New England, need trip ideas please
 

We are planning our first trip to New England - Oct. 5-13 this year. We are in our early 50's, no kids and love beatiful drives. We're flying into Manchester, NH and will arrive ~6:00 pm. We were thinking about driving straight to Gloucester MA to spend the first night because we wanted to take a whale-watch tour, however, we're wondering if it's too late in the year for that, and don't want to waste 1/2 day if it's not likely to see the whales...

I have read that Columbus Day week-end is very crowed as far as foliage drives go, so we were considering driving up the coast of Maine for the first couple of days, maybe going up as far as Acadia Nat'l Park. Then we would head over through New Hampshire and Vermont. We would love ideas of routes to take to take advantage of the foliage... Also, would it be out of the question to drive over to the Adirondacks & Saranac Lake?

I'm just now starting to research this trip and the only definite things are the dates and flying into Manchester, so I'm open for ideas of where to go, where to stay, must-see scenery, etc. Thanks in advance for any ideas you may have!

If you're considering going to Acadia National Park you could do a whale watching tour there rather than driving to Gloucester which would be a little out of the way if you're driving to Maine from Manchester. The whale watching tours usually run until late October.

cac-- Fall in New England is one of those sights that you never forget. Good choice (what took you so long? :-D)

Manchester, NH is not a bad choice for airport. Route 1 in Maine on to the Acadia National Park is very pretty; coastal, pretty villages, and wonderful antique shops. Route 93 in NH is also breathtaking, with many historic towns and gorgeous scenery.

I don't think a trip into the ADK Mts is a bad idea; Lake George and Lake Champlain are nowhere near as bustling as in the summer, but there are great restaurants and lodging choices nonetheless. By the way, I think the Adirondacks are one of the most beautiful places in this planet. Try to get to Fort Ticonderoga, then loop back on to Manchester; you will love it!

You'll be glad you chose this trip! Especially fall in Maine. Although all of New England is beautiful, the blue ocean with the oranges and reds and yellows of the trees as a backdrop is spectacular.

Definitely you will need to book now for the week you have chosen. Coastal Maine will just be hitting peak, the mountains in NH, VT & NY will be at peak or just beyond peak. You may see snow in the higher elevations!

Take a look at a map and see how this route sounds to you...

Manchester to Burlington, VT (about 3 hours). There are great restaurants along the way (Sarduccis in Montpelier being my favorite) and the mountains will be at peak. Try the Inn at Essex (large Inn, run by the students at the New England Culinary Institute).

From Burlington you can hop the ferry across to NY (you can see the Adirondacks from Burlington). You might want to make this an overnight and stay at the Hotel Saranac, run by the students at Paul Smiths College.

Return via ferry (there are 3, the one in Burlington is 1 hour, the others are 20 minutes) and head across Rte 302 to NH. Check out the Mt Washington Inn (kind of pricey, but interesting) on your way to North Conway, NH.

Continue on Rt 302 to Portland, ME. From Portland, head up to Freeport or Camden on your way to Acadia.

For B&B's in the Freeport area, check HistoricFreeportBedandBreakfasts.com (My place is in that list but I don't want to sway you!)

Also great B&B's in Camden.

Whale watching will be finishing up in Maine the week you are here so it's best to call ahead and find out exactly when the last trips are.

Enjoy your stay, eat lots of 'lobstah'!

Use this website to plan your scenic drives in Maine:
http://travel.mainetoday.com/todo/ex...eniclist.shtml

All I can offer is an agreement that Sarducci's is delicious. If you stop in Stowe, I always like the Whip Bar and Grill as well.

The foliage will likely be gone in the Adirondacks/Saranac Lake, as it usually peaks there in late September.

See http://www.7seas-whalewatch.com/ for information. Give them a call re: propects of seeing whales in October - they're experts and have years of experience.

There will be much more foliage in the White Mountains of NH and Green Mountains of VT. Your timing is excellent. You can't go wrong with any route. Foliage is splendid even along the interstates. There just aren't as many trees along the coast and leaves change late near the ocean (and without the brilliant colors).

Agree that reservations for accomodations are essential and should be secured forthwith. Some, but not all, will require minimum night stays.

For best color, advise following the leaves - from Manchester, head as far north as you plan to go, then travel south and west.

If you're heading to the coast of Maine, that would definitely be best done over Columbus Day weekend, as you'll get shoulder season rates and it won't be crowded. Rates will be high in the mountains (again, with minimum stay requirements).

Terrific resource is "Best Loved Driving Tours - New England".

PS - At the end of your trip, highly recommend an afternoon cruise on the Mount Washington around Lake Winnepesaukee! Not far from the Manchester Airport.

Bar Harbor and Acadia then Rangeley lakes-on to Kackson N.Hampshire in the centre of the White mountains-go up MT Washington-take the Kancamagus highway-visit the lakes....Paul

Thanks to all of the suggestions and suggested web sites so far...this is exactly what I need! Great ideas! Any other info is welcome and will be much appreciated!

You may want to consider calling ahead for a room reservation depending on where you are at the time you need lodging during your tour.

Depending on your whereabouts, and if you have a guide book or tour books with lodging ideas and phone numbers, this might save you driving around looking. This time of year can be very busy.

Personally, the night you arrive in Manchester, I would choose a spot and call for a room. You'll be tired! Enjoy New England!

Cissy

Just an FYI that Acadia is about a 6 hour drive from Manchester. It is a beautiful place but you definately don't want to do it all in one day after you just got off the plane.

Our favorite place to stay is:

Hotels

Balance Rock Inn


This grand summer cottage built in 1903 commands a prime waterfront location. An expansive lawn and gardens full of annuals lead down to the ocean. Even if your room doesn't have an ocean view, you can enjoy it from a wicker chair on the porch. Rooms are spacious and meticulously furnished with reproduction pieces -- four-poster and canopy beds in guest rooms, crystal chandeliers and a grand piano in common rooms. All rooms have whirlpool tubs, and some have fireplaces. A buffet-style breakfast is served each morning. www.barharborvacations.com. 6 rooms, 3 suites. In-room: DVD, dial-up. In-hotel: bar, pool, gym, concierge. AE, D, MC, V. Closed late Oct.-early May. Full breakfast.

Address: 21 Albert Meadow, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Phone: 207/288-2610 or 800/753-0494

I would agree that going to NY is a bit out of the way. Also, the area is "more of the same" that you'll be seeing in ME, NH, and VT. Suggestioins:
-on your way up the ME coast stop in Camden and drive to the top of Mt Battie in Camden Hills State Park (or better yet, hike up, its not too far). Beautiful foliage and coastal views.
-if the weather is good, spend a full day, at least, in Acadia. There is a lot to do and see and you could look into the whale watches there. We camp there for a week every summer and haven't run out of things to do and haven't even done the whale watch!
-if you're up for it, rent bikes in Bar Harbor and ride the famous carriage trails. Again, not hard and beautiful. Stop at the Jordan Pond House for popovers.
-Portland is also a great little city with wonderful food choices
-If you're into coastal towns, try Ogunquit, south of Portland. Beautiful huge sand beach and walk the Marginal Way
-Inland you can't beat the Conway, NH and Mt. Washington area of NH.
-the drive on 302 from Conway to Burlington is beautiful. Before Burlington get off the highway and see Stowe, VT
Post another message if you narrow down what you want to see and what towns you're staying in, then folks will be able to make more specific suggestions.

I was away when the OP was made. Nice suggestions have been made. Oct 5-13 is usually peak foliage in the Concord NH area. You will definitely need to make room reservations. It is unfortunate that some of the nicest areas have heavy traffic (I would avoid the Conway NH area unless it's mid-week) but there are many secondary roads where there is hardly any more than the usual daily traffic. Expect southbound routes like Rt 93, Rt 89 and Rt 95 to be at a crawl on Sunday afternoons. Northbound will be at a crawl on Fridays starting around 3pm. But, as another poster said, Rt 93 is breathtaking since it goes right up thru the White Mountains. I think it's esp nice to head north on this road from Concord north although it starts to get really nice around Plymouth. I always recommend the drive around Center Sandwich NH in any season. Some beautiful homes and beautiful mountains. It's just north of Lake Winnipesaukee which is a beautiful lake with mountains in the background. In VT there is more open farmland so the look is different, more rolling vistas. Even though I'm local, there's always a particular tree that seems more brilliant than the rest but never the same tree every year and sometimes a certain time of day seems prettiest. As long as you avoid heavy traffic, you'll do fine.
Coming from Maine you might aim for North Conway (if you get that far, you have to see the beautiful main street and mountain) but drop down to Lake W plotting a route that will take you thru Center Sandwich than over to Rt 93 to head north. You will miss the Kancamagus Hwy this way so maybe others will disagree since the Hwy is beautiful. In Littleton, cross over to VT, head to Burlington (nice city with a lot of good restaurants on the shores of Lake Champlain) and drive down the Champlain Valley. You can cut back across the state. Even Burlington in the north is only about 3 1/2 hours from MHT. If you head down to Brattleboro and take Rt 101 back to Manchester you'll drive thru some pretty territory.