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I'm looking for a "central" place I could stay and can drive to all of New England's capital (or "places" to see that's within 2-3 hours driving time from the "central" location. I'd assume that would usually be the capital of the state or the most populous city in the state). I would think Vermont or New Hampshire would be "central" to all of New England?
What do you consider to be New England? CT and RI included? Do you really want to go to far northern Maine?
Actually for us a cruise that takes in most of NE gave us the chance to see the most. We have done 2 of thim. we did do a 5 day road trip several years ago, flying into Boston I think. WE saw a lot of MA, RI, NH and some upstate NY but missed some the states .
I usually fly into Manchester, NH, and then base my travels near Lebanon, / Hanover NH or Woodstock, VT
I did a google search for "geographic center of new england" and Dunbarton, NH came up. That's roughly between--and slightly to the west of--Concord and Manchester, NH so StealthRabbit's reply is pretty spot on.
I did a google search for "geographic center of new england" and Dunbarton, NH came up. That's roughly between--and slightly to the west of--Concord and Manchester, NH so StealthRabbit's reply is pretty spot on.
Not true. Depends on what the OP considers New England to be. The so called geographic center is highly influenced by the more remote (and distant) parts of Maine that are far off the tourist track, unless you are an extreme potato fan.
It is also interesting to note, going straight north or south, how close this "center" is to Canada, and how far it is from RI and Connecticut.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Not sure why op wants ONE central place to visit ALL of NE.
There is a lot of variety places, history, urban vs rural, and coast vs mtns.
Plenty of opportunities to spend weeks at any of them.
A week on the Maine coast will get you to a few of the prime spots, a boat might be faster than driving. A friend used to bring his helicopter to NE so they could see / experience more during short seasons. Very good idea along jagged coastal highways.
You could spend a lifetime exploring New England, i'd just pick out a half dozen places and go there
Eg=
Bar Harbor
Beaches like Old Orchard to Hampton Beach
Climb Mt Washington either in car or cog railway
Conway NH
Burlington Vt and Lake Champlain
Etc. http://www.visitingnewengland.com/kids-newengland.html
I usually fly into Manchester, NH, and then base my travels near Lebanon, / Hanover NH or Woodstock, VT
and also Conway, NH or Bar Harbor, ME
Wherever I can find an available $10 / night guest home.
I like New Brunswick and the northern areas of VT, NH, Most tourism is south of that.
MHT is only 55 miles from Boston/Logan Airport. From Logan, the Silver Line articulated bus through the Ted Williams Tunnel to South Station is free. From there, you have Amtrak to Providence & Connecticut and bus service to anywhere in New England. You also have the ferry to Provincetown. I winter at a ski resort in Vermont. I rarely use MHT because Boston fares are much cheaper and there are nonstop flights to pretty much anywhere. In Manchester, you can get to the major hubs east of the Mississippi and Florida. Anywhere else means you have to connect.
I'm not suggesting you base yourself in Boston since it's so expensive but it's a good starting point because of airline pricing and public transportation options. Southern New England is very congested and driving is a crazed free-for-all if you're not used to it. Boston is also the epicenter of New England so you're going to want to spend some time there.
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