New England, Fall questions and planning

Old Sep 9th, 2014, 04:45 AM
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New England, Fall questions and planning

We are planning our 2015 trip to the USA. In order to use points I need to decide on a few destinations soon. We will be flying from New Orleans on the 3/4 Oct north to make the most of the Fall foliage. Should we fly in to Boston spend 4 nights and then head up the Maine coast and then into Vermont. Of should we fly into Burlington and do Vermont first, heading back to Boston via Maine. we will have about 10/12 days.

Is Stowe a good base for Vermont. Will it be a holiday weekend the second weekend in October. Will this be a problem, is there a best place to be for that weekend.

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to piece it all together. There will be 4 of us, 2 couples. We intend to rent a car for New England. We would like to take advantage of any festivals and love food markets.
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Old Sep 9th, 2014, 05:09 AM
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Here is a site that gives the peak foliage for New England:

http://www.yankeefoliage.com/peak-foliage-forecast-map/

You won't know for sure what next year will be, but you might get an idea from this year to plan when to be in which part of the area.
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Old Sep 9th, 2014, 07:38 AM
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Columbus Day 2015 is October 12 making the second weekend a holiday weekend. That's getting close to past peak in northern areas. I think Stowe would be too far north for good color October 12.

I think it is best to have places and events as a focus for a road trip. This year I seem to be fascinated with the Norwich VT area since there's a great farmers market on Saturdays (check when it ends for the season) and King Arthur Flour. The Norwich Inn is a lovely place to stay but I suspect it books up very early for the first two weekends in October. The little farmstand, Killdeer, next to King Arthur Flour has a nice selection of Vermont cheeses and unusual dry beans.
The Keene NH pumpkin festival is late in the month. I'm not sure I understand the dates you will be in New England.

Portland Maine is an ideal place to visit for food. I have not been to the Portland farmers market. On the way to Boston I would stop in Portsmouth NH for an inland rivers cruise to see foliage and hear the history of the area. We are planning a class which I think is more like a demo plus meal at Stone Wall Kitchen in Kittery. The store is also a fun place to visit as is When Pigs Fly Bakery where you can sample a variety of breads. Although it wasn't our favorite food tour, the food tour of Portland ME's Old Port Area is pretty good.
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Old Sep 9th, 2014, 07:54 AM
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Besides Burlington,VT, you can look into flying into Manchester, NH. Will you be flying out of Boston when you leave? If so check on the rates of picking up a rental and leaving it off at a different location.

I'd probably tour Boston at the end of the trip. Boston hotels are busy in October so make reservations early.
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Old Sep 9th, 2014, 08:42 AM
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The color spreads from north to south, from inland to the coast and from higher altitudes to lower. It doesn't make sense to fly into Boston and then head north and into the mountains. You should start in the north or the mountains (but Oct 12th will likely be past peak) and then head farther south and/or to the coast for the best color.

Agree to have a look at the map for this year so you can see how the color spread. And do remember that it all depends on when the first killing frosts are - so dates are averages and some years are much more colorful than others - based on the temps and rainfall.
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Old Sep 9th, 2014, 01:38 PM
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Thank you for your replies. Thanks for the link and festival and food tour ideas.

Yes I realise it is hard to predict peak times for the best colour, just wasn't sure which would be the best order to do the trip. But I am thinking fly furthest north first. ( Thanks for the suggestion I will look into flying into Manchester NH as well).

That would put us up north the week starting 4 Sun/5 Mon Oct 2015, we would look at staying somewhere as a base for drives and walks around Stowe (or other suggestions) area for 4/5 days. Does that sound like a good plan? At the end of that week would then be Columbus weekend, any suggestions on a base for that weekend. I am sure I would have to book somewhere early. Should we head to Maine?

We would finish the driving tour in Boston at the end of 10 days and drop off the car ( hopefully drop off fess would not be high) and stay in Boston for 4 nights.

Our final stop will be New York before flying home.
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Old Sep 10th, 2014, 03:04 AM
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Starting north and heading south makes the most sense.

I live in north central VT,near Stowe, and peak foliage here is usually the very end of September/early October. Color is somewhat later around Burlington/Lake Champlain and farther south. But of course it varies from year to year. There are email links you can use at the time to pick routes with the best color.

The Mad River Valley area south of Stowe/waterbury (Waitsfield, Warren) is another area with lots of inns and restaurants.
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Old Sep 11th, 2014, 04:40 AM
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Thanks Vttraveler for your ideas.

Yes starting in North sounds like a good plan.

So do you think flying in to Burlington would be best? Is that the closest main airport to Stowe?
Would it be better staying south of Stowe as a base?
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Old Sep 11th, 2014, 05:13 AM
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If you fly into Manchester NH, Stowe is only about 3 hours or less if you take the interstate. From Manchester, you can also take public transportation to Boston. I routinely take bus to Logan from Concord NH. Driver stores luggage underneath and stops at every terminal at Logan but also stops at South Station in Boston. Some variation in the route depending on time of day since early morning is popular with commuters.

Predictions this year are for early color due to recent cold spell. (mid-40s at night here in NH but 30s in northern areas) We are already seeing touches of color but one cold night and we can suddenly get a lot of color.

Yes, you should visit Maine, preferably Portland for all the food options just be advised that every weekend most of the year are popular getaway times. October is also busy because of college weekends.
I think it might be wiser to stay further south in case next year there is early color. It will be easier to drive to other places including southern VT.
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Old Sep 11th, 2014, 01:21 PM
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HI dfrostnh, thanks for your reply,

Is flying into Manchester a better option, and then doing a loop? I will look at the public transport option to Boston.

When you suggest staying further south next year, can you give me some recommendations?
I am reading the Lonely Planet guide book on New England, which is giving me lots of ideas, so many lovely places to see.

We will definitely be visiting Maine and Portland sounds great.
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Old Sep 12th, 2014, 02:01 AM
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I suggested Norwich Inn in Norwich VT which is convenient to I91 and I89 but we also recently had an excellent overnight stay with an airb&b home in Plainfield (closer to Barre). Since I live in NH and we used to do a lot of camping, I don't have a lot of experience with hotels and inns. Norwich is very close to Hanover NH (home of Dartmouth College), St Gaudens historic site, Woodstock VT and Quechee VT. Even if you don't eat at Simon Pierce in Quechee, the building is fascinating. I haven't been since the horrible floods but a friend said they had a fascinating visit, learning about the water power.

Yankee Magazine is also a good source for information about New England. We do not have a GPS instead use Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer which shows most of the roads in a state. (also location of covered bridges and waterfalls). You can pick one up at many gas stations and supermarkets. When we took a "short cut" from the airb&b we accidentally came upon Hope Cemetery in Barre VT which has many beautiful carved monuments.

Manchester NH is only about an hour from Boston but it's a much smaller airport. From there you can be in Portsmouth NH in less than an hour or up in Burlington VT in 3 hours. Good location for getting places on the highway system but look for country roads when you can.
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Old Sep 12th, 2014, 04:44 AM
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I have looked at flights and it looks like there are no direct flights from New Orleans to either Burlington or Manchester.

Any recommendations on where to connect through?

I have been looking and reading through the Yankee Magazine link it is really great and I have taken lots of notes.
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