seascape

My husband and I are planning a trip to New England in mid May. We have firm plans for the week in Boston but would like to spend our five days in a more rural area of New England. We will begin our trip north from Boston on a Monday and need to return by Saturday. Our only parameters are that we would like to experience small interesting towms, beautiful scenery, and take day trips from only one or two bases (probably in New Hampshire or Vermont?).

Any suggestions for an itinerary and for hotels/B&Bs? We would prefer nice but not overly expensive lodging. Some of our best meals on trips have been restaurants the locals prefer. Any suggestions?

joesorce

I'm sure that folks will chime in with their favorite spots. My advice would be to "wing it" as much as possible, or don't pre-pay any rooms until a day or two before your trip. Mid May can bring some iffy weather, and you might need to detour down to Cape Cod, or away from the coast of Maine, or make a quick decision not to stay in a New Hampshire lake town because the weather somewhere else is looking a bit warmer and more inviting.

Weekdays mid-May should bring loads of vacancies since you're traveling on weekdays.

Parrothead

A few years ago we did a "just meandering" roadtrip after a Boston visit. We had a map but not much else to go on. Two places we ended up really left an impression.

First, Rockport, Mass. Coastal, charming, shops, walking around, lobster rolls, found a beautiful Victorian B&B and stayed the night without a prior reservation.

Second, Henniker, NH. Talk about going back in time. There was a bandstand in the center of town, a corner store, kids riding bikes without adults. We stayed in a 100+ year old B&B with slanted floors and creaky doors. Just loved it.

My point is, we came upon several cute towns and the rolling terrain when we headed inland was all a thrill for us. Enjoy.

bm

Keep in mind that college graduations are in mid-May, so if you are "winging it" and you'll be in a college area, check ahead for lodging to make sure there are openings!

That said, If you wanted to camp yourself somewhere, I would suggest Woodstock, VT. From Woodstock you can explore both VT and NH via day trips. It's a good central location and a very quaint New England town.

seascape

Thank you for all the advice. I am looking into the suggestion to make Woodstock, VT a jumping off point.

What about the White Mountain area if we split up our 5 days between the 2 areas? Where would a good central "base" town be?

bm

The Jackson/North Conway area would be a good White Mountains location.

dfnh

Portsmouth is not a small town but the area is very beautiful in the spring. If you drive from the Strawbery Banke historic area out Rt 1B it takes you thru Newcastle which is very very old. There are private mansions along the coast in Rye where you will see beautiful flowering shrubs and crab apple trees. Since Portsmouth is only an hour north of Boston this could simply be a stop along the way i.e. lunch in one of the great restaurants. If you go over the bridge to Kittery Maine, follow signs for Kittery Point. It's not at all like the Rt 1 outlet malls section of town. Went on a kitchen tour last year which was great for exploring. Then you can take back roads/numbered state hwys west toward Concord. Because of the time of year I don't think I would agree with a White Mountains base. Spring is gorgeous in New England but I think the mountains might be a little bit too far north to see flowering trees/shrubs. Apple orchards in the Concord NH area generally bloom around Mayt 15. Still, Center Sandwich NH just north of Lake Winnipesaukee is one of our favorite drives in any season. I went on a garden tour a few years ago and remember gardeners said their gardens were a lot further behind due to being north and in the beginning of the mountains (garden tour was in July). You might actually consider Concord NH as a base - decent restauants, lovely downtown area with interesting shops including League of NH Craftsmen, a little bit of activity at night (bookstore readings, maybe theater, some restaurants with music in evenings). Henniker NH previously mentioned is about 1/2 hour drive west via Rt 89 and 202. But Concord itself is a good place for biking, walking even kayaking. You are also only an hour from the mountains so that's an easy day trip and I never tire of the scenery developing as you head north even on I93. Also, Woodstock VT is only a bit over an hour west from Concord. I'm probably in the minority that doesn't enjoy Woodstock. It's a tourist town full of visitors. It's just a little bit weird. We stopped for lunch after a pilgrimage to a small perennial plant nursery and a back road drive thru some horse country. Get a state atlas and gazetteer for NH and/or VT to find ALL the backroads. Mud season should be over but black flies might be in full force so woods hiking may be a problem.
I also like the drives west of Manchester and Nashua NH - it's pretty quiet in NH's southwestern corner in towns like Peterborough (great bookstore, artsy little downtown on a river) and others along Rt 101 and then a loop back to Concord thru places like Hancock and Harrisville.
If you head to VT from Concord, take Rt 103 thru Hopkinton, Contoocook, Warner and maybe New London (small college town). It roughly parallels I89 so you can get on the interstate in any of the aforementioned towns for speedier travel but those are nice little towns. Warner has the Kearsarge Indian Museum which I've heard is very good. You can take an easy hike up Mt Keararge but the auto road from the other side to a small state park provides fantastic views (continue to New London and then head toward Andover, watch for signs). To Concord's north is Canterbury which features Shaker Village. You can scout out some great craftspeople and artists in this area (David Carol in Warner NH is an authority on turtles, wrote and illustrated several wildlife books i.e. Year of the Trout). If you're lucky whle driving around the Warner area you might see someone working with a team of oxen or draft horses. Kayaking is very popular. There are several rental places.
Chowhound.com is pretty good for checking out recommended places to eat. Simon Pierce in Quechee VT is an experience. At the very least, visit the building and gift shop. Manchester NH has more and better restaurants than Concord although I like places in Concord like the Barley House. In a Pinch cafe can't be beat for soups/salads/sandwiches although Bread and Chocolate makes sandwiches on their fabulous breads and all their pastries are wonderful (just a few tiny tables, lunch is mostly take-out).
When you get here and drive around, explore the back roads. There's far less traffic and far more beatiful sights.