I have never been to any of the New England states and was planning a trip to just one next spring/summer. Does anyone have any suggestions for this ignorant gal? We would like to stay along the ocean if possible. Thanks.

The precise timing will make a difference, and also what you want to do. Scenery, hiking, beach going, swimming, visiting cute towns, shopping, antiquing, eating lobster, visiting historic areas, taking photos, fine dining, visiting urban areas, cultural sites, visiting old colleges, mountain biking, kayaking...these are all available in New England. So can you prioritize a little bit? A little more information will really help to make a recommendation thats meaningful

I would have to say the historic areas, visiting cute towns, beach going, taking photos would be at the top of our list. We are older and not the adventure types so a more leisurely vacation is what would be nice. Thanks.

Here's a thought. Not sure how many nights you are planning, but -

Fly into Boston and spend a couple of nights on either end

Then choose between visiting the lower cape and an island - Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. Given enough time you could also include a day in Newport RI to explore the mansions, harbor and cliff walk.
or
Explore the southern coast of Maine including York, Ogunquit, Kennebunkport and beyond if you have time to see Acadia, Boothbay, Camden, Rockport. And speaking of Rockport, Rockport MA is a nice place to spend a few hours or a day.

So it will depend on how much time you have, but Portsmouth NH and the southern coast of Maine would be nice. Portsmouth is scenic, with some nice historic sites, and also some maritime history. You can then easily go to Kennebunkport or Ogunquit for a little bit of beach walking. If you go as far north as Camden, you start to get the rockier coast, and mountains great for walking and photography. Camden is a very charming town. So is Boothbay.

If you are planning to come in the summer time, and actually want a beach where you can swim (the water in Maine is really, really cold even in August), then you might want to head to Cape Cod, or the islands, or maybe somewhere around Newport. Actually there are some great beaches in Rhode Island, so you could definitely do Newport and the beach, or Block Island or something like that. It would have a very different flavor from Maine and New Hampshire coast.

Given the choice between spring or summer to visit New England, I'd definitely opt for summer unless you're sticking to large cities. Several attractions are seasonal in this region (often open between Memorial Day and Columbus Day). And chilly weather can happen as late as June in this part of the country, especially in northern New England, where higher elevations can still sometimes see snow and spring usually equals "mud season."

Wow. Thank you all so much for all of your suggestions. I will definitely review them all and go to my tour books as well. It's always nice to hear from the people who have experienced certain places. We will be spending 1 week so I will have to choose my places wisely. HR_Puffin, your suggestions sounded the most appealing but all of the information will definitely come in handy especially the weather and water temperatures during certain times of the year when we make our final decision. Thanks again-you guys are the best.

If visiting Boston is on your must-do list, here are some dates to think about/avoid:

1) Anytime before mid-April is unpleasant in New England. It's still cold, damp, and trees are still bare.

2) April 16 2012 (Mon) is Patriots Day, which is also the running of Boston Marathon. Avoid that weekend as you'll be competing for hotel rooms with tens of thousands of runners/spectators

3) Between the first and 3rd weekends of May, is one of the busiest times in Boston. DOZENS of area colleges hold their commencements during those 3 weeks. The city will be packed with parents, relatives, friends for graduation ceremonies. Again, you'll be fighting for a hotel room during those weekends.

So, if you want to stick to "Spring" to visit Boston, either try the last week of April (beautiful blooming trees all over town), or June.

If you decide to come during summer (ie, after July 4th), try to time your visit so that you'll be out of town during the week, and spend your weekends IN Boston. Traffic heading into & out of town on Fri/Sat/Sun is total nightmare in the summer, esp if you go to Cape Cod.

Hi KonaKini,

You can easily drive along the coast from Boston to Glouster and Rockport, continuing the coastal loop along 127. Then you could make your way to Portsmouth NH via 133 and Route 1/1A. Newburyport MA is historical and you may enjoy spending time walking around and seeing sites. After Newburyport, drive 1A all the way into Portsmouth to take in the beach towns of Hampton and Rye NH.

If you stay in Boston, you might like to drive over to see Marblehead's historical area for the afternoon. Marblehead is near Salem. Personally, I found Salem less quaint and less interesting than the other places suggested to you. Rockport and Marblehead are my favorite MA coastal towns north of Boston.

In addition to historic sites and a nice downtown, Portsmouth offers some nice music and arts events. For instance, Prescott Park (near Strawberry Banks and downtown Portsmouth) has summer music and theater events. http://www.prescottpark.org/summer.cfm

When driving along coastal 1A in Maine, parking can be scarce. I adore Ogunquit. The town is lovely and the beach is gorgeous. I particularly enjoyed the coastal walking path, Marginal Way and Perkins Cove. If you go deeper into activities in Ogunquit, we discovered a couple of nature preserves with nice paths leading out to the ocean. Parking is difficult on a warm summer day in Ogunquit.

We also loved Portland ME. All the towns along the ME coast are quaint and beautiful.

Newport RI accommodations are very expensive, but the city is worth a visit. Cape Cod is also fabulous.

Hi KonaKini:

Hi KonaKini:
Sorry about the hiccup. I'm surprised no one has mentioned a RI based vacation. I know you'd like to be "by the sea" but there are plenty of places near the water in "lil Rhody". The cost of "on the water" accommodations is prohibitive. Very little of the coast has been developed so there are but a few hotels on the beach. You pay dearly for those that are. Any place in Rhode Island is 45 Min from any where else in Rhode Island. To para phrase an old saying you can get anywhere from here. Beaches "not just in Newport", History, Water Fire, Casinos, great restaurants, museums, Mystic Seaport, Mystic Aquarium are all 45 minutes from Providence. Seafood, talk about fresh try a clam shack or a restaurant in Point Judith. Italian food try Atwells Ave in Providence. Rocky coast , drive ocean drive in Newport amazing, great rocky vistas overlooked by huge Mansions. History, Mystic Seaport, A "Living history museum consisting of a village, ships and 17 acres of exhibits depicting coastal life in New England in the 19th century". Nightlife Two casino complexes with shops, restaurants, and theaters. Guess what Boston is only...wait for it...45 min from Providence. We had house guests from Pennsylvania and they were amazed at the things to do. RI s coastline is half it's border. There is no place better than RI. No one leaves here. Rhode Island born and Rhode Island bred and when I die I'll be Rhode Island dead.

I like mid-June or September, July and August are bonkers along te coast and we avoid. The nice thing about mid-June is that you can wing-it with last minute accomodations generally easy to find. SO, if you fly into say Boston and keep an eye on the weather forecasts...you can drive up to the Maine Coast as planned or head down to Cape Cod or Newport if it's chilly further north.