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Greetings fellow CD-rs'. I am taking my mom on a 10 day trip to New England in a week or so. She has never been there so I want to give her a good overview of the area. Thought we would go to Sturbridge Village in Mass. and to Ben & Jerry's and Cabot Cheese in Vermont. But I'm a little at a loss as to what else to do besides be leaf-peepers (oh no!). We're taking a bus tour of Boston and I thought we might drive down to Rhode Island and view a mansion or two. Any suggestions for New Hampshire? Any maple syrup/sugar factory tours? She likes this type of thing. I've been in the area before but it was with my late husband....I'm trying to find things to do that do not recreate our trips.
If you're looking for the most touristy things, I would drive up the coast (1A) to Portsmouth, then spend an afternoon in Wolfeboro, and finally spend a night in North Conway to see the mountains and do some outlet shopping. You'll have seen some of the most beautiful sights the state has to offer. If you're coming from Vermont, you could detour through Mason and go to Parker's Maple Barn, which has a maple-themed restaurant, a gift shop selling all NH stuff and everything maple, and during the season offers demonstrations of sap boiling into syrup, etc. You could also try to hit the Remick Farm Museum in Tamworth during one of their periodic festivals.
Just a note, you should probably go up to New Hampshire and Vermont before you visit Sturbridge Village or Rhode Island -- the fall colors peak earlier up north, especially in the mountains. I'm assuming that you'll be looking for accommodation along your route? Sturbridge Village and Rhode Island are easy day trips from Boston, but you'd really need a base in NH and VT to explore those areas.
Anyway, Portsmouth is definitely worth a stop (drive into town via Route 1B through New Castle). Visit the Strawberry Banke Museum. From there, I recommend heading up to Wolfeboro (Route 16 North -> Route 11 North -> Route 28 North), and then visiting the Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough (Route 109 North or Route 109A North). From Moultonborough, you could head northwest via Center Sandwich and then along the edge of Squam Lake (from "On Golden Pond") towards the mountains (Route 109 North -> Route 113 West -> Route 3 North / 25 West -> I-93 North).
The White Mountains are stunning in their beauty and definitely warrant an entire day to explore (at least). I-93 North will take you into the spectacular Franconia Notch State Park (visit The Flume Gorge); follow Route 3 North to Route 302 East into Crawford Notch State Park, and see the spectacular Mt. Washington Hotel. If you're feeling adventurous, you can take Route 16 North in Glen towards the Mt. Washington Auto Road, which will take you to the top of the mountain for some breahtaking views (only if the weather is clear!) Otherwise, you can follow West Side Rd. through North Conway, stopping at Cathedral Ledge and Echo Lake. Cut over to the main drag in town for outlet shopping.
From Conway, follow Route 112 West (the famed Kancamagus Highway), which will take you to I-93 in Lincoln (thus forming a complete loop through the mountains). To see all of the above, you'll really need two full days in NH.
Anyway, I also highly recommend heading down to Newport in Rhode Island. The downtown is wonderful and the mansions along Bellvue Ave. are always impressive (you can also walk the Cliff Walk to see the mansions on one side and the ocean on the other). You should definitely cross the bridge over to Jamestown and head down to Beavertail State Park too. Another lovely daytrip from Boston is up to the North Shore of Massachusetts Bay -- Salem, Gloucester, Rockport, Ipswich, Newburyport. Beautiful historic towns.
You might want to look into seacoast rentals, which are generally pretty reasonable at this time of year. From there you can drive up 1A (a beautiful ocean drive), walk on the beaches, and check out the seacoast. The weather is generally pretty reasonable near the ocean, and most of the crowds are gone from Hampton Beach, making the are much quieter and laid back, IMO.
This is also a good opportunity to check out the famous Brown's seafood in Seabrook and drive down to beautiful Newburyport's High Street, which I love visiting. The many lighthouses and ocean culture is great, and Hampton Bay is always full of fishing boats. There are plenty of parks and spots to just stop and take in the view. It's really something that you ought to do at least once in your lifetime.
Last edited by maxxoccupancy; 09-27-2009 at 10:40 PM..
Reason: additions
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