Hi dfrostnh,

Is Portsmouth NH too boring for you guys?

I personally love Concord/Lexington (in MA). There's plenty to see and do for 2-3 days. You can spend one day on the revolutionary history part (NPS minuteman park), and spend another day on the literary part (Old Manse, Orchard House, Concord Museum, Walden Pond... ) There are also 2 farms nearby that sells fresh produce (Verill Farm and Wilson Farm).

I have to run out the door... will post back later with more details.

A quick check at the Residence Inn in Portsmouth has a 2BR suite for your dates, for $239/n. All Residence Inns have full kitchen in each room.

Also, have you checked Travelzoo to see what type of deals there are?

Nice cottage or condo for 4 somewhere in southern Maine, maybe close to Ogunquit or Kennebunkport for dining. What's the budget per night? Rustic cottage okay or are you more modern condo types?

If you want to consider Concord & Lexington, here's a recent thread by Ozarkbill which has tons of information:
http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/history-in-concord-mass.cfm

For lodging, there is a ELEMENT (part of the Westin chain) at the intersection of Rt 2A and Rt 128. It's about half way between historic Concord and historic Lexington. All their 1BR & 2BR suites have full kitchens. http://www.starwoodhotels.com/element/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3210

The Wilson Farm which I mentioned earlier, is about 2 miles from that hotel. I was just at Wilson Farm this morning, and they have tons of fresh produce, fresh baked goods, semi-prepared foods (frozen soups, pasta etc). So it will be quite handy for preparing your meals at the hotel. http://www.wilsonfarm.com/

And in the next town, LINCOLN, there are 2 houses open for visit. One is the iconic Gropius House, the other is Codman Estate.
http://www.historicnewengland.org/historic-properties/homes/Gropius%20House
http://www.historicnewengland.org/historic-properties/homes/codman-estate

Also in Lincoln is the DeCordova Sculpture Park. The grounds are free IF you visit outside of museum hours. http://www.decordova.org/

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If Concord/Lexington don't appeal to you, how about the Berkshires? Here are some lodging deals on the official Berkshires visitors bureau website: http://www.berkshires.org/Deals/tabid/69/Default.aspx#lodging

There are several gardens & historic homes to visit in that area, including Naumkeag, Chesterwood, The Mount, Berkshire Botanical Garden... http://www.gardensoftheberkshires.org/default.htm

Either rustic or modern condo is fine. Hope we can keep lodging down to $200/night (hoping for off season rates). If we keep dining and activity costs down, we can go higher on lodging. With some kind of cooking facilities we can cook breakfasts and maybe one dinner.

I was going to suggest the brand new Residence Inn in Portsmouth as well.

Thanks yk, it's been years since we spent any time in the Berkshires and ages since I've even been in the Concord/Lexington area. I would like to go to Portsmouth but up until last year, one friend lived in a neighboring town. The second friend is from CT, #3 is southern NH (and does a lot of things in Lowell). Close isn't a problem, it's trying to find something none of us have done before.

Was going to suggest looking for someplace in the Berkshires. Can't help with lodging as I used to live there but plenty of things to choose to do. On top of yk's recommendations, the Rockwell Museum, Mass Moca for museums. Could also drive up Mt Greylock. I also really enjoy the drive around the Pittsfield State Forest.

If you want to stick with the ocean theme (since you were originally planning to go to MV), how about Newburyport + Plum Island, or Block Island in RI? I haven't been to either place, but I hear both places are quite scenie. However, I'm not sure if there's tons of things to do in the vicinity.

Apart from checking hotels and B&Bs, you can also look for a house rental on VRBO. I assume there should be cottages for rent that can easily fit 4.

Take a look at PinkB.com in Ogunquit. They have 2 bedroom suites in the Sea Cliff section listed at around $239 a night, and perhaps they'll quote you a better deal over the phone or when you sign up for "email specials"
. Great village to spend some time with friends in, and you could take a day trip to Portsmouth or Portland, though I think you'll find plenty to keep you busy in Ogunquit...with maybe just a lunch trip to Kennebunkport.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7mCd4saELc

Good suggestions so far.

Also consider Newport (RI), Gloucester/Rockport (MA), Plymouth (MA), the Pioneer Valley area (Northampton/Amherst/etc. in MA), Hanover/Cornish/Woodstock (NH/NH/VT), or Bennington/Manchester (VT). Have been to the first three in some detail and can recommend them highly. Have spent limited time in the Pioneer Valley (liked what I experienced), and none at all in the other two.

Thanks for the suggestions. This is helping a lot. I'm afraid this trip might be doomed. First the friend with both financial and new health problems and then last night friend #2 asked us to change the date, one week later. She has two sons being deployed and the first one leaves on our original date. He'll be gone a year.

Pink Blossoms looks great! Thanks you Miss M. Friend #2 still wants a day trip to MV but I'm going to suggest we save MV for another year. (but she can be ornery) I'm going to look for special events now that date has change. Now we'll miss the kite festival in Ogunquit. (insert frowny face here) I haven't ruled out Berkshires or Cape Cod.