My husband and I are flying into JFK on 23rd October and have booked 2 nights in the city.We will then have 5 full days before flying out of JFK on the evening of 29th. It is not long enough, I know, but its all we've got ! I'd appreciate any advice on routes to make the best of our time. We're happy to drive long distances and take in the scenery along the way. We know that we're a little late for the best of the foilage but that doesn't really matter too much. Could anyone suggest a route for us to take that would give us a reasonable experience of New England in the limited time we've got ? I'd thought about travelling up to Concord NH, across to Portsmouth, down to Boston MA and finally staying somewhere in RI, but I'd really appreciate suggestions from people who know the area.

Thanks,

Gaynor

driving distances are not horrible, but 5 days can get you some things. the coast is what is so great about new england, so i would want to try and go up that way, but boston is ne too, and the sleepy little towns in vt and nh. any large circuit thru the center and down the coast can give you the flavor of ne.

depending on how you drive, i would head up on 91 thru vt up to woodstock, then head east on 4 to 104 to to 25 and hit the maine coast. come down the coast hit cape cod on your way south but this is all driving. if you want to stay somewhere for a couple of days, i suggest cape cod although it will be a little chilly.

The Cape will be chilly, but not as chilly as Maine.

Check the reports before you leave; most likely the foliage will be long-gone in most of NH and VT.

I've seen half decent foliage in RI as late as Oct 23. I've heard good reports about the jack-o-lantern display at the zoo in Providence but looks like you'll miss the opportunity to see the big display in Keene NH. I'd head to RI first after Boston to see the last of the foliage. CT folks seem to think they have some nice foliage too. You could connect up with Rt 91 in Western MA for a trip up to VT. Visits to Vermont Country Store in Weston are always fun and you are sure to find some gadget you need to buy. Lunch in either Woodstock or Simon Pearce (Queechee) would be nice. I'll disagree with the other poster and suggest hopping on Rt 89. Get off onto Rt 103 in Warner NH. Nice small town and then you'll go thru other nice small towns ending up on Main St in Concord NH. Stop in downtown for some window shopping and nice pastry snack at Bread and Chocolate. Take Rt 293 to bypass the commercial congestion and connect to Rt 4 which will take you over to Portsmouth. You could make a day trip up the Maine Coast. Southern Maine coast is popular but we prefer mid-Coast Maine (get off Rt 95 in Brunswick) which is a little quieter. We always seem to have a spell of bad weather around Halloween. Depending on the weather you might look for indoor activities such as museums. Last year it was pretty chilly but sunny at the Keene NH Pumpkin festival. You might also visit Yankee Magazine's website for more ideas www.newengland.com

Thanks for those suggestions. How long will the drive take to Woodstock as in the first suggestion and how long to Concord via the route dfrostnh suggests ? I think we'd prefer to do the longest stretch of travelling at the beginning of the trip, ending up at RI. How long would it take to get back to JFK from, say, Newport?

Thanks,
Gaynor

Lebanon NH to Concord via Rt 89 is 56 miles. On the map, it looks like Woodstock is less than 20 miles to Lebanon but about half those miles are numbered highway, not interstate. Rt 89 is a 65mph interstate. Warner to Concord via rt 89 is probably 30 minutes but on Rt 103 which goes thru towns, speed limit is 30 mph in some sections.
Providence RI to Concord via interstate is about 2 hours if there is no backups from heavier traffic such during commuting hours or Friday nights/Sunday afternoons at the toll booths in NH.
I'll let someone else handle the Newport to JFK question since time probably varies depending on time of day/day of week. New England is compact. Concord NH to Boston is only 1 hr 10 minutes keeping to the speed limit. From Concord you could be in northern VT/Burlington in 3 hours via interstate and no traffic tie-ups.

Up for any other leaf peepers making the sojourn at this time of year.