I know we're late trying to put this together, but were considering a trip flying in to Providence, then the Berkshires, western Conn. & up the coast to Newport, possibly a side trip to Cape Cod. Now I'm wondering if upstate NY & VT would be a better choice, hoping to avoid crowds as much as possible and possibly see a bit of color? We did NH & Maine last year so hoped to see a little different area.

It may be too late for reservatons in VT for second weekend of October when the lef peepers arrive. Give it a try for an incredible experience.

The Cape, although not a leaf-peeper destination at all, will be glorious the end of September to October.

The color peek won't hit CT until the second to third week of October, depending upon the weather, i.e. temperatures, wind, rain, etc.

If you find a hotel room in VT for their leaf peeping season please let me know. Most hotels were booked last season for this season!

You might be interested in my trip reports, one of a drive up the Hudson Valley and another one of a week in Vermont; click on my name to find them.

I would head straight to VT and leave Berkshires and Newport for the end of your trip. Waterfire is usually held in Providence during Columbus Day weekend so I would avoid Providence that night due to crowds. If you do VT mid-week, there should be a lot of crowds. Get a good road map and avoid the very popular areas like Woodstock. I live in NH. There are plenty of beautiful places around that aren't crowded because tourists always go to a few, popular spots. Be ready to take a secondary, numbered state hwy rather than an interstate on weekends.