jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

We’re beginning to think about a nice road trip to new England this fall sometime. All our travels have been west and south, so this is uncharted territory for us. Big cities excluded, what suggestions might anyone have for a nice drive to the area from Indiana and back, especially for some photographic opportunities--landscapes, scenics, human interest, fall colors, etc. Any and all advice will be welcomed.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

The most popular destinations are likely already sold out for motels - autumn in New England is a huge draw for tourists.

I would exclude southern New England (MA, CT and RI) to concentrate on the real NE experience. New Hampshire has mountains, Vermont has gently rolling hills and cows, Maine has moose (Google Baxter State Park), rocky coastline and lobstah! However, Acadia National Park (and some of the popular "in" places like Camden) will be overrun with tourists, so maybe the coast isn't such a good idea.

The area is large enough that you will find big differences in prime leaf peeping. For example, when southern Maine is in full color, northern Maine deciduous forests will have already lost their leaves. There are websites (and no doubt, phone apps) to help you there.

There is a lot of real estate between your town and Portland, ME: 1,000 miles! Depending on your route, a big chunk will be NY State. Like northern New England, and even western Massachusetts, most of it will be heavily wooded and scenic. If you're not as interested in coastal, you might want to consider a drive up Mt Washington in NH:
https://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/

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exakta56 Loc: Orford,New Hampshire

You should go to Boston and use Storrow Drive. You'll never complain about drivers in Indiana again!! :^)

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

For scheduling look at Weather dot com's fall foliage map. Depending on where you are going, peak times run from late September to late October. (Early November if you think New Jersey is in New England).
https://weather.com/maps/fall-foliage

(By the way, NJ is NOT in NE)

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

exacta's comment reminded me: if you're into American history, Boston would be awesome! (just don't drive in the city) Check out The Freedom Trail and south of Boston, Plimoth Plantation.

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Thank goodness

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

If you have trouble with hotel booking, Upstate New York has a lot to offer. Also the Hudson Valley if you are going in October. You can also try to book a table at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.

I make some of these recommendations because it really is a little late to be planning a fall trip to NE.

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

Rte. 100 up through Vermont is a very picturesque road with many photo opportunities. Any of the roads going east to west over the Green Mountains from north of the junction of Rte. 100 & 107 are also beautiful, but somewhat tricky as they are very snaky, steep roads in some sections. Woodstock, Manchester and Burlington are beautiful towns to visit with their quaint buildings. Burlington, on Lake Champlain, is exceptional in the architectural area as the buildings are varied and well kept. If you can find a parking spot, the capitol building in Montpelier is worth visiting. Visitors are welcome and it is a very lovely building with some distinctive features. Vermont has lots of mountains, but they are not as high as the ones in N.H. or N.Y, but they are beautiful in their own right. It is hard to find a place in Vermont that isn't picturesque. The Mt. Hope Cemetery in Barre, VT, is quite unique as there are tombstones there like nothing else you've probably seen anywhere. Believe it or not, it is a tourist attraction. Rock of Ages granite quarry in Barre is also an interesting place to visit. Rock of Ages also owns a quarry in Bethel, VT, where they cut Bethel White granite that is found no where else and has been exported all over the world.

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

We were lucky enough to visit the region for 3 weeks, in fall, back in 2008.
We came in from Canada
Some highlights were:

Woodstock VT
Mystic CT (and the submarine museum at Groton)
If you like trains - Conway in NH - also spectacular scenery nearby in the White Mountains area
Deerfield, MA for a lot of history
Norman Rockwell museum near Stockbridge, MA
Hancock Shaker Village, MA.
Newport RI
Nantuckett MA

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

If you get the chance, and are of a certain age, you may want to drop in at the Moosewood in Ithaca, NY.

If you know what I mean you do not need an explanation.

If you do not know, an explanation might be useless.

Big Yankee Fan

With all due respect to my friend "Linda from Maine" who said, "I would exclude southern New England (MA, CT and RI) to concentrate on the real NE experience. New Hampshire has mountains, Vermont has gently rolling hills and cows, Maine has moose (Google Baxter State Park), rocky coastline and lobstah!"

All I can say is....

NO!

Just in RI we have 1) Beavertail State Park. On the southern end of Jamestown Island which divides the West and East Bay sections of Narragansett Bay. Spectacular rocky coastline worthy of Maine + WWII and earlier fortifications to explore. Best place to watch a sunset in N.E. 2) Newport....The Mansions on Bellevue Ave. Ocean Drive. Fort Adams State Park. Flo's Clam Shack at the Newport Middletown Line at the eastern end of 1st Beach....best lobster roll in N.E. The Cliff Walk. Toro Synagogue. 3) Providence....The Statehouse, most beautiful in the country. Designed by Stanford White. 1 of only 3 totally unsupported marble domes in the world. Prospect Place and the Roger Williams Monument overlook of Providence. Birthplace of religious freedom in the United States. Federal Hill (Little Italy). The East Side. The best restaurants in N.E. 4) South County Beaches

....AND PLENTY OF PHOTO OPS!

Mike

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

It's just that there are fewer people in northern New England. But that may not be as appealing to John and his wife as it is to me

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

I've lived here almost all of my life, and travel around the region frequently. Of course it depends a lot on what you're interested in, but I'd suggest that the old ports of the Connecticut and Massachusetts south coasts are underexplored - Mystic, New Bedford, Fall River. Old whaling ships to the USS Massachusetts if ships are interesting to you. Cape Cod and the Islands (Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket) are tourist meccas, and deservedly so, for ocean views and quaint towns. But the rest of the Atlantic shoreline as far as you can drive along it are also beautiful and less touristy. The coast gets much more beautiful after Labor Day when the tourists and summer people depart.

Interior New England is also beautiful at this time of year. I'd recommend the Connecticut Valley trip, up through Massachusetts and on either the Vermont or New Hampshire side of the valley. There are beautiful rural towns, mills, villages, etc. all over both sides. The mountains are smaller than the Rockies, of course, but Mount Washington in New Hampshire and its legendary cog railroad are worth a trip, as is Mount Katahdin in Maine.

Some of the smaller cities in New England are fantastically scenic. I'd suggest Newburyport, Portsmouth, Burlington, Portland, Hanover, and even my own (very much underrated) Worcester as possibilities. Whether your interest is in scenery, history, museums, or food, there are a lot of great choices. I'm sure as you get closer to deciding your route, New England members here will have some very specific suggestions.

One thing - don't be too ambitious in planning your route - especially if you head up into the great state of Maine. Travel is sometimes slower here than in the open spaces of the midwest, and distances can be deceiving. It is further from Boston to the northern point of Maine than it is from Boston to Cleveland.

Andy

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Those are all good choices...

I'd add Old Sturbridge Village, which is a meticulous recreation of an early 19th century village, if you're into that sort of thing. Also the textile museums in Lowell, Massachusetts and Slatersville, Rhode Island present incredible pictures of early New England industrial life. Although I grew up visiting Plimoth Plantation regularly, it's fairly small and easily done in an afternoon. The Worcester Art Museum, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, the Currier in Manchester, and the Portland Art Museum are also excellent places to spend a half day or so.


Finally, if you're into cars, planes, and transportation - the Collings Foundation in Stow, Massachusetts, the Windsor Locks CT Air Museum, and the Owl's Head Maine transportation museum are fun trips.


A world of choices out there in our fairly compact region, and something to please about any taste you or your wife may have.


Andy

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Regardless of suggestions here, go to www.roadtrippers.com and plan your route. Makes it very easy to add POIs, etc on the way. And, Linda is right. Book hotels now.