Fall Trip

Hi

We%26#39;re coming to the US from Australia in October and after spending a couple of days in New York and then Boston, we hope to see as much of the New England area and foliage as possible in a very, very short time. So much to see and so little time. Please help!

This is our suggested itinerary after we%26#39;ve spent 2 full days in Boston:

Day 1: Hire a car in Boston and drive to Concord or Lexington for the history.

Day 2: Drive to Newburyport

Day 3: Drive to Conway

Day 4: Drive to Greenfield MA via Lincoln

Day 5: Spend day in Greenfield

Day 6: Drive to Cape Cod (any suggestions?)

Day 7: Cape Cod

Day 8: Drive back to Boston to drop car.

We%26#39;re trying to get the feel of the east coast of America as we possibly won%26#39;t be able to return but we would also like to see the fall foliage too. I%26#39;d appreciate any comments or suggestions.

Thanks

Fall Trip

You%26#39;ll be spending alot of your time in the car. Catching colors in the fall is a matter of luck and timing. With all of the miles that you%26#39;ll be logging, you shoukd see some colors somewhere.

Fall Trip

Day 4 seems a little confusing, Greenfield MA via Lincoln NH? They are not really connected easily and Greenfield is not exactly a tourist stop. I might suggest the Keene NH or Peterborough NH area for a stop, nice scenery, good restaurants, plenty of reasonably priced B and Bs, easy hikes, artisan shopping. Since you will be travelling in the fall you would be very wise to make room reservations early, especially for any weekend dates. It is the busiest time of the year.

Here is my suggestion. Don%26#39;t do it unless you are allergic to the outdoors since you will never be as RedRox has suggested. I don%26#39;t know how you chose the stops but Newburyport is not really a great stop considering how far you have traveled. I would suggest Rockport or Gloucerster. Maybe a day in Portland, ME or one of the small Me coastal towns.

Conway should be a couple of days (at least)m so you can get out take a short hike, ride up Mt Wash, visit the flume gorge, etc.

What are you looking to do in these places? What is your level of activity? Do you like museums or are you just going to be checking out the scenery?

Cape Cod is going from the extreme NW corner of Ma to the extreme SE corner and is a long drive on major highways, not much to see except the rest stop in Sturbridge which is nice (jk).

To quote Fagin in Oliver Twist ';... I think I%26#39;d better think it out again';

We are doing a similar trip in early October and your trip seems like a lot of driving!!! We travel all over the US and found that we don%26#39;t enjoy our trips if all we do is drive. You would be better in my opinion to concentrate on Boston, VT, NH, and Maine. That is our plan for the trip. You could go to Bar Harbor and drive down the coast of Maine after you visit Boston, VT and the White Mountains in NH. I-95/I-93 will take you back to Boston. Also you should spend at least 2 days in Conway area visiting White Mountains. I just got my fall foliage info from visitwhitemountains.com website. It has a great deal of info if you are going to visit.

I%26#39;ll agree that you%26#39;re doing too much driving -- and to some less-than-ideal destinations. But, the big question is what exact dates in OCtober are you going? The foliage changes from north to south starting early in the month. So, if your trip is in the last part of the month, you won%26#39;t see lots of color. What%26#39;s your timeframe?

I%26#39;m terribly confused now. I%26#39;ve looking at via michelin website which indicates about 2 - 3 hours driving and I suppose I was trying to fit in as much as possible.

I do thank everyone for their responses though. It%26#39;s giving me a lot to think about.

We%26#39;re spending about 3 days in Boston arriving there on 9 October and heading out for our driving tour on 13 October. I%26#39;ve revised the itinerary a bit but it%26#39;s still a lot of driving by the sound of things.

Day 1 Boston to Concord/Lexington

Day 2 to Keenebunkport

Day 3 to Concord, through the Kancamangus highway (sp?) to Lincoln

Day 4 Lincoln to Manchester VT (or thereabouts)

Day 5 Manchester?

Day 6 Berkshires

Day 7 Back to Boston

Still crazy???

We%26#39;re hoping to see some foliage and to embrace some of the area%26#39;s history. We%26#39;re also hoping to get a taste of New England as we probably won%26#39;t be able to head back to this part of the world again. We%26#39;re not really outdoor enthusiasts except to admire everything. No camping, hiking or the like involved.

Thanks for further suggestions.

Oops, I made a mistake - we%26#39;re not heading from Keenebunkport to Concord but rather Conway.

OK, still alot of driving but better.

Lexington/Concord/Walden Pond is great for a day. My preference is to drive to my destination at the end of the day so I wake up where I am sightseeing the next day.

Looks like a 2 hour drive to the Kennebunkport area.

Spend a day and head over to N Conway.

Spend a couple of days in the NC area (lots of people including me prefer to stay outside of NC in Jackson or Glen, NH) You could spend a week (or a month) at many of these places and not see everything

There is a loop around the area with the Kanc to the south and 302 to the north which can take all day if you want with lots of places to stop along the way. You should get off the road for at least short easy walks (if you like that word better than hikes)

Then maybe to Hanover, NH which is where Dartmouth College is located. From there you can explore VT and the Monadnock (SW region of NH) on day trips.

From Hanover, you can drive back to Boston very easily.

There is a saying in NE ';You cant get there from here'; see website theheartofnewengland.com/LifeInNewEngland-Ge…

There are lots of N/S roads but few E/W roads and then those dang mountains keep getting in the way. So rather than seeing nothing well, see and do something you will remember for the rest of your lives- just in case you don%26#39;t get back!!

Leave some room for improvisation.

Day 1 Boston to Concord/Lexington

Day 2 to Keenebunkport

Day 3 to Concord, through the Kancamangus highway (sp?) to Lincoln

Day 4 Lincoln to Manchester VT (or thereabouts)

Day 5 Manchester?

Day 6 Berkshires

Day 7 Back to Boston

Still crazy???

Much better. Now, think about a little more time on the Maine coast. Perhaps up to Boothbay harbor. Your timing will likely mean that color will be best in the southern half of Maine and New Hampshire. The Kancamagus Highway will be a either peak or just past-peak color. Still pretty darned nice.

Also, consider going to Lexington and Concord at the end of your trip. From Boston to the Maine Coast is a much more direct route than through Concord... and Lex and Concord will be easier to hit on your return. The color shouls still be good -- maybe even better then since you%26#39;ll be back south. Now for my money, I%26#39;d skip the long trip to Manchester Vt. Add a visit to Mt. Washington NH, visit smaller towns in the state. Head to the southwest corner of NH (there%26#39;s a member here who will read this and give you all sorts of great ideas for his corner of the state.) Acquire a copy of the Appalachian Mountain Club%26#39;s ';Best day hikes'; book and take a few walks in the woods. There are great hikes in many places from North Conway to Lincoln. And, yeah, I%26#39;d skip the Berkshires too. And with that extra time, maybe I%26#39;d stay north on the coastal route in Maine and go to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.

In all of New England, my favorite places are the Maine coast and the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Find nice little inns and bed %26amp; breakfasts, ask for the best place for lobsters along the coast and enjoy the trip at a slower, richer pace.

In my haste to reply, I did not see that Neslaw1 had written too. He (it is ';he'; I think) dispenses excellent advise. Please do not take my post as corrections to his! Happy travels.