Hi! My husband and I will have 6 days (Monday-Saturday) for our own "second honeymoon" after our daughter's wedding on Martha's Vineyard (9/21). We've never been to New England and would love to see as much of it as possible, particularly historic places and great scenery. We'd appreciate any suggestions for itinerary, places to stay, etc. Thanks!!!

New England is bigger than one would think. It would be helpful to know to where and how you are arriving (such as are you flying into Boston, Providence, etc.); do you need a "circle" route to arrive/depart from same city, etc. That would be helpful in suggesting an itinerary.

Since you have never been to New England, Boston is a good starting off point. You could easily spend the entire 6 days in Boston, taking day trips. But that does not accomplish "seeing as much of it as possible", so you might want to either start off in Newport area and then venture to Boston or start in Boston and venture north to New Hampshire or Maine.

Sounds like a great trip - can you fine tune your arrival/departure plans and whether you want a "home base" or would be comfortable in a different hotel every night - then I am sure you will get many responses - and have more to pick from than you can handle!

My vote: head to Portsmouth NH, visit Strawbery Banke and wander around the shops. Have a great lunch you have plenty of choices. Drive thru Newcastle and past the renovated hotel, drive past the big mansions in Rye. Take Rt 4 to Concord NH and enjoy antique shops in Northwood. Have lunch in Concord, explore downtown which includes the Museum of NH History. Visit Canterbury Shaker Village for tour. Head north and spend the night in Meredith. Maybe Inn at the Falls. Explore around Lake Winnipesaukee. Wolfboro is beautiful. Have dinner at the Homestead in Bristol. Stay in Meredith a 2nd night and explore NH's White Mountains the next day. Head over to VT for the remainder of your trip. If you stayed in Middlebury you could head north to visit Shelburne Museum and Burlington for dinner. Some people go back to Shelburne for a second day. The Dog Team Tavern in Middlebury is great and an interesting place. You can also make a loop that includes Waterbury and Stowe. When you head back to the airport (I'm assuming Logan), stop at VT Country Store in Weston. Pick up a VT guide at a rest stop and choose your routes. The area along Lake Champlain is rolling green hills with a lot of farms. Vermont's mountains are green, NH's are taller and craggy granite.
Have a great time!

Thank you Gail and dfrostnh!! To be more specific, we can be in Boston area Monday (9/22) after the wedding and stay till Tuesday noon (airport dropoff for son), then thought about doing a loop to perhaps include Concord, Lexington, Salem, NH, some Maine Coast, then over to VT and back down to Boston. We are fine staying in a different hotel every night. We leave Boston at 6PM on Saturday (9/27), so thought that spending Friday night in or around Boston would probably be a good idea. Thanks so much!

Keep in mind that east-west travel in VT, NH, and ME is generally a pain, so it may not be all that easy to go from the ME coast to VT.

The vineyard is amazing! In Boston, maybe do a duck tour to get the vibe of the city, dinner in the North End! You could go to Concord Lexington and then head north to Coastal Maine for a coouple of nights - maybe Ogunquit, the Sparhawk is our fav, if they're not booked, from there you can explore York, Kennebunkport. Eat at Provence. Why Salem, NH? Are you thinking Salem, Ma - the Crucible, witch thing? You might also want to consider Nantucket, the two islands are both so wonderful and worlds apart, the old captains house on Nantucket cannot be compared. I'll try to check back!

I agree with gyppielou's itinerary.
Are you sure you want Salem, NH? What is it that you want to see? And Maine to Vermont can be quite a long haul.

Let me add my voice to the chorus ... not Salem NH! The population explosion starting in the late 50s followed by massive commercial development (no sales tax in NH and Salem is right on the Mass border). Nashua is nicer but be careful of where your hotel is located. I think you would be happier to continue north to Manchester which has better restaurants in old mills along the river. The next morning you could take Rt 101 over to the coast.

Thank you all for the warning on Salem, NH! I do actually think I meant Salem, MA-- as in "witch" history -- is that worth including? To refine my original question, we'd love to take a "loop" trip, starting and ending in Boston, with an emphasis on historical places, and whatever coastal or other highlights you all think we shouldn't miss in our limited 5 days! There's so much to see, I wish it were 5 weeks! Thanks so much!