We are picking up our son's car in Burlington in late October, with a plan to work our way south toward a quick stop in Providence RI. We will stay 2 nights in Burlington and 2 nights in Montpelier to explore those areas. After that we have a 3-4 day open slate. We had thought to drive from Montpelier down Rt. 100 (Waitsville) to around Killington.

What would you suggest as nice stops (2 active 50+ yr olds). Love little towns, like light hiking, OPEN TO MOST SUGGESTIONS both as to what to stop at and good locations to spend an evening.

The goal is to end up about a 2-3 hour drive from Providence.

Thanks in advance!

late October can be pretty dismal. If you do any baking at all, King Arthur Flour in Norwich VT is a wonderful stop. Norwich is a cute little town. A Fodorite said the Appalachian Trail passes thru that area but I don't hike.

If you drive I89 toward Concord NH, you can get off at exit 9 in Warner NH or sooner (coming from VT) in New London NH. There are two drives up Mt Kearsarge. The one closest to New London is in Wilmot. There's a state park near the top with nice views toward Lake Sunapee. The hike to the top is steep. If you drive up from the Warner side, you will go right by the Indian Museum should you want to visit. Warner is a sweet little town with a very nice small independent bookstore. There's a small gallery in back featuring some local artists who are quite good. David Carroll, illustrator and author of Year of the Turtle has a gallery on Maine Street which might be open but sometimes he or members of his family have work on display at the bookstore. Check their schedule to see if something is planned. They have frequent events with visiting authors.

It's a nice drive (most of the way) from Warner to Concord via rt 103. Concord is a small city and state capital. At this point I believe you are about 2 hours from Providence. Gibson's bookstore on South Main Street is also an independent bookstore with author events. If you feel like a movie, Red River Theater is wonderful, and frequently has movies the theater chains don't show. Very comfortable stadium seating and small theaters. Sometimes they have lectures.

Concord itself has many easy hiking trails. A hiking friend recommends the Oak Hill trail. If they haven't closed for the season, you can also rent a kayak. Would suggest doing a half day paddle with drop off/pickup in Boscawen NH which would take you on the Merrimack River. You won't see a single house but might spot a bald eagle. If all the hawks haven't migrated by then, nearby Carter orchard is one of the two hawk watch sites promoted by NH Audubon.
http://www.concordnh.gov/index.aspx?nid=1033

Hippo Press is a free weekly newspaper/website with excellent coverage of activities in Concord, Manchester, Nashua and Portsmouth. Perhaps you might find an event you would like to attend.

You also have the option of driving further south in VT to Brattleboro. Then you can head to Keene NH and drive Rt 101 to Nashua. This takes you thru NH's quiet southwest corner. Peterborough is a delightful, artsy town with a good bookstore. You will also be near the second hawk watch site on Mt Monadnock. Once you get to Nashua, however, you are in congested strip mall big city. Not sure if you can find decent overnight lodging. At least in Concord you could stay at the Centennial Inn on Pleasant Street which is charming or the Marriott at Horseshoe Pond. Although the Marriott is a chain and backs up to I93, it's a great walking area and you might see Canada geese coming in to spend the night on the pond. Concord's downtown area is walkable but might still be under construction with travel on Main st restricted to northbound only.

But, if you drive another hour east, you could spend the night in Portsmouth NH and travel to Providence via I95 thru Boston. IF you choose to do this, take I89 to Concord NH then I93 north, then I393 west to Rt 4. Please ignore gps recommendation to take boring Rt 101 which might be slightly quicker but is a restricted access hwy. Rt 4 takes you thru small towns. After you bypass Durham (college town) you will come to Wagon Hill Farm which is now a conservation area open to the public. Park up by the house and follow the trail to the shore. Very nice walking trail to bay area. Tiny picnic area. You can do a loop along shore and go back to house. Then continue to on Rt 4 to Rt 16 and you will go over some beautiful bridges. I keep saying it is Great Bay but I think I have the name wrong. You will connect to I95 or can go into downtown Portsmouth. Really nice roads to explore including Kittery Maine (not the outlet mall area).

I like the idea of driving south to Brattleboro, then east through Keene and ultimately to Portsmouth as dfrostnh suggests.

I would also have recommended VT100 if you hadn't already known about it.

Brattleboro has a leftover hippie vibe: bring your Birkenstocks and count the number of Subarus! (I'm on my 4th, so this is a friendly dig).

Keene is a great college town, and both Peterborough and Jaffrey are very interesting New England towns. Sometimes you feel like you are in an Orvis catalog. If you like old cars, watch out for Hemmings Motor News. In any town talk to the folks at the visitors center and find out what most people miss. Try to find Harrisville. It is poorly signposted but it is a very beautiful old brick mill town that is now an arts center and most people miss it. If it is a nice day, Monadnock is an easy climb with great views.

Portsmouth, like Burlington, has a great brewpub tradition and both are great places to spend time. Providence will be about 2 1/2 to 3 hours from Portsmouth via I-95. I wouldn't leave Portsmouth before 9 or 9:30 to avoid Boston commuter traffic.

And it is Great Bay that you skirt between Dover and Portsmouth, dfrost!

LOL Ackislander, I just googled a map. It looks like that technically, the bridges are over Little Bay and then the Piscataqua River. Coming from Durham, Little Bay is on your right and the Bellamy River on your left while you are still on Rt 4. When you are on Rt 16, it's the Piscataqua River on your left. Last summer we took a ride on the UNH rsearch vessel starting in New Castle and going up the Piscataqua to the UNH research station on Adam's Point. Actually I wouldn't remember exactly where we were. It looks to me looking at the map that Wagon Hill Farm fronts on Little Bay. Perhaps the whole area is called Great Bay but the map shows Great Bay as a large section further inland. It must have been heaven back in the 1700s (until winter).

Yeah, I was thinking about driving the south side of Great Bay after stopping in Exeter, which I think is Worth It.

But it's all good!