed by time on your own for lunch and shopping at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. We’ll meet up and walk along the waterfront wharf to view Boston Harbor and watch planes landing at Logan International Airport.  Cost for the trip is $52.00/pp, plus lunch on your own.

Total Trip Time: 8 ½ hours

Palmer Motorsport Park

This trip starts out on scenic back roads in and around eastern-central MA leading to Palmer Motorsports Park.  Palmer is a 2.3 mile bidirectional, 14-turn track with amazing elevation changes. You’ll get on the track in a “lead-follow” line of your fellow Miata attendees. You’ll have AM and PM session on the track, 10 to 15 laps per session. Track experience cost is $52 per track driver, plus $11/pp for lunch.  For more information on the track go to www.palmermotorsportspark.com, or check out the track videos on YouTube.

Mileage: 150
Drive Time: 3 hours
Total Estimated Trip Time: 6 – 7 hours

Palmer Motorsports Park Driving Directions

Self-Guided Driving Tours

Several self-guided tours will also be available for you to do on your own or with a couple of other cars from the group.

Nashoba Valley Winery

This self-guided tour is a 35-minute drive on tree-lined country roads to the acclaimed Nashoba Valley Winery orchard. A New England gift shop with the wines of Nashoba, a brewery and gourmet restaurant over look 52 acres of rolling fields with trees of apple, pear and a variety of berries all used in wine making. Wine tasting tours are available.  Reservations for lunch or dinner are recommended at 978-779-5521.

Mileage: 47.8
Total Drive Time: 1.5 hrs
Total Trip Time Estimate: 3.5 – 4 hrs

Butterfly Place

New England and tropical butterflies greet you as you enter their world. Walking along the pathway you will see butterflies sipping on flowers and nectar in a natural habitat kept at a warm 80 – 85 degrees.  Don’t be surprised if they land on your shoulder to say “hi, welcome”.  Don’t forget your camera to capture these beautiful creatures.  Admission: $11 – $15, open daily at 10AM.  For more information see: https://butterflyplace-ma.com

Mileage: 28.2
Total Drive Time: 1.5 hour
Total Estimated Trip Time: 3.5 – 4 hours

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