Lynne

I'm going to Boston for business trip the end of May. I've never been to New England. My husband & I want to spend the week after Boston in either Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine (Bar Harbor). We prefer enjoying nature and being outdoors to the city scene or visiting too many historical sites. Can someone who's been to these states make a recommendation for which places to go, how much we should try to do within a week, lodging and restaurants? We are on a moderate budget, but we realize that is an expensive area. Thanks in advance!

maria

I live in MA and there is a lot of ground to cover to visit in a week. One of our favorite spots is Bar Harbor/Acadia National park. They have great hiking trails and you can rent mountain bikes and ride on the old carriage trails. The mountain/ocean views are gorgeous. I suggest you stop at the vistor center and get a map of the hiking trails which you can buy for about $3.00. I am not sure where you are from, but the mountain peaks are round glacier formations so don't expect the rockies or anything (800-1000ft), but still quite nice. There are also good restaurants in Bar Harbor. It is not cheap to go there, but you would be before peak season saving some money. It is over a 5 hour drive from Boston. There also many other nice spots along costal Maine, but it will probably be too cold to enjoy the beaches in May.
The white Mountains in NH are nice as well. You can take the cog railway to the top of Mount Washington. I am sure you can search the web for more on tourist information on that area.

jj

If you take highway 1 up coast to Maine you'll find several quaint towns. In Vermont, the Green Mountains are beautiful to drive. Arlington, VT was the hometown of Norman Rockwell and his first wife, and sons. His son Tom has made a nice museum of his father's work, sketches, and photos. Tours are given by townspeople who were models for his illustrations that graced the Saturday Evening Post.Burlington, VT is a nice jump off to ferry across Lake Champlain to New York to hike the Ausable Chasm, nice scenery and rock formations. New Hampshire's White Mountains are beautiful to drive. Yes, do Mount Washington. The Appalachian Trail crosses the road near the base. Back to Maine, if you take Highway 1 out of Boston, Kennebunk, and Kennebunkport are nice quaint towns to see, and of course, you drive past George Bush's home on the point, and maybe see Barb's red mini-van in the drive. Mabel's Lobster Claw is a wonderful seafood place,(George's favorite), ask to sit at George and Barb's table. You could really spend the whole week in Vermont alone, but I bet you'll find something on the eastern coast.

Lori Whitmore

Without question, go to Maine. Drive from Boston thru Portsmouth New Hampshire (wonderful seaside town) and up to Maine. Camden, Kennebundport, Bar Harbor and every town in between are magical. Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor is a must. Seafood restaurants are great and not terribly expensive. After 1 week trip there, I wanted to move to the Maine coast. Never a fan of George Bush, but when we saw where he lived in Kennebunkport, gained much respect for him and Ba.

ellen

If you do go to Maine, go to Ogunquit which is about 30 min. North of Portsmouth NH. It has a beautiful walkway on the Atlantic called the Marginal Way. Good restaurant there is called Compass Rose.
I like the white mountains very much. What about the mansions in Newport RI. Very impressive.