Anyone else feel like spreading their wings? We suggest settling for the open road, at least for the time being: your own car, your own tunes, your own agenda. There are signs of life starting to resurface across the Eastern Seaboard, and while it’s not an invitation to host a massive raging BBQ, it may be time to slowly ease back into society. This Memorial Day, state borders are open and these spots are ideal for the perfect socially distant — yet social — road trip.
Twin Farms, Vermont
This is a nice long car ride to 300 acres of forest, meadows and ponds. Tentatively set to reopen on June 16, Twin Farms is pretty much everything you would envision for a quaint, flower-filled Vermont retreat, except this is Relais & Chateaux, which means they’re in it to bring it. Accommodations include rooms at the main inn, private cottages and a farmhouse available for a family or group of friends. You can keep busy as a bee here — they even have a bee tour — as well as fly-fishing, cycling, hiking, tennis, a spa and anything else you can dream up. Food is off-the-charts good. We never knew simple vegetables and fruits grown on site could look so beautiful in presentation. 
Ocean House, Rhode Island
Welcome to your new happy place. Ocean House on Watch Hill in Rhode Island is a quintessential historic mansion that happens to be right on the beach. It’s so different from the Hamptons, but that doesn’t mean it’s not social, or that there isn’t a scene. Watch Hill feels more like a throwback, where not much has changed over the past century. It’s the kind of spot for playing croquet and shuffleboard, and on the fourth of July, it doesn’t get more classic Americana than here. And those lobsters and clams — we would drive seven hours in traffic just to eat the fresh seafood and take in the ocean.
Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club, Hudson Valley, New York
For all the times you wanted to find an understated luxury spot in the Hudson Valley but nothing quite measured up, we’d like to introduce you to Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club. For those looking to be close to the city — it’s only about an hour away — but to feel far away, this is your place. Besides the rooms at the main inn, we really like the historic homes that have been completely converted and updated with lots of modern amenities and creature comforts. This is the kind of place you just pad around the house all day, getting inspired to make a pie. That’s probably why they were completely booked the moment the pandemic hit, for those who wanted to get away. There will be some openings for the summer, but our bet is they won’t last.
Glenmere Hotel & Spa, Hudson Valley, New York
If ever there was a spot in the US that at all resembled Italy, this slice of 150 acres set atop a hill in the lower Hudson Valley is it. If you closed your eyes and were dropped here with no idea where you were, Tuscany would be your very first guess. Beautifully restored to high-brow detail, the mansion may take the title for classiest hotel in New York State. It’s very Gatsby: You feel perfectly comfortable breakfasting in an ascot, dressing to the nines for dinner, starting off the evening with a martini straight up. The hammam and spa make a daytrip worthwhile, and though just an hour from the city, it couldn’t feel further away, even from the neighboring town of Warwick.
Mayflower Inn & Spa, Connecticut
This has always been a classic in Connecticut, and even better now that it is part of Auberge, which has really stepped up the level of service and appointments at the inn. Set within Litchfield County, you feel like you’re in the country and will be inspired to go antiquing and eat pancakes in town, while reading a physical newspaper from cover to cover. This is not about packing your days with activities; the inn has always been about meandering around the grounds and just enjoying a simpler existence, connecting with locals and not being part of any scene. Within a two-hour drive of New York City, this is an easy road trip that’s far enough to feel like you’re somewhere totally new, but close enough not to hit any big summer traffic.
