New England Brewery TripOctober 10–14, 2026

Jake's plan · for comparison

Jake's fall foliage loop.

A digitized copy of Jake's nine-day Champaign-to-Champaign tour, October 10–18, 2026. Shown for comparison only — it is a separate trip from ours.

Dates

Saturday, October 10 – Sunday, October 18, 2026

Origin

Champaign, IL (loop tour)

At a glance

4 golf outings · 6 key brewery stops · ~2,650 miles

Day 1 · Saturday, Oct 10

Champaign, IL → Erie, PA

I-74 E → I-465 N (Indy) → I-69 N → US-24 E (Ft Wayne) → I-80/90 E (Ohio Turnpike) → I-90 E to Erie

~520 mi · ~8.0 hrs
Spark by Hilton Erie

6:30 AM

DriveDepart Champaign

Hit the road early heading east on I-74 toward Indianapolis.

9:00 – 9:30 AM

Quick break / coffee

Fuel and stretch break north of Indianapolis along I-69.

12:30 – 1:15 PM

Lunch en route (Ohio)

Midway lunch break along the Ohio Turnpike corridor.

3:30 – 4:00 PM

Arrival in Erie, PA

Arrive in Erie; head directly to the golf course.

4:00 – 6:15 PM

Golf9 holes in Pennsylvania

Whispering Woods Golf Club or Lake View Country Club.

6:30 PM

LodgingHotel check-in

Check into Spark by Hilton Erie and freshen up.

7:30 – 9:00 PM

DinnerDinner in Erie

Casual dinner near the Erie bayfront or close to the hotel.

Booking calendar

Reserve-by dates

Book by Fri, Oct 2 · for Fri, Oct 16

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour (Waterbury, VT)

14 days in advance: reserve the 1:30 PM tour slot on the official website.

Book by Sat, Oct 3 · for Sat, Oct 17

Craig Wood Golf Course (Lake Placid, NY)

14 days in advance: book the 9:30 AM nine-hole tee time.

Book by Mon, Oct 5 · for Mon, Oct 12

Northport Golf Club (Northport, ME)

7 days in advance: book the 2:45 PM nine-hole tee time.

Book by Wed, Oct 7 · for Wed, Oct 14

North Conway Country Club (North Conway, NH)

7 days in advance: book the 1:15 PM 18-hole tee time.

Book by Sun, Oct 11 · 10:00 AM EDT · for Tue, Oct 13

Cadillac Mountain vehicle permit (Acadia)

Release drop two days prior: additional permits post on Recreation.gov at 10:00 AM EDT sharp.

Pre-trip checklist

  • Cadillac summit permit: vehicle timed-entry reservations must be booked on Recreation.gov (2-day rolling drop, Sun Oct 11 at 10:00 AM EDT).
  • Book Ben & Jerry's on Oct 2; remaining tee times on Oct 3 (Craig Wood), Oct 5 (Northport), and Oct 7 (North Conway).
  • Keep valid passports / Real IDs in the vehicle for the Saturday Niagara entry and Sunday Michigan re-entry.