[Tartar]

What are some nice places to test drive a car within an hour of Boston? I'm trying to find a place that's not congested, preferably scenic. Somewhere where I can take pictures that resemble the ones you find in BMW catalogues.

The only place I can think of is Memorial Dr in Cambridge. Nice view of the Charles and the Boston skyline, but traffic is terrible.

I wish Boston was more scenic. I'm so jealous of those West Coasters with their blue skies and mountains and rocky shorelines.

[alex2112]

Maybe try the suburbs? I have driven some nice back roads in the Lexington/Lincoln/Concord/Weston areas that looked nice in the summer. The area around Minuteman national park and Hanscom is decent too IMO.

[MassBimmer]

There are some really nice roads up in the Topsfield area too

[DJKhan85]

You're either going to have to go out in western ma or to NH to get some nice drives.

[TL]

i posted this awhile back, check out my post

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245169

[Rustler]

Originally Posted by alex2112

Maybe try the suburbs? I have driven some nice back roads in the Lexington/Lincoln/Concord/Weston areas that looked nice in the summer. The area around Minuteman national park and Hanscom is decent too IMO.

Yeah, the roads in the western suburbs are pretty nice, and generally not too crowded. Check out roads off of route 30 at the weston exit to the pike. Nice loop taking newton st off of route 30, to ash street by the resevoir, onto route 30 again. Sometimes I just loop that.

Also, a little farther afield, but the cape is great this time of year. Roads are really quite, towns are quite. Check out route 6A, classic New England/cape scenery.

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by MassBimmer

There are some really nice roads up in the Topsfield area too

+1, that's my backyard.

Kank trip in the spring anyone?

[cyphr]

Originally Posted by Rustler

Yeah, the roads in the western suburbs are pretty nice, and generally not too crowded. Check out roads off of route 30 at the weston exit to the pike. Nice loop taking newton st off of route 30, to ash street by the resevoir, onto route 30 again. Sometimes I just loop that.

Also, a little farther afield, but the cape is great this time of year. Roads are really quite, towns are quite. Check out route 6A, classic New England/cape scenery.

Heh, ash st is right in my backyard. There's also a really nice stretch off of summer st....norumbega rd. It's got a nice cambered S-turn.

[Rustler]

Originally Posted by cyphr

Heh, ash st is right in my backyard. There's also a really nice stretch off of summer st....norumbega rd. It's got a nice cambered S-turn.

"Backyard" reminds me that I should probably mention that the roads I described are definitely in a residential area. They are fun and twisty but definitely not good for pushing the limits. Lots of kids, bikers, dogs etc...

[DJKhan85]

Originally Posted by jopa489

+1, that's my backyard.

Kank trip in the spring anyone?

I have ALWAYS wanted to drive on that road and coould never get the time/people to do it. I'm so down for that.

[cyphr]

Originally Posted by DJKhan85

I have ALWAYS wanted to drive on that road and coould never get the time/people to do it. I'm so down for that.

+1 for the Kank. I might be on my bike, but either way I'm totally down.

[fbsd]

I know this is not within an hour of Boston by any means, but it's in the spirit of the thread TL linked.
If you have an entire day to kill on one sunny weekend, I recommend taking US-3 all the way north to the Quebec border.
Not only is US-3 pretty scenic particularly as you get close to the border, but just after you pass
the Canadian border station at Chartierville, there's a "magnetic hill" that makes for some cool pictures.

I took the attached shot back in September... look closely in the background to see the magnetic hill effect along the road.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_hill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ma..._Quebec_09.jpg

Also, Quebec Route 212 westbound, which intersects just a few miles north of there,
is a nice, straight and mostly dead road that might pique folks' interest, as well...
nothing like it in the city, for sure. End up in Sherbrooke for dinner, and take the Interstates home to Beantown.

[jopa489]

When I head up north for a drive, I'll take Rt. 3 (and a few other back roads) all the way up to the Kank, do two drives of that (back and forth) and return back down on Rt. 3 again. It's a great drive on a nice day, and avoids the often very busy Spalding.

Once the frost heaves settle down, we can plan a trip up there for just us E90Post guys. May/June or later is ideal because the frost heaves are brutal up there in the winter and spring.