Traveling May 2026. What to see car or model wise in: Portland, ME, Concord, NH, Springfield, MA, New Haven, CT, Providence, RI, Boston, MA

[Carmak]

In May 2026 my wife and I are traveling in the area of: Portland, ME, Concord, NH, Springfield, MA, New Haven, CT, Providence, RI, Boston, MA.

We are in the planning stage of the trip.

What 1:1 car or model car events, museums, model shops, antique malls, etc.. should we go to?

Thanks.

[peteski]

Roughly about half way between Boston and Concord, in Tyngsborough, MA is an excellent hobby shop: Hobby Emporium.  They have very large selection of paints and hobby supplies.  They carry all sorts of models (Cars, planes, ships, military, and railroad). Then if your wife or you like a bit of gambling, there is The Nash Casino in Nashua, NH, which is basically across the road.  It is  located in the large Pheasant Lane Mall. There are also several restaurants in the area.

There is a small hobby shop, Hobby Bunker in Wakefield, MA (closer to Boston), but it is mainly geared to military modelers.

Of course Boston itself is chock full of points of interests.  USS Constitution (oldest commissioned Navy ship) is there,  Museum of Science in Cambridge is also fun place to visit.   I highly recommend Duck Tours where you can see many of Boston's points of interest and also take ride in the Charles River. Last time I took that tour, I got on at the Museum of Science. There are also many other museums in Boston.  If you would like to get a bird's eye view of Boston, there is View Boston observation area on the top of the Prudential Tower.

[CapSat 6]

I second Hobby Emporium- I was able to stop in there last year on a short trip. Nice selection of new kits, some supplies, and I had a nice conversation with the owner, who is a plastic car modeler. I do remember shopper's traffic was a bit rough on the late Saturday afternoon when I was there, but it also looked like there were some nice options for shopping and restaurants right in that area. I thought it was worth the visit.     

[CapSat 6]

Oh- and I saw the USS Constitution back in 1986...also worth the visit, what a great piece of history!!! 

[thatz4u]

6 hours ago, CapSat 6 said:

Oh- and I saw the USS Constitution back in 1986...also worth the visit, what a great piece of history!!! 

Old Ironsides, not to be confused with...

 

[CapSat 6]

33 minutes ago, thatz4u said:

Old Ironsides, not to be confused with...

 

More like a "Pirates of the Caribbean" vibe... "Old Ironsides" is VERY impressive!!!

[Jim B]

17 hours ago, peteski said:

Roughly about half way between Boston and Concord, in Tyngsborough, MA is an excellent hobby shop: Hobby Emporium.  They have very large selection of paints and hobby supplies.  They carry all sorts of models (Cars, planes, ships, military, and railroad). Then if your wife or you like a bit of gambling, there is The Nash Casino in Nashua, NH, which is basically across the road.  It is  located in the large Pheasant Lane Mall. There are also several restaurants in the area.

There is a small hobby shop, Hobby Bunker in Wakefield, MA (closer to Boston), but it is mainly geared to military modelers.

Of course Boston itself is chock full of points of interests.  USS Constitution (oldest commissioned Navy ship) is there,  Museum of Science in Cambridge is also fun place to visit.   I highly recommend Duck Tours where you can see many of Boston's points of interest and also take ride in the Charles River. Last time I took that tour, I got on at the Museum of Science. There are also many other museums in Boston.  If you would like to get a bird's eye view of Boston, there is View Boston observation area on the top of the Prudential Tower.

How does the Hobby Emporium compare to The Spare Time Shoppe that was in Marlborough?  I get to Massachusetts & Rhode Island a couple of times a year (my parents are in RI).

The Constitution Museaum is great.  Went there a couple of years ago.  Good time.

[peteski]

3 hours ago, Jim B said:

How does the Hobby Emporium compare to The Spare Time Shoppe that was in Marlborough?  I get to Massachusetts & Rhode Island a couple of times a year (my parents are in RI).

The Constitution Museaum is great.  Went there a couple of years ago.  Good time.

Unfortunately the Spare Time Shop closed few years ago.  Paul Skopecki's  shop was a fun place to shop. It was bulging with all sorts of kits from the floor to the ceiling. It was a bit cramped, but that also gave it that old-school hobby shop vibe. I used to visit it several times a year.  When our club made the annual trek to the NNL East, we always stopped by it when going back home.  Paul also gave club members a good discount.

Hobby Emporium is larger than the Spare Spare Time Shop, it is brighter and feels more open.  They also have several people on the staff, and they are pretty knowledgeable. They have really large range of paints from various manufacturers and then also have full selection of model RR items (in N and H0).  Spare Time Shop had a very small model RR section with mostly old items.  The prices are on the high side, but if you can prove you are an active model club member, they will give you a discount on most kits.

[meechum68]

Flanders Fish Market

22 CHESTERFIELD ROAD
EAST LYME, CT 06333

This has to be one of the best places I have ate at when I was in CT.  Which is just down the road from Providence RI, and inbetween New Haven.  

They have a lobster bisque to die for!  The lobster is so good, and so is the lobster pot pie. GIANT pieces of meat. 

I would definitely recommend stopping there for a meal. 

[Jim B]

1 hour ago, peteski said:

Unfortunately the Spare Time Shop closed few years ago.  Paul Skopecki's  shop was a fun place to shop. It was bulging with all sorts of kits from the floor to the ceiling. It was a bit cramped, but that also gave it that old-school hobby shop vibe. I used to visit it several times a year.  When our club made the annual trek to the NNL East, we always stopped by it when going back home.  Paul also gave club members a good discount.

Hobby Emporium is larger than the Spare Spare Time Shop, it is brighter and feels more open.  They also have several people on the staff, and they are pretty knowledgeable. They have really large range of paints from various manufacturers and then also have full selection of model RR items (in N and H0).  Spare Time Shop had a very small model RR section with mostly old items.  The prices are on the high side, but if you can prove you are an active model club member, they will give you a discount on most kits.

Yes, it was a sad day when I got the notification that The Spare Time Shoppe was closing. All good things must come to an end, I guess. 

[goldfinger]

If you can make it a little further north, The Owls Head Transportation Museum is fantastic. If you go a little further into Rockland , check out Bixby Chocolates(shameless plug , thats my niece) . I have heard that the Wells Auto Museum is nice but they are not open that often. If you get to Granby CT, there is a new auto museum in the process of opening , and they usually have a car show every other Wednesday.

[meechum68]

2 hours ago, goldfinger said:

If you can make it a little further north, The Owls Head Transportation Museum is fantastic. If you go a little further into Rockland , check out Bixby Chocolates(shameless plug , thats my niece) . I have heard that the Wells Auto Museum is nice but they are not open that often. If you get to Granby CT, there is a new auto museum in the process of opening , and they usually have a car show every other Wednesday.

Ohh if I get back out that way, I will have to take a look for sure!  I love Transportation stuff! 

 

[Carmak]

On 9/4/2025 at 1:56 PM, thatz4u said:

Old Ironsides, not to be confused with...

 

I was thinking this.

[Carmak]

2 hours ago, goldfinger said:

If you can make it a little further north, The Owls Head Transportation Museum is fantastic. If you go a little further into Rockland , check out Bixby Chocolates(shameless plug , thats my niece) . I have heard that the Wells Auto Museum is nice but they are not open that often. If you get to Granby CT, there is a new auto museum in the process of opening , and they usually have a car show every other Wednesday.

Looks like the Wells museum might be permanently closed  . Wednesday night might work on good for Grandy if I go on the correct every other week?