apizzamyheart

Hello everyone! My fiance and I are getting married October 8, 2016, and would love to go up to New England for our honeymoon. We are from Florida, so we don't get to see any fall colors. We would like to focus our trip on seeing fall foliage, mountains, outdoor activities, and delicious foods. We don't have an exact timeline yet, but I can see our honeymoon lasting from 7- 12 days or so.

I've been trying to read online about typical fall foliage patterns (I know it changes every year). Ideally we would visit 3 different places, but we don't have to if we know our 2 destinations would be loaded with different experiences and things to do. We would love to visit some small towns in Vermont, but also spend a few nights in the White Mountains. I've read that in Vermont and NH, the peak foliage wraps up around the first or second week or so of October. So we were thinking of sacrificing Vermont for the White Mountains. Thoughts on this? Would we be too late to see beautiful colors in White Mountains? Do you think it would be necessary to skip Vermont? I would just hate to get up there and see everything dead. :/

We absolutely would like to go to Bar Harbor. It seems charming, and Acadia looks gorgeous. We were trying to think of a third location (if not VA), not too far (as we don't want to be driving the whole trip). We were toying with the idea of going up to Greenville, ME and spending a night or two there, and trying to go moose watching, but I don't know if there would be anything else there we would be interested in. We were also looking at Portland, as I've heard it's huge with foodies. What other things are there to do? Is it distinctly different from Bar Harbor?

I would love to go a little more South, to Boston, or Newport, RI, but I fear those would just be too out of the way, since we would need to hit White Mountains first to see the colors.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

NewbE

Portland is definitely awesome for foodies! I am not familiar enough with the region to say how you should structure your itinerary as far as drive times and such, but if you have a couple of nights for Portland, I can tell you that you will eat and drink very, very well! Plus, it's a cool, walkable city, and you can drive to a lighthouse or two and take a ferry to a nearby island--between meals, that is

We loved:
Novare Res craft beer pub (amazing selection of taps and bottles)
Eventide Oyster Co
The Holy Donut (made with Maine potatoes--to die)
Central Provisions (perhaps the best meal of our New England vacation)

We stayed at The Press Hotel, which was excellent. When we were there, the restaurant and bar hadn't yet opened, but I remember reading that they were to be run by a couple of James Beard nominated chefs, so should be worth a look.

dshamritsky

Are you flying into Boston from Florida? If you are, I would recommend spending a few days in the city if you have not been there before. There is a lot to do and it is a compact city perfect for walking. Mid October is a good time as most of the tourists come in late spring-summer, and hotels will be cheaper. From there I suggest you drive on I-93 N to the White Mountains (2-3 hrs), and you will see some great views of Franconia Notch right from the highway. A great hike there is on Cannon Mt. which you can either hike up or take the tram to the summit. The views of across the notch are amazing, and you'll see some great colors in the mountains. From there driving on Rt 302 will take you past Mount Washington. If you wish to splurge for a night or two, the Omni Mount Washington Resort is an absolutely beautiful hotel right at the foot of the mountain. It is definitely quite expensive, but you only have one honeymoon. From there you can do any number of activities, including moose tours in Gorham (30 mins) if you are interested in that. If you choose to stay in a less expensive place, the Eagle Mountain House in Jackson is also very nice and has an equally beautiful location. The town is everything you think of when you hear New England, covered bridge and all. One thing that you should remember is that lows will be in the 30's and highs in the 50's in New Hampshire, and the chance for some snow at the summits does exist, especially as you head into late October. The drive to Portland from there is about 3 hrs, but I am markedly less familiar with Maine than I am with New Hampshire. You are picking a great time to visit, and as you have left a lot of time, all hotels will still have rooms available

apizzamyheart

Thank you both for your in depth answers! We don't have to fly into Boston necessarily, but we will be flying in to somewhere in the New England area. My concern with visiting Boston before New Hampshire is this: if we spend a few nights in Boston, by the time we make it up to NH will we be too late for fall foliage. If we flew into Boston on the 9th, we would probably be in NH from the 12- 15/16. Would this make us too late to see the foliage in The White Mountains?

@newbe
@dshamritsky

clarkgriswold

"We would like to focus our trip on seeing fall foliage, mountains, outdoor activities, and delicious foods"

www.blairhill.com

www.lindenwoodinn.com

dfrostnh

The second week of October is late for visiting the White Mountains for foliage but there will be some color in the valleys. I always think of the Concord area as peaking Columbus Day weekend. Warner NH has a Foliage Festival that weekend.

If you flew into Manchester NH (MHT) you are an hour closer to the mountains than Boston plus I89 to VT is just north of Manchester. You could do a quick run to the mountains but stay in the Meredith NH area on Lake Winnipesaukee then do easy drives to mountains. I particularly like the Center Sandwich area which is just south of the Whites. The color around the lake is usually fabulous but Meredith is also at a very busy intersection. There are quieter towns.

Perhaps stay in the Wolfboro NH area which is closer to the Conway area and also closer to Portland ME. See the mountains than do a few days in Acadia. Mid-coast Maine esp Camden is also beautiful but without the famous drive and park. Even just a few nights in Portland would be wonderful.

Then head south via I95 and then west to VT. Southern VT should still have nice color. I usually vote against traveling on NH's Rt 101 but once you get west of the I93 corridor, it's a pretty route through Peterborough, Dublin and past Mt. Monadnock. The southwest corner of NH is considered the quiet corner, frequently overlooked by tourists. Brattleboro VT farmers market on Saturday is one of my favorites. Festive with ethnic food vendors although Brattleboro wouldn't be a romantic area for a honeymoon. Might head to Brandon VT. But should you head further north but still not northern VT, the Norwich Inn is a wonderful place to stay and Norwich also has a wonderful farmers market. This is right across the river from Hanover NH where Dartmouth College is located.

NewbE

dfrostnh, your posts always make me want to do the itineraries you suggest exactly as written!

Ackislander

That would be Columbus Day weekend if it were this year rather than next. We have always found plenty of color around that time, but you will need to book your lodging soon.

I would go a bit further north than dhfrost but agree otherwise.

It is not a great time to go to Bar Harbor and Acadia.

apizzamyheart

Thank you all for such detailed itinerary suggestions!

@ackislander, why would you recommend against Bar Harbor/Acadia?