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Itinerary Help Please - New England - Mid/Late October

Itinerary Help Please - New England - Mid/Late October

Old Aug 9th, 2013, 11:25 AM
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Itinerary Help Please - New England - Mid/Late October

Please help with view following itinerary.
In particular we’d really appreciate suggestions for October 19th to 21st.

We realize we won’t be able to do all of following but currently consideration for the 3 Days of October 19th to 21st are:
Berkshires (Though sounds far too late for fall colours)
Cape Cod (Quite a way but ??)
Cranberry Harvesting (??)
Hawk Migration (though we’ll see them if we turn our eyes skywards!)
Mayflower 2 (Plymouth)
Peterborough (We hear it’s very scenic)
Portland (ME)
Shopping Outlet – But which one? (The wife’s pretty sure about this option!)
Strawberry Banke
Whale Watching (will we see much so late on?)

Itinerary to date as follows:
October 11th
Late PM flight into Boston MA
overnight in Boston Woburn
2 Days - Lincoln area – NH
Franconia Notch, Kancamagus Highway, Cog Railway,
3 Days - Stowe area – VT
Von Trapp, Smuggler’s Notch, Cabot Annexe,
Ben & Jerry’s, Cold Hollow Cider,
Burlington (?), Rt 100
2 Days - Woodstock area – VT
Quechie Gorge, Woodstock,
Sugar Bush Farm, King Arthur,
3 Days - October 19th to 21st
Fellow Fodorites assistance please !
2 Days - Boston MA
flying out on 24th
Cheers
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Old Aug 9th, 2013, 03:23 PM
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the things you have listed will take at least a week you just have to cut a lot out of your list
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Old Aug 9th, 2013, 05:38 PM
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Hi nytraveler
We realize there's no way we'll do all I listed in 3 days. (Not a chance)
We were just hoping for a few ''must do's'' or ''don't bothers'' or ideas.
Thanks
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Old Aug 9th, 2013, 05:40 PM
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start north and work your way south
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Old Aug 10th, 2013, 12:10 PM
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Because of distance and time limits suggest you head to Peterborough from vt. It is scenic but you could just do a stop for lunch. The drive via rt 101 is pleasant. Despite living within ten miles of a hawk watch location we have never noticed a lot of hawks so I think you probably need to be right u der their migration path. I think there is one on mt monadnock near Peterborough . Go to strawberry banke for a tour but check because they might be weekends only in the fall. You can drive over the bridge for the lottery me outlet malls. Your other choice might be the new village style mall in Merrimack nh. The on to Portland me. Great place to visit and the drive to Boston is only a couple of hours.
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Old Aug 10th, 2013, 06:04 PM
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You will likely be too late for a whale watch. I think most of them stop around Columbus Day.

Not that I have huge experience, but the one October whale watch I went on (from Maine) we saw one whale, and we had to go farther out and stay out longer than normal to find it. And all we saw was its blowhole and back.
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Old Aug 12th, 2013, 03:06 AM
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ack,iPad changed Kittery Me outlet malls to lottery.
Ben and Jerry's and Cold Hollow Cider are worth a visit but maybe not if you have traffic congestion due to foliage. If you are mid-week, it might be ok but look into other places to visit that might not be quite so popular. Get the VT cheese trail map for other ideas. You didn't list Vermont Country Store but that's a great place for food samples and you should find great cider at various farm stands. You can tell if they make cider because the air is fragrant with the smell.
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Old Aug 12th, 2013, 06:40 AM
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The first part of your plan sounds fine - the White Mountains and Stowe might be a bit less touristed, since it will be about 10 days past foliage peak. With 3 days in Stowe, definitely do an afternoon in Burlington, a beautiful small city. In the Woodstock area, you might want to hop across the river to Hanover NH when visiting King Arthur. Hanover is a very picturesque college town with some good dining options, like Yama or Mollys. Billings Farm Museum in Woodstock is also a must see.
As for the second part - the Berkshires are wonderful, but not too much different than what you've already seen in Vermont, probably not worth the drive. The Peterborough area is quite charming if you can manage it. For the last part of your trip, you might want to see some of the seacoast - Cape Cod (about an hour from Boston) is very scenic and might be a good stop near the end of your trip. I've never seen cranberry harvesting, but some of the tiny seacoast villages and National Seashore beaches are beautiful. Portland is a fun city on the water, noted for it's dining options and scenic lighthouses. One tip I always give people visiting rural New England - don't be afraid to explore the small back roads (many are gravel). This is where you might see the best photo ops. Also realize that late October can be pretty chilly at night!
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Old Aug 12th, 2013, 07:29 AM
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I just checked back and last year a neighbor was harvesting his cranberries on October21/22 so it is quite possible that you could see some cranberry harvesting during those three days of yours on Cape Cod. Last year the peak of foliage on Cape Cod had passed by the 22 but there were still patches of color. (Last year was not a great foliage year over all on the Cape). You will have to go down some backroads to see cranberry picking.

The Cape is very doable from Woodstock, your last planned stop. And it is only an hour or so from Boston. There are lots of good hiking trails and by that time in October, towns are no longer charging tourists for beach parking.

If you do go to the Cape, I am a Cape Codder for generations back and can give lots of hints about upper Cape and some for lower and outer Cape.
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Old Aug 12th, 2013, 07:57 AM
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Skip the Berkshires this trip. Another year, fly to NY and do the Hudson Valley, Saratoga, a bit of the Adirondacks, and the Berkshires.

Think of Peterborough, Jaffrey, and Keene as a single area. If you are walkers, Mt Monadnock is a walk, not a climb, and has great views. Find the tiny village of Harrisville, NH. It is on what would be a B road at home. It would be an AONB in the UK. This is Day 1. Save the Cape for another year.

Now you have two choices. You can go south, skirting the Berkshires on mostly B roads. Stop at Deerfield Village, even if the preserved houses are no longer open. From there, you can go southwest on motorways to New Haven and tour the Connecticut and Rhode Island coasts.

1. Connecticut: Tangier Outlets are off I 95 E of New Haven, home of Yale University and its museums. The Florence Griswold museum (American Impressionists) is in Old Lyme, and the Mystic Seaport (preserved marine items, art and vessels) is in Mystic, CT (!) Very attractive for a couple of days of exploring. Indian casinos if you want to try your luck.

2. Deerfield to Stonington, CT. This is near Mystic and the casinos, but it begins a very scenic trip along the coast through Westerly, Watch Hill, Point Judith, and Narragansett, to Newport, where you can easily spend a day touring mansions. Across the river is Tiverton and Little Compton, both would be AONB's if we had them. Expect to get lost on narrow country lanes. You can go on to New Bedford for the whaling museum and then to Cranberry bogs along US 44 which will lead you to Plymouth and MA Route 3, which will carry you back to Boston for your flight home.
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Old Aug 15th, 2013, 04:57 AM
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There's also an outlet mall in Lee, MA in the Berkshires. It's not huge, but has many of the same stores you'll find at other outlet malls.
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