Fletcher921

I am looking for guidance - planning our 25th anniversary trip for late September this year. We want to spend a couple nights in Boston, we want to see Niagara Falls. We want to eat as much crab, lobster and good fish that we can. Colorful foliage would be awesome as well. Any ideas are appreciated. We are flying from the west coast and can fly into wherever would be the most convenient - cities that delta serviices would be nice as well.

Thank you!
Babs

nytraveler

Late September is too early for foliage unless you go further north - or to a higher altitude. The most color near Boston - and across into NYS is more like the 2nd /3rd week in October.

Separately, you don;t say how much time you have - but Boston to Niagara Falls is a long haul. I would fly into Boston and return from Buffalo or Toronto - whichever has a beet price.

And don;t forget your passports - since many of the attractions at the Falls are on the Canadian side.

bachslunch

nytraveler is right about foliage. You'll likely have to head into the New Hampshire or Vermont mountains to see any in late September, the further north the better.

You definitely should do a board search here, as Boston is extremely well covered in terms of attractions and restaurants.

dfrostnh

From Boston, head up to Portsmouth NH to continue your quest for great seafood and fish. I agree with others that you won't see any color until first week in October, maybe last week in September in the north. Swamp maples turn the earliest. You might see patches along the interstates but would do better on back roads. They are all red and not the best color just earliest. Usually seen at the edge of swamps. You could head to NH's White Mountains then cross over into VT at Littleton NH.
You might post your question about color on Yankee Magazine's forum. Jeff is an avid foliage photographer and probably has a record of when and where he took all his photos.

gail

Depends on how much time you have. For me, a perfect 10-14 day trip at that time of year that would meet your criteria would involve driving north from Boston, thru Concord NH, Montpelier VT, then to Montreal. Spend a few days there and drive on northern side of Great Lakes to Toronto, spend a few days there and then onto Niagara Falls. Fly out of Buffalo or even back to Toronto (about 2 hours or so) to west coast.

But that may be more of a trip than you had planned. And one-way car rental is probably only possible if you drop car in Buffalo and may be expensive at that time of year.

So Plan B would be after seeing Boston, rent a car and drive west, thru Albany - a really boring drive - to Niagara Falls (about an 8-9 hour drive). On the way if you are into baseball stop at the Baseball Hall of Fame. You might see some foliage as you head north and west, but it will not be peak.

You could then fly out of Buffalo. Or if you have a bit more time, get rid of rental car, find a way (bus - and I think there is a train) to get carless to Toronto, spend a few days, and then fly out of Toronto. I doubt you can do a one-way car rental US-Canada, but Toronto has great public transportation anyway.

Passport reminder is a good one - even if you do not add Toronto, since the US side of the Falls is not the place to stay.

There are no crabs in Boston - only lobsters. Do a search here for Boston activities - the usual is a day on the Freedom Trail, North End (Italian) and a museum or 2. If it is warm, take a whale watch or shorter Boston Harbor cruise or Duck Boat tour. Even the hop-on/hop-off trolleys are not bad - although much of the parts of Boston you are likely to want to see are walkable.

Stay IN BOSTON - and stay in the parts near everything (Copley, Downtown, Faneuil Hall). Prepare for sticker shock at cost - I would even shorten my trip rather than get sucked into "deals" at hotels that claim to be 5-10 miles outside Boston (they are - but commute can take up to an hour). You do not need a car until you leave Boston.

Have a good trip and return here with more specific questions - those of us around Boston enjoy arguing with each other about what visitors should do.

Fletcher921

Thank you all!

We are hoping to be gone for 7-8 nights. Like the idea of NH's White Mountains then into Vemont at Littleton NH.

Hmnn...

garyt22

In the Niagara Falls area is a massive Wine Region and Niagara 0n the Lake... September is great for visiting the area... less crowded and the attractions are all still operating...