We are planning a two weeks trip to Ne England during October 2003. This will be the first time for us (my wife, myself and our two daughters) in this region. We will apreciat any guidelines, tips, places to visit and to stay in, websites to help our planning and any other advise about the must see/do. We love nature and hiking as well as nice villages and small towns. Lookin forward to learn from your experience.
Thanks,
Erez.

Erez,
Here's a couple of many primers to get you started:
http://www.mhl.org/Community/nefall.htm
http://gonewengland.about.com/library/weekly/aa081999.htm

How you like travel is important; i.e. stay in an area for a few days or drive to a different destination each day.

As far as places we've enjoyed, see if the following appeal to you:
Newport, RI; Mystic Seaport, CT; Mt. Washington, NH.
hth,

Check out newengland.com for travel tips also.

Please include Boston in your itinerary. Its a beautiful city.

Also, Stowe Vermont is another favorite - lots of hiking and biking there.

If your daughters on very young (3-12) you might consider purchasing the book "What to Do with Kids in New England" Lots of tips for restaurants and accommodations as well as attractions and even suggested hikes.

Make an effort to get to Rockport,ma..Short drive from Boston.right on the ocean. Capeann.com

Sturbridge Village is an authentic recreation of a colonial town in western Mass. Don't miss it! IMHO, even better than the more famous one down in Virginia, whose name escapes me at the moment....

In two weeks you will be able to see a lot of New England, however don't let highway maps fool you - short distances can take a while on some of the mountainous back roads. Each state has it's own personality, and Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are generally the more rural of the 6. In general, Vermont is the most bucolic state with lots of farmland, mountains and quaint villages. New Hampshire has more rugged mountains, more lakes, and more hiking trails. In and around Nashua, however it is quite urbanized. Maine of course has a beautiful coast, inland it gets very remote and north woodsy. Here are a few very pleasant villages and towns in NH and VT: Woodstock Vt, Chester Vt, Barnard Vt, Lyme NH, Sunapee NH, Jackson NH, and hundreds of others!
If you really enjoy hiking, pick up a copy of 'Fifty Hikes in the White Mountains', or 'Fifty Hikes in Vermont'.
I'm sure there are similar books for the other states as well. Also consider staying at a farm b&b, this can be very relaxing and a lot of fun.

Lots of good advice already posted. If you are here in early October, there are some fun events on Columbus Day weekend. Warner NH has a great Fall Foliage Festival over two days: parades, crafts, farmers market, ox pulling, etc. It's a beautiful little town west of Concord on Rt 89. Up in Sandwich NH is a small agricultural fair. We always enjoy seeing what the 4-H kids have done and Sandwich is a pretty drive not far from Lake Winnipesaukee. You can take a break from driving with a cruise of the lake on the Mt Washington. You might also enjoy the Squam Lake Science Center in Holderness. Check with local Audubon Societies about hikes and events. Events are listed in the Sunday and Thursday newspapers. Definitely visit Portsmouth NH before heading up the Maine coast. You might want to visit Odiorne Pt and the marine biology center. I recommend going as far north as Camden, Maine. Walk or drive up little Mt Battie for an incredible view overlooking the harbor. The Blue Hill pennisula before you get to Acadia is very pretty with some lovely small towns, both inland and coastal. If you have the time and the weather is good, Acadia is great for hiking and driving. Again, the view from the top of Cadillac is fantastic.
You'll have a wonderful time but be sure to make reservations soon since early October is a popular tourist month.

From a native of Newport, RI:

Of course, I have to put in my two cents for my hometown. Two weeks is a good amount of time in New England, especially during October. Just be prepared for all kinds of weather, from 40's and rain to 70's in the sun.

There have been a lot of comments on Northern New England, but not on the Southern half. So I'll fill you in.

The Newport Convention & Visitors Bureau (www.gonewport.com) provides good services on what to do, where to stay, and how to do it. They operate a Visitors Center in downtown Newport (9-5 every day.) Newport is best known for several things, most notably its mansions and its sailing. Around 1900, New York society built their summer homes in Newport. They are really spectacular mansions that are now open for tours. The Preservation Society runs most of them (NewportMansions.org.) Believe me, this is not how I live!

Newport is also well known for its sailing. It is the summer home of the New York Yacht Club, which held the top trophy of international sailing, the America's Cup, for over 100 years. It is the longest winning streak in modern sports history. In 1983, the Austrailian's took the Cup and it is in New Zealand now. Newport's been trying to win it back since. Sailing is still very prominent in Newport, and there are tons of regattas all summer long - there may be a few in October 2003.

You may also want to see the Tennis Hall of Fame - the only place in North America where tournaments are played on grass.

Also, you may want to see Providence for a day on your way between Boston and Newport.

If you will be flying into New England, try to avoid Logan (BOS). It's a mess right now and it won't make your trip any easier. Instead, try flying into Providence (PVD) or Manchester (MHT), which both have regular, large carrier service.

And go to Boston. It really is New England's "capital" and is a truly beautiful city.

Have a nice trip!

come too New englands rising star HARTFORD.. jsut joking I'm still embarrassed by my city.. but the casinos are always nice.. the sea coast in october is kind of dim though..

you should check if some of the sites your planning will be open or worth while comming too after summer..

Well, my first trip to New England not counting school in Hanover, NH which is lovely in its own right, was an October trip to Salem, Ma with side trips to Concord and Lexington which are beautiful. Salem in October is like Mardi Gras here so it was a lot of fun.
Newport is lovely at that time to get a nice taste of something coastal. Yes the Mansions can easily fill up several days, but I liked Newports waterfront; an Annapolis of the north I'd call it regarding its sailing history. My second trip to N.E. was Nantucket and Plymouth and Edgartown on Marthas Vineyard. Nantucket was spectacular!
the nicest rich people I've ever met!

There is a cloud among all these sunny reports. Starting early October, a wave of color change sweeps NE from north to south. In the immediate area, rural tourist spots are often swamped with visitors booking up hotels months in advance. North of that "color wave" often has miserable rainy weather.

After many Octobers there, I don't think the leafpeeping fuss is worth the trouble. It's mainly popular since it's so near big population centers with folks who are desperate for out-of-city distractions. But if you can negotiate that minefield, the coastal spots are very nice.

Wow, so much usefull advices, thank you all. Who can give the best B&b or small hotels in NE? If I must make reservations soonest I need some recommendations on selected accommodations. At least a good web site on those cosy B&B. Thanks again for all your help.

Hi Erez! Mah shlomchah? I live in New York now but I grew up in Boston and have travelled all over New England. October is a beautiful time of the year because of the foliage - the leaves are just magnificent. I would say you should plan on several days in Boston and then go on from there. Boston has all kinds of sightseeing tours (buses, boats, trolleys, walking), it has Harvard and MIT, lots of shops, lots of history. For the kids (if they are under 12), they would love the Science Museum and the Children's Museum. Outside of Boston, I think I would choose the White Mountain region of New Hampshire. If you love hiking, that's the place. It's about a 2-3 hour drive(easy drive) from Boston but its like going to Switzerland! We go there every summer and my kids are crazy for it!There are tram rides up to the tops of the mountains, tons of trails, caves, and leaves, leaves, leaves. The famous Mt. Washington is also in the area and that is a must see.We stay at the Loon Mountain Club (very nice rooms with kitchens, indoor pool, hot tubs, game room...). Do you keep kosher because if so, in Boston you can stock up on food. I see someone recommended Sturbridge Village and that is nice, its an hour drive out of Boston. Also interesting is Plymouth Plantation where the Mayflower landed - but its a bit of a hard drive. Write back if you have any questions!

We did a New England trip in 1998 and enjoyed it so much. We visited all six of the NE states. One place we loved was the Norman Rockwell museum in Stockbridge, MA. It was wonderful, but we really like Rockwell. A book we used for planning was the Travel Smart Trip Planner for New England. You might consider flying into a smaller airport rather than Boston. We flew into Albany, NY and then drove into Conn. and it worked well for us. Good luck. You'll love it.