happytrailstoyou

We will be in NYC May 10-16, and I'm thinking on tagging on an additional week to drive to Newport, Boston, and the backboards of Vermont and Connecticut. Is the weather o.k. for these activities in May? Weather doesn't need to be great--just good enough to enjoy the area.

HTtY

lindsyb

The weather for New England is usually pretty nice in May for sightseeing. However it may be tough to find lodging/dining as I believe that is a peak week for Graduation for many of the colleges in Boston but probably less of an impact on the other places. Just something to keep in mind.

Hopefully all of our snow will melt by then.

Ackislander

Are you going to leave the car and fly back from Boston?

The later in the month you come to Boston, the better off you are likely to be. Vermont or Newport is the outlier here, but,

1 NYC toGreat Barrington, MA;
2. Great Barrington to Burlington, Vt
3. Burlington to Woodstock, VT
4. Woodstock to Boston
5. Boston
6. Boston-Newport day trip
7. Boston

I might try to book a bus tour to Newport, allowing me to drop off the car on arrival in Boston. Or you could do a one day rental for the Newport excursion.

You can google Boston graduations 205 to see what the busiest days will be.

dfrostnh

Mid-May is about the time apple orchards are blooming. We can have a rainy spell but it can also be wonderful with gardening season ramping up. You might have Vermont college graduations to contend with. Woodstock might be affected by Darthmouth and Norwich but you could find someplace else. I think spring foliage is prettier than fall foliage.

GBelle

I haven't been in New England for awhile, but I recall April & May being no see-um season. If you go hiking or out at night, bring bug spray.

Vttraveler

There are also colleges in the Burlington area--university of VT is the biggest so I would check for the graduation date there if you plan to visit that area.

People are discouraged from hiking until Memorial Day because the trails need to dry out.

happytrailstoyou

Thanks. You've given me a lot to think about. I was planning to fly in and out of NYC (doing a couterclockwise loop) but now I'm going to investigate flying into NYC and out of Boston.

HTTY

khor

HTTY-

You just helped me with my Cali itinerary, so please allow me to help you here! You could do the drive that Ackislander recommended, or, you could drive up I 95 from NYC through Connecticut, stopping in some of the quaint coastal towns. You could then head into Rhode Island on I 95 and onto Newport via Route 1. Then, onto Boston from Newport. I'm from CT and know the NYC-Boston area well, but not sure what the weather will be like in Vermont at that time. You could easily drive to Vermont from Boston for a couple of days if you decided to do that. Hope you have fun, and thanks again for the Central Coast advice!

Ackislander

Excellent suggestions from Khor.

Connecticut
New Haven -- Yale Museum of Art, Center for British Art
Old Lyme -- Florence Griswold Museum (American Impressionists) right off I-95
Essex -- Steam train, Essex Inn
New London -- US Coast Guard Academy, Eugene O'Neill house
Mystic -- Mystic Seaport Museum
Stonington -- seaside village/small town
Rhode Island
Westerly -- quaint resort with tearoom and carousel in season
Newport -- the Cliff Walk, the Houses, the oldest Synagogue in the US
Little Compton -- across the river from Newport and the best place you never heard of
Providence -- RISD Museum, Brown University, historic houses

Vttraveler

>
It will probably be nice spring weather --but every so often we do get snow that late.

zootsi

Mid May is typically pleasant, but black fly season starts about that time in northern New England. This can make for lots of pesky critters buzzing around your face if you are in the woods.