speak1954

We want to go to Vermont the end of September from Newport RI and would also like to see Ogunquit ME or/and Portland ME. Any suggestions on a drive? Scenic route and if there is some place closer to get the feel of Maine and Vermont? Hope the leaves will be turning by then, should be traveling the last week of September, 2 women, maybe the DH?

We can stay over night, 2 would be pushing it, most likely weekdays. I wanted to see Concord too, I will fly in and out of Boston and have been told to do the Quincey Mkt, North End for food and the Duck Tour and Harvard Square and Freedom Trail.

Woodstock VT is most likely our overnight stop, any alternatives near for hotel or B&B? Heard Woodstock is pricey and touristy, but it looks so cute. My son was there last Feb, of course there was snow and he did not tour anything, he was there for work.

Weadles

It's unclear to me how much time you have for this trip. You're going to be doing a lot of driving in opposite directions. Just to give you an idea, Newport, Rhode Island is about a 1.5-2 hour drive southeast of Boston, depending on time of day/traffic. Oguinquit, Maine, which is northeast of Boston, is about a 1.5 hour drive. Woodstock, Vermont is about 2.5-4 hours, from Boston depending again on time of day/traffic.

My suggestion? Pick Boston and one other location, then day trip in the surrounding area. Otherwise, you'll spend your vacation driving and unpacking. Not that much fun, if you ask me!



My suggestion? Pick one or two of these places, pre

speak1954

I am only flying into Boston, staying in Newport with a friend who recently moved there. We wanted to take a trip to Vermont and maybe a side trip on the way back to Newport. Just trying to pack the most sites into my trip which is 2 weeks long, but we don't want to spend money on hotels, since she lives in Newport. We already have an overnight trip to NYC by train from New Haven. Just had time for one more overnight road trip and we both want to go to Vermont. I guess we could just go over to Boston and head to Maine from there? I am just need info, help!

dfrostnh

I've been to Stowe VT the 3rd weekend in Sept and not seen any color changes. You might have better luck in northern NH White Mountains due to higher elevations. Once you get north of Manchester NH and the Hooksett toll booth on Rt 93, the scenery gets a little nicer. You'll start to see mountains in the distance. Rt 93 goes right thru the mountains. Pick a fun thing to do like The Flume or easy hiking trail. DS and friends might do Bridal Veil Falls this weekend and estimate is a 4 hour hike. Or visit Castle in the Clouds. Find a place to stay somewhere between Meredith (on Lake W) and in the mountains. Meredith is a pretty, busy little tourist area but you could drive to Center Sandwich which is a beautiful tiny town pretty much in the mountains. Head over to VT the next day. The route along the NH border (the CT river divides the two states) is thru rural towns.
We stayed in Quechee last Sept in an average motel place but it had a nice living room area. Next door restaurants were horrible but lunch at Simon Pierce was wonderful. Quechee is near Woodstock. Woodstock is a very pretty town set up for tourists which is why I don't care for it. Fine if you want to do some shopping and seeing what city people wear on their trip to the country. The last time DH and I were in that area it was to find a perennial nursery that was way out in the woods. DH had plotted a route that tested our ability to read the road maps in the VT Atlas and Gazetteer. It was a lovely little plant place on a dirt road. We then headed to Woodstock for and drove by some horse farms. Oddly enough there was a newspaper article a few weeks later about these horse farms because they trained former race horses for dressage/hunting events. And since we were in DH's pickup truck, we were very out of place in Woodstock. Any other place in VT, we blend right in. So when people want to get the feel of the real VT, I don't recommend Woodstock. There are hundreds of interesting small farms, crafts people, and small businesses etc making a living in VT. You might have fun shopping at a farmers market. I've heard the one in Brattleboro VT (near Keene NH) in southern VT is very good. The reason why I include a farmers market if you want to get the feel of an area is because you can see some varieties of fruits and vegetables that you won't be able to buy in a supermarket, also maybe local cheeses and usually some great artisan bread makers. However, the grocery store in Woodstock does have a great selection of local cheeses etc.
OK off my soap box.

sf7307

As dfrostnh knows, we LOVED Woodstock! The village (commercial part) might be "set up for tourists" (actually, my favorite two locations weren't touristy at all - breakfast at the Creamery, which looks and feels like an old-fashioned luncheonette, and has to have been in the same location for at least 50 years) and the general store (more than 100 years old) but the town is beautiful. We wandered around the commercial part (see parenthetical above) but also around some residential areas where the houses are much older than mine (which is 100 years old), where Paul Revere's foundry made some of the bells, where there's a great old covered bridge, etc. Loved it, but honestly, I'm more interested in American history than I am in getting a "feel for the real Vermont" (I live in California, I don't watch the vegetables growning here either ).

speak1954

Thanks for the info, I think we are going to at least drive to Woodstock and maybe check out Quechee Gorge, then head back through to Newport by way of Concord/Boston. I agree with you sf7307,I like the history, buildings, leaf peeping better than driving around looking at cows and fields. I live in Atlanta and am from a smaller town in Ga and have seen my share of veggies and markets.

RetiredVermonter

There's a lot more to Vermont beyond Woodstock, even though people tend to hear a lot about that one town. Just remember that the roads in and around Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are not all superhighways, either, especially going east-west, for some reason. It can take time to get around from place to place up here. If you really want to see much in northern New England, it'll be tough to do it without an overnight or two.

If you go up I-91 (between NH and VT), you might want to stop into the Vermont Country Store, Exit 6, on Rte 103. They sell lots of old fashioned and new things, plus oodles of free samples of cheeses and other foods. (No, I am not associated with them; we just enjoy stopping in sometimes.)

Good luck.

sf7307

retired, when we were there in August, once past Deerfield, MA, we tried to stay off the interstate altogether! We did hit it a few times, but really didn't get back on for good until we were heading from Concord, NH to Concord, MA.

RetiredVermonter

Quechee Gorge...

We've lived not more than maybe 40 miles from it, and we've driven over it many times, but we've had no interest in stopping to look down into a big hole in the ground!

To each his or her own!

charli

Have you looked at a map at all to see the towns you are talking about? It sounds like you don't have a clue about locations and distances, a good map might help. By the way, Weadles, Newport is southWEST of Boston, not southeast.

catt1956

I live in SW NH. I agree with previous posts that you really have to pick, for a short trip, either south coastal Maine or south central Vermont. You cannot possibly do both in that time frame. As previously posted east-west roads are slow: 2 lane & through small towns. In your favor is that you are coming before "peak leaf peeping" and on weekdays traffic will be a little better. The highway route you take is very different depending on which destination you pick. 93 is out of the way for VT and you do not have enough time for NH Lakes/Mountain regions anyway.
Since you seem partial to VT I will comment on that: Pick google maps or whatever- Route 146 to 190 to route 2 to 91.
Get off 91 for route 4- stop at Quechee Gorge, then on to Woodstock as that is your choice. Stay the night there. From there wander south (check maps for preferred route) to Manchester, also a pretty little VT town and see Hildene, a Lincoln family home that is worth a visit. From Manchester VT head on the slow little road southeast (I think it's route 30, it will be beautiful) until you hit 91 again then return via hwy to RI.
You will get a nice taste of VT for quick trip.

sf7307

>>

Which just goes to show everyone likes different things -- we thought Quechee Gorge was definitely worth the stop - "gorge-ous" as they say!

Mycuppajava

Catt1956: (Doesn't have to the be foliage) Could you please help me with a plan for seeing a bit of VT, NH, and Maine? Not really interested in antiques - I would like culture and countryside. Would you please help me in selecting which airport and the route that you would take. You live in the NW NH so I think you would have a feel for all surrounding. I would love to see the ocean from Maine but the drive may be too long. (I have no idea whatsoever as to the distance and time.) Thank you so much for your ideas. ...Mycuppajava

catt1956

Mycuppajava- When would you come and (more importantly) for how long? You would need some time to see some of all 3 states as sometimes "you can't get there from here" quickly in an east-west direction. Also, what do you mean by "culture"? That impacts destinations.

As far as airports-Options: Boston/Logan sometimes has cheaper fares but is more congested (and speaking of culture, truly a great, walkable city to visit); Bradley/Hartford CT or Manchester NH airports are logistically easier-each depending on your route.

I would first look at some maps and check out the existing posts on the subject to get a feel for what you want, then start your own post for advice.
FYI! Aussiedreamer did a lot of research & posted a really good one here with NE suggestions near the end of the trip,at this link:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-you-think.cfm

Good luck from SW NH!

Mycuppajava

Thanks SW from NH. You are so kind to give the info. I will definitely use it. PW TN

djkbooks

You say you don't want to spend money on hotels, but you could cover a lot more scenery if you were to spend a night on the coast of Maine (where you'll find shoulder/off season rates that time of year) and another in western NH or mid-Vermont. Woodstock is a pricey town, but there are plenty of other towns (many of them just as "cute") in the area not so touristy with much more reasonable rates for accommodations.

sf7307

We LOVED Woodstock - your description "Woodstock is pricey and touristy, but it looks so cute" is apt. It also has historical artifacts (Paul Revere-cast bells), a lovely inn (the Woodstock Inn, appropriately), very good restaurants, a fantastic general store (been there 100+ years), in addition to all the touristy stuff.