achay

My DH and I are going to be on a driving tour of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire the first 2 weeks of October, flying into Syracuse and renting a car. Just starting to think of an itinerary. Any suggestions for charming inns / hotels, interesting things to see or do, local events like markets or art shows would be appreciated. We are very interested in coastal Maine in particular. We are two seniors who love off-the-beaten-path spots, collectibles and antiques, food, photography, art and noodling around without a particular agenda. Thanks!

djkbooks

For covering such a large area, highly recommend a comprehensive tour guide of New England. And/or, all of those states have comprehensive websites, with calendars of events...

If your focus may be on fall foliage, have a look at

http://www.yankeefoliage.com/peak-foliage-forecast-map/

for your dates.

Mountains are better than the coast for foliage that time of year. Colors come later along the coast.

Have you booked flights? Syracuse, obviously, is quite a drive from the coast of Maine.

Note that there are "charming inns" all over, but they book far ahead for foliage season and often have minimum nights stay requirements.

HappyTrvlr

Albany,NY and Burlington,VT are better airports for the west side of your trip.
Manchester, NH and Portland,ME airports for eastern side.

dfrostnh

Agree with above posters.
Do a fodor's search on "foliage" for past recommendations. We are trying out airb&b and been happy so far with staying in private homes but with private space with kitchenette. This gives you a chance to talk with locals.
If you like to bake, King Arthur Flour in Norwich VT should be on your route. The Norwich Inn is charming with good food and there's another good restaurant across the street. The Norwich and Brattleboro VT farmers markets that take place on Saturdays are fun and include some crafts and prepared foods. You can get a list of farmers markets for each state but take a look at each website to determine which might be the best. We have also liked Brunswick ME, Portsmouth NH (location varies) and Rockland ME.
The Warner Fall Foliage Festival (NH) gives you a bit of everything from crafts to farmers market. It's a nice little town with several small museums and fun parade. It has an interesting blend of artists and farmers, an independent book store, and active community.

Nearby Concord NH has the main store for the League of NH Crafts if you want upscale arts and crafts.

Connect with Jeff Foliage who I originally met via the Yankee Magazine forum. He's a great photographer living in MA but with close ties to VT. Does lots of foliage photos - google his website or find on facebook.

There are ice cream, cheese and wine trail maps available for each state. Hermit Woods Winery is having a barrel tasting weekend (Meredith NH area) in early October. This is a fun way to get off the beaten path as you visit some very small wineries. The Hermit Woods tour and tasting was a lot of fun by itself.

Hippo Press is a free weekly newspaper published in NH that has a great listing of events. You can check their website as your dates get closer.

It seems to me that Syracuse is going to involve two wasted days of driving unless you have a good reason to go there.

achay

I appreciate the information. We are starting and ending in Syracuse because we are visiting kids/grandkids. It's a good reminder re. places getting booked; we are in Montana and accommodations near Glacier and Yellowstone are booked a year out.