Hi, My DW and I are arriving from the UK in Boston on 29th September, to spend 16 nights, returning on the 15th October So far we are booked for 5 nights in the Copley House Hotel, Boston. After this we are renting a car and going to Niagara Falls finding somewhere to stay en-route. In Niagara we stay 2 nights in the Country Inn and Suites on the Canadian side of the falls. We then intend to travel north and spend a few days looking at the foliage before arriving in the Portsmouth area on the 10th or 11th October. From there we move on to the Best Western Hotel in Plymouth where we will spend 2 nights before travelling back to Boston airport and home.
We are both in our early sixties. Any suggestions as to how we could fill in the gaps, or comments on our plans would be appreciated

Sounds like a good plan. The first couple weeks of October in New Englan are very busy with tourists at that time, so you might want to reserve your hotels early, to save long drives looking for a place to stay.

Albany NY is a good half-way stopping point between Boston and Niagara, with lots of hotels just off the freeway.

Not sure I would spend two nights in Plymouth .. You might want to spend a few hours there on the way to spending some time on Cape Cod .. Happy to make some suggestions should this be an option for you ...

I thought that Plymouth was maybe a good base for visiting Cape Cod for a couple of days. I'd welcome your advice though.

After Niagra Falls instead of heading back north you could head west and traval via western New England. Stay in the Berkshires one night, there are some neat places to visit in Western Mass, neat beaches in Connecticut, Rhode Island & Massachusetts, and some areas similar to Plymouth Plantation you could visit. Or you could head back to Boston via Mass Pike and take up your itinerary from there. A lot of choices and variety.

Plymouth, MA is not all that convenient to Cape Cod. You might be better off staying in Gloucester or Rockport and exploring Cape Anne. It could save a lot of driving time and hassles if you stay north of Boston, I think.

5 nts in Boston could be a little much, esp if you are going to spend all of them right in the city. You might want to think about heading to the burbs of Concord and Lexington if you are interested in history or Marblehead and Rockport to walk around some seaside towns. I think Gray Line has tours from Boston or you could rent a car a little sooner.

Niagra Falls themselves, while quite a distance from Boston, are spectacular. Just be prepared for the honky-tonk atmosphere of the town.

Plymouth isn't that convenient to some of the Cape, particularly the outer Cape areas of Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown. Depending on what you want to see, you could be better off staying right on Cape, maybe in the Chatham area. You might want to research what you'd like to see and then decide. Just try not to have to drive back to Boston from the Cape on a Sunday.

Another approach would be to spend one of your Boston days taking a daytrip by ferry to Provincetown and "doing" that town, easy walking, then you wouldn't need to drive all the way there while you're in Plymouth which would be too much, IMO.

New England is beautiful and busy that time of year. Enjoy.

isy

I guess you might want to stop in Plymouth .. having grown up in this area .. I don't see that Plymouth offers all that much .. unless there is something special you want to see .. again .. I would stop on my way to the Cape .. You will be on Cape in mid October which is very different than visiting in the summer .. there will be no traffic congestion to deal with but some restaurants will also be closed for the season .. nonetheless with a little luck from Mother Nature .. it could be a wonderful time to visit .. The National Seashore in Wellfleet(nps.gov).. Route 6A with wonderfully quaint shops along the way .. there is the Bike Trail in Dennis www.mass.gov ... the Lavender Farm in Harwich but check out before you go .. not sure when they close their shop www.capecodlavenderfarm.com ... Woods Hole Oceangraphic Institute in Falmouth .. you should visit their site for hours and exhibits .. I am not sure of your interests but there is much to do and see on Cape Cod .. You could even take a ferry or the high speed over to Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard .. there will be no crowds to deal with .. I would probably advise to stay in the Dennis 6A area .. or Brewster .. which I consider mid Cape so you would be about 45 minutes to Provincetown and 55 minutes or so to Woods Hole .. however one of my favorite places is the Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham .. just a lovely .. lovely spot .. if you don't stay there .. go and have lunch or dinner .. and there are also lots of B&B's in Chatham .. Happy to send along a list of restaurants if your plan is to visit Cape Cod ... Enjoy !

You should consider staying in the Berkshires in Massachusetts as a stop betw Boston and Niagara Falls. The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge is classical New England--undoubtedly heavily booked at that time of year for that reason. The Norman Rockwell Museum nearby will give you a good sense of Americana. Stockbridge is very near the Mass Turnpike, so it's not far off the route. Another thought is Cooperstown. Pretty town, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I agree about Plymouth and Cape Cod. I was personally very disappointed in Plymouth. The Cape is pretty large and worth a drive through and spending a night or two, although the daytrip from Boston to Provincetown is also a good idea during your 5 days in Boston (which I also think might be too long for such a lengthy journey--so much to see along the way). Keep in mind that depending on the weather, late Sept might be past the peak for leaves in the northern parts of your trip. There are leaf-peeper sights to tell you where the peak is when. I don't know the addresses, but if you check the tourist offices for NY State and New Hampshire I'm sure there are links.

The ferry from Boston to Provincetown is extremely enjoyable (nice boat ride and massively faster than driving), and it is practical to plan Provincetown as an overnight via ferry. You really don't need a car, although you may find yourself paying for a couple of taxis.
I did a weekend (in September) with another non-driver a few years ago and had no problems, and no car envy moments. I believe that there is a women's event in October though (don't remember which week) and I have heard that it makes the town very crowded.

Thanks for your comments.Taking the ferry ride from Boston to Provincetown sounds good and maybe a 3 hour whale sighting trip too. I have cancelled my reservation for Plymouth and have booked a room in Hyannis for three nights with additional sea trips as an option (Nantucket and/or Martha's Vineyard)
We will decide where to go from Niagara Falls when we are there, I want to leave some of our time open.
I am much obliged for the good advice received from Fodorites, as usual.

While I certainly can see why you want to leave it open, it is high tourist season and you may end up not having many choices.

In Portsmouth, I can highly recommend the Wentworth by the Sea. Its a beautiful old but newly restored grand dame of a hotel. Has a lovely spa and waterviews from most rooms. I live within 20 minutes but love to go there for a little getaway.

Re: Ferry to Provincetown: I would suggest watching weather as soon as you arrive and planning that day accordingly - I believe those trips end in early or mid October, but you can check on their website -
and you would want to be out on the sea on the best possible weather day -

the other site you might want to look at is
www.bostonislands.org which has some nice trips in harbor islands with interesting stops -

If you go to Plimoth Plantation, and to the waterfront to see Mayflower replica, etc - you might be interested in seeing the Jenny Mist Grill

www.jennygristmill.org

also there are walking tours which might interest you as well

You could stop on the way to Hyannis and do Plymouth if these sites interest you