New England 7 Day Trip - Help with Accommodation, Itinerary & Things to Do.

[kiwi_j]

Hi,

We are spending 7 days in New England in early September prior to venturing onto a longer road trip on the West Coast.

At this stage our itinerary is:

Day One: Boston

Day Two: Boston

Day Three: Boston to Portland

Day Three: Portland to White Mountains

Day Four: White Mountains to Vermont (maybe St Johnsbury)

Day Five: Vermont to Deerfield

Day Six: Deerfield to Portsmouth

Day Seven: Portsmouth to Boston (Any suggestions for accommodation at Logan Airport would be appreciated, everything seems quite expensive and we don't really want to pay the highest accommodation cost for an airport hotel).

We are not looking to do huge travelling days as we have a lengthy roadtrip on the West Coast (San Fran -> Yellowstone -> Oregon -> San Fran) following this trip.

The above itinerary is by no means set in stone and we are open to any suggestions the only restriction is that we only have 7 days.
We would love some suggestions of places to go and things to do in the above cities / towns (or other cities/towns not mentioned). We are young outgoing Kiwis and are pretty much up for anything. At this stage all we have planned is to hit a few lobster shacks on the coast and then get out to do some hiking in the wilderness (hopefully see a few Fall leaves further North).

We have accommodation sorted for Boston however haven't booked anywhere for the rest of the trip. Does anyone have any recommendations for places to stay in our other stops. Ideally we would like to stay at B&Bs or Inns that are between USD100 and USD150 a night mixed in with some cheaper motels.

Also I know that Fall is busy season in New England but as we are going at the start do you think we still need to book accommodation in advance or can we simply turn up.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Kiwi_J

[AZBuck]

For some general hints on things to see and do in New England, you should have a read through the discussions linked to here. To answer your specific questions:

Yes, there is a general problem with finding cheep accommodations near Logan Airport. It is in an unusual position relative to its city in that to get to Boston proper requires using relatively expensive toll bridges or tunnels, and then puts you right in the heart of downtown (expensive) Boston. The area to the north and west is also heavily urban/industrial. Your best bet would be to look for something in Orient Heights or Revere near the Blue Line (MBTA).

You should be fine without reservations in early September with one caveat. Labor day (September 5 this year) is the traditional last holiday of the summer and the weekend just ahead of that will be when a lot of families take their final vacation, particularly if the weather is nice (Indian Summer). If that weekend is in your 'early September' plans, make reservations. Unfortunately, that is also a little early to be expecting much fall color.

Many of the hiking trails in the White Mountains are maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club, and I would suggest getting in touch with them to find the ones that would work best for you. I would also suggest that you head a little deeper into Vermont than just the Connecticut River. Stowe and then VT-100 south is really the heart of the state and Montpelier (the capital) actually has more culinary schools (1) than McDonald's (0)!

AZBuck

[kiwi_j]

Thanks for your suggestions.

We are in Boston for the Labour Day weekend and have accommodation booked so we should be OK.

On your suggestion we may look at venturing further north into Vermont.

Thanks again

J

[SusannaP]

Hi,we are from Australia, also intending to have a week in New England before our 10 week "across America" trip. Is 23 Sept too early for fall colours? alos can someone tell me how to post a thread rather than reply? thanks again!

[Lifemagician]

Also can someone tell me how to post a thread rather than reply? thanks again!

If you click on the topic title, Fall & Winter RoadTrips, you will see up to top, a green button "Post New Thread'. Try that and you will be able to start your own thread.

Lifey

[AZBuck]

Early September, around the second week, is a bit early for the best fall foliage, but if you travel in the Green and White Mountains of northern Vermont and New Hampshire, you will certainly see at least some and get a feel for why Fall in New England is such a wonderful combination of time and place.

AZBuck