Dreams64

I did see somewhere recently about that ferry from Boston to Provincetown thanks Brazilnut, I will look that up again to see if it runs when I will be there. Thanks guys, sorry can I just check one last tip before leaving you all alone...I am concerned about which state I should be in first. If we drive from Boston around the 3rd/4th October up north, should I head for Vermont for 3 nights or should I be going to New Hampshire for the first week and then Vermont for the second or does it really matter? In my head I was thinking NH first to Jackson then over to Vermont to Littleton (Rabbit Hill Inn looks so inviting) then down to Woodstock and back to Boston. I guess this will give me a lot of coverage either way wont it?

dfrostnh

The foliage colors will probably be turning first in Jackson because of the higher elevations of the mountains. If you mean Littleton NH, that's even further north, just above the mountains. Weather is colder "above the notch" (Franconia Notch). Woodstock is much further south and, I believe, a lower elevation near the Connecticut River (don't miss Simon Pierce in Quechee VT even if you just look around the building). I would do NH mountains first.

Cyanna

Two quick comments, and since I have only skimmed others' answered, apologies if I'm duplicating:

1. highway vs. side roads. I don't know where in Australia you're from, but you may not be aware that roads in New England other than highways WANDER. They are often poorly marked, and they turn and twist and climb and curve even in non-hilly areas. And frankly, they sometimes completely flummox a GPS. Do not be afraid of highways -- they will get you going where you want to in decent time and, as someone mentioned, in N Eng. they are often very scenic indeed.

2. IMHO The Cape is more "Cape-y" further out than Woods Hole or Sandwich. I would have suggested going beyond Barnstable, to Chatham or Orleans if not Truro or Welfleet. And on weekends, Rte. 6 (the "spine" of the Cape) can get congested, which might discourage you from venturing out further, which you MUST do or you won't have been on the Cape. The National Seashore doesn't begin until around Eastham -- and you want to see the lighthouses out that way, too.

Kwoo

Dreams64, since you have always wanted to go to Cape Cod, I think you definitely should. The Cape is beautiful; I live in Massachusetts, & visit the Cape several times during the summer & never tire of it. October will be beautiful & quiet. The most beautiful part of the Cape is the National Seashore, both the bay side and ocean side. You should visit Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro & Provincetown.

zootsi

Just FYI, Vermont and New Hampshire each have their own distinct 'vibe'. The White Mountains of New Hampshire are quite rugged and dotted with pristine lakes; much of the area is wilderness. Great for hiking, moose spotting, and spectacular vistas. Vermont is more bucolic - it's richer soil means more open farmland. Of course NH has some farmland and Vt has some pretty impressive mountains, but they definitely look and feel different - worth seeing them both if you can.
As for lodging suggestions in Vermont, the Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm is just outside of Woodstock in a lovely setting. The Round Barn Inn in Waitsfield Vermont (about 40 minutes from Woodstock) is very special, in beautiful countryside of rolling pastures and mountains - quintessential Vermont.

dfrostnh

cyanna, your post made me chuckle. Wandering roads are exactly the point of an interesting drive although I've heard people complain that they don't like all the hilly roads. I guess if you come from a place that's flat, all the curves and hills may seem impractical or something. A visitor from AK felt claustrophobic because he could see enough sky and was used to more open feel.

Every year when we see traffic on Rt 93 slowed to an almost stop, I wonder why people don't take the secondary roads which sometimes are almost as straight but with a lower speed limit. Also if someone takes Rt 103 from Concord NH to Warner they can take the opportunity to make a slight detour to Gould Hill Orchard which has a lovely view from its parking lot and buy some great apples. People can enjoy the architecture of colonial homes. In Warner one also passes right by the home/studio of a famous illustrator and naturalist and a slight detour can drive up little Mt Kearsarge for a short hike to the top or visit the Kearsarge Indian Museum. At the end of town one can hop on Rt 89 again for a quick trip to Woodstock VT.

If the OP is brave enough to use the DeLorme or careful written directions to find the Sandwich Creamery near the Squam Lakes area, she will drive on a gravel road and she might see a black bear. That's why I keep recommending back roads.

Zootsi's comparison of NH and VT is right on.

Cyanna

dfrostnh: I am big on avoiding interstate gridlock, and I'm an avid (if anachronistic) map reader. You definitely do get more of an immersion in New Englandiana (?) shun-piking. But I thought someone unfamiliar with the area should be aware that taking Rte. 1 in preference to Rte. 93 or 95 can backfire bigtime. The lack of signage is the first thing non-locals howl about, too.

The second thing is that you may well not REALLY be going north if you are on route '444' "north" except in the most general, meta- way. There are more than one place in Mass. where you can be on the same stretch of road but following 2 or 3 different routes labeled for utterly different compass directions (128 south, 24 north, 3 east or some such). In such situations, a GPS is just more confusing - or confused! -= IME!

Something else I didn't mention is car-sickness! ;-) I'm a victim, so I'll take a road that wanders only if I have a specific destination, hate interstate gridlock more, or can keep speed below 20 MPH, which doesn't endear me to other drivers.

If Dreams64 has a spirit of adventure, no particular time schedule, doesn't get undone when lost and there are no informing signs, and doesn't get too motion-sick, by all means, "wandering" is the way to go.

dfrostnh

good point, Cyanna, I tend to forget about secondary highways south of NH. I agree. Rt 1 out of Boston is a big mistake and Rt 95 that used to be Rt 98 will say north and south but I want to go east and the hwy is what I consider an east/west route. I'll re-word my advice.

Rule of thumb for NH: If you are south of Concord NH or Portsmouth it is probably best to stick to main highways that are considered limited access interstates (I93 and I95). A good road map will show decent secondary highways where the speed limit is generally between 35 and 50. A limited access highway has 2 or more lanes and a divider so northbound and southbound lanes are kept separate. A secondary highway may have only one lane in each direction except for busy stretches where it might have 2 lanes.

Lodging for Brandon VT: a friend who lives there recently toured the Gazebo Inn which has recently been re-done. There are only 5 rooms. The top floor is like a small apartment. Both the Inn on Park St and Churchill House Inn are very nice but more expensive. A popular event the Sat night of Columbus Day weekend is the Artist Gallery auction of decorated clocks.

karend2

I am not sure where you read about not going to Cape Cod I have been there twice and plan to go back in April or May. It is well worth the trip, not to be missed. I guess you could just start from the beginning, drive 6A which is a scenic drive you could stop in Sandwich.Drive to Chatham and spend the day there maybe go to the fish pier and watch the fishermen bring in their catch of the day.Check out the national seashore. I would go all the way to provincetown. You could do all of this in a few days or you could go slow and take your time.

karend2

Sorry, but I did not mention Nantucket Island. I would choose that over MV. It is so very nice. Your dreams can not even fully know how nice it is there.

Dreams64

Yes Karend2, poor Nantucket seems to get forgotton, I will look at that now to see if maybe I go to that island or MV, whichever one is prettier I will visit. Thanks cyanna for your concern re the windy roads, I do hear you Well guys I can tell you that I am from Melbourne and we do have a few mountians and windy roads here LOL! Our Mt Dandenong or Great Ocean Road may not be up to US heights but I have travelled on windy roads before. Having said that, tongue in cheek, part of me wants to just do the standard highways (the safe part of me) but I tend to agree with you all that if I am going on the adventure of my life, it's time to live a little and go outside the square, and it would be fascinating to see an 'american black bear'. Dfrostnh, I will preorder your suggested maps which do look great by the way and myself and my driver (my girlfriend) will go from there and see just how adventurous we can be. A book was delivered to me this week I had ordered from Amazon - Off the beaten track - New Hampshire, so this should provide some inspiration to my planning. Now I must go and look up those farms Zootsi mentioned, I had originally planned on a Vermont farm stay but those beautiful American historic inns just keep calling...

Dreams64

Ok, post script...I have had a quick look at Nantucket and yes, its a winner, looks 'perfectly me to a tee'. Now I am wondering if I actually should stay on the island for a night or two...this trip keeps changing lol - thanks for bringing it to my attention! As for the Vermont Farms, zootsi, you've made my day! The opening line on The Quechee Inn website sums up my trip impecably

"Visit a place your imagination has spent a lifetime enjoying"

I can't thank you guys enough, your comments are just so helpful when you are planning from the other side of the world...

karend2

I just wanted to mention one thing. You had said something about the ferry between Boston and Provincetown but I think that ferry runs only certain times of the year. I really do not think it runs past September perhaps someone else knows the answer to that. Have a great trip and I hope it turns out to be all you have dreamed of!

Cyanna

They run to early Oct. : http://www.bostonharborcruises.com/p...ule-rates.aspx

colbeck

If you stay at the Quechee Inn you really must not miss a visit to Simon Pearce (world renowned Glass blowing). I know it was mentioned in a previous post, but what was not said is that there is a fabulous restaurant there, serving lunch and dinner in an old mill overlooking the Ottauquechee River.

Brandon is a nice town, but IMHO Middlebury is a better place to stay. It is a lovely college town with more to see and do. I would suggest The Swift House (www.swifthouseinn.com) or the Inn on the Green (www.innonthegreen.com) in Middlebury, or the Waybury Inn (www.wayburyinn.com) in East Middlebury. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Both the Swift House and Waybury Inn have very good on-site restaurants. From there you could take Rt. 125 , through Ripton and Hancock, over the mountain to Rt. 100 and wind your way to Woodstock. It is a very scenic route.

On the Cape, I really like Chatham, Orleans and Wellfleet. Harwich Port, near Chatham, has ferry service to Nantucket. A very nice place to stay in Chatham is the Captain's House Inn(www.captainshouseinn.com).

I know you are limited on time, but Newport, Rhode Island is another historic town well worth visiting, and it is not far from the Cape.

sf7307

We drove through Quechee last summer, and the view from the bridge over the gorge was enough to make us want to return to the area!

sf7307

Wow, that was summer 2009, not last summer!

Dreams64

Thanks so much colbeck, Cyanna and sf7307, I really appreciate your thoughts and suggestions - this has been a great help. I had looked at Captains house inn on the Cape and have made enquiries, this seems to be a central place to stay. I also do like the look of Middlebury being a college town - I work in a University so can relate slightly - cant wait to find time to check out those links...your country seems to be abundant in beautiful accomodation which will be one of my highlights, living it up after bringing up a family for 20 years lol!!

yellowbyrd

If you decide to stay in Eastham on the outer Cape where the National Seashore begins, you can quite easily drive to a variety of beaches and quant towns. (Provincetown is 30 minutes, Wellfleet is 10 minutes, Orleans in 5 minutes and Chatham is 20 minutes). Since Eastham is only 3 miles wide from ocean to bay, you will never be too far from water. If you decide to stay inside the national park area, away from the congestion and traffic on Rt. 6, check out the Fort Hill Area of the Cape Cod National Seashore in Eastham where there are a couple of B+B's...one of them is inside the park. This is a historic and scenic area of farm fields, marsh, Red Maple swamp and forest with panoramic views out to the Atlantic Ocean.

You should note that Chatham is on a peninsula that makes getting to other locations a bit more time consuming.

Dreams64

Thanks yellowbyrd, that information is really helpful as I was contemplating Chatham as a base. I will do some hunting and see what B&B's Eastham provides...I am treating myself to a lovely one as this is a special treat. I have already missed out on Annabelles at Sandwich - they are totally booked already for October, you do need to be quick over your side of the world, luckily there are plenty to choose from