tjhsu

Trying to plan a ~1 week vacation in the May 30 - June 10 timeframe. Our kid will be close to 2 years old by then, so instead of a hotel-type vacation we were thinking of going somewhere family friendly where we could rent a place and have the grandparents stay with us as well.

I'm not really sure where to start b/c I haven't really spent a lot of time up in that area and have never rented a place before.

Ideas?

divineMissM

Early june can be iffy-icky with the weather, I'd probably stay south near Boston where's there is lots to do even if it's chilly/rainy. You can always take day trips up the coast into Southern Maine should the weather be unseasonably perfect.

Kwoo

What are your interestes and what do you want to do? Are you looking for a beach vacation? If so, I would recommend the Cape but as divineMissM says, the weather can be iffy. It can be cool & rainy but it could also be warm, & the prices are lower on the Cape in early June.

tjhsu

i'm very ignorant - by cape, you mean cape cod?

we're not "beach people" - as in we don't like laying out on the beach for hours at a time until we burn. but I am imagining someplace close to the water - someplace that is naturally beautiful where we can enjoy some very leisurely bike rides, has some interesting local stuff to see, farmer's markets to get fresh produce, somewhere to get fresh local seafood (I imagine we'll cook a lot of our meals), somewhere to go fishing.

I feel like i've heard of places like cape cod, martha's vineyard, north shore (?) - that sound kind of nice but honestly I really have no idea what they're like.

not sure if that's helpful

china_cat

Actually, I might take a look at someplace near Lake Champlain in Vermont. The lake valley is great for bike riding, flat, rolling farmlands. Plus there are mountains on both sides. There are some cultural and historical attractions in the area, some good stuff to do with the kids, and lots of fresh produce. Maybe the only thing missing from your list is the seafood. Although you can go fishing on the lake as well.

Southern Maine on the coast is another area that would work really well. Someplace like Ogunquit, Kennebunk or Wells Maine are great family vacation areas. And a bit cheaper in early June, though definitely not swimming weather.

tjhsu

tks china_cat - what's the whether like in Lake Champlain and Southern Maine in early June? from what I'm reading about Cape Cod, early June is a complete crap shoot.

amazing that all 3 of those places are about the same (driving) distance from NYC - you'd never guess by looking at the map.

irishswampyankee

All of New England weather wise is a crap shoot in early June. It's not likely that, even if you stayed on Cape Cod, that you could lie on the beach. The farther north you go - NH, ME - the colder it could be. Biking could be good if it doesn't rain. If you're from NYC, the weather would be similar but probably cooler. You really should do some research on your own about New England because it is very diverse - mountains, beach, lakes, ocean, islands, historical cities, picturesque small towns but not all in the same place - and decide what interests you and then we could help you more. VRBO.com is a good site for renting condos once you decide where you want to be.

tracys2cents

One good thing about early June in Southern Maine is no crowds. There's a chance for great weather. but it would more likely be cooler (60's) with some rainy days. If you don't mind winging it, reading by the fireplace and walking the beaches with long pants and a sweater...you might enjoy the peacefulness of the area that is soon to be invaded by tourists.

As long as you stay away from Memorial weekend, you should have no problem finding somewhere to stay on rather short notice, take your time to do some more research.

From your second post...Boothbay Harbor, Maine comes to mind as what you might be looking for...or a little further south, maybe Cape Porpoise, Kennebunkport area.

gail

No worries about getting sunburned from beach-going in early June anywhere in New England - it will be too cold for that. There is also no local produce at that time of year - growing season does not start until the end of May, so nothing is ripe yet. Are you sure you want New England at this time of year?

Start with a weather-requirement question. How warm do you want it to be? Southern Maine and Cape Cod will be high temps perhaps 65/70 on a good day - but it could also be rainy, and much cooler. Vermont will be colder. But crowds and costs will be lower and you could catch some wonderful weather - just think Spring rather than Summer. We used to camp on Cape Cod every Memorial Day weekend for years - and I was never without a sweat shirt and usually long pants, even mid-day.

dfrostnh

Last June we stayed in Ogunquit ME at the Dunes. We just had a one bedroom "motel" unit but it was actually part of a one story cottage. There were several full cottages on the property with full kitchens and big enough for parents, child and grandparents. It was a very pleasant place with several acres of nice lawn, flowers and shrubs and right on the ocean. But we also had a rainy, cool weekend. Same rainy weather mid-June the year before when we stayed in the Camden ME area (went for the garden and house tour).

The other problem with early June is some of the things you might like to do only operate on weekends.

You might consider one of NH's lakes. There is one agency that handles most of the rentals on Lake Winnisquam and Lake Winnipesaukee. Just be careful to rent a cottage with a shallow beach (some have steep bank and docks for boats) that would be safer for a 2 yo. Depending on the weather you might have less black flies the second week of June. Some cottages are on busy roads, others are one very quiet roads away from traffic. If you were in the Wolfboro area on the north side of the Lake, you would be about an hour or less from Storyland in Glen (check hours of operation). Wherever you choose it would be nice to have a good outside play area for your child and really nice to have a screened porch area. We like to have our breakfast on the porch.

yk

I would say either:
South of Maine (towns mentioned in posts above), or
Portsmouth NH, or
North Shore of MA such as Rockport or Gloucester etc

As others have said, early June is still a bit chilly, but at least it won't be crowded and prices should be cheaper. You'll definitely need sweatshirts & fleece.

Regarding farmers market, there is some local produce you can get in early June: strawberries, rhubarb, dandelion greens, lettuce etc; and there's usually stalls selling locally-produced jams/jellies, honey, and cheese.

clarkgriswold

Careful about lakes areas in early June, the mosqueets could eat you alive.