Thank you again Cliff and to all those who have commented on this blog about the speciality of this romantic getaways in New England.

I’m glad you’re appreciating the blog as a resource to plan your trip. It is true – New England has so much to offer that it can be overwhelming. But here are some tips to help.

First – you can’t see it all in 5 days. I’ve been traveling around New England for 27-years and I haven’t seen it all yet, and I’m constantly discover new places. So what chance do you have in your 5 days?

So you’ll need to pick and choose. I’d recommend limiting your itinerary to focus on two of the New England states in the time you have.

As a visitor to the U.S. I’d definitely put Boston, Massachusetts on your map. Boston is a small city that you can walk around and it has tours you can take such as the Duck Tour and Trolley tour. In addition you can walk the Freedom Trail and Beacon Hill and get exposure to the revolutionary history of the city. There’s lots more to see and you could spend all your 5-days here if you wished. But I’d recommend at least a full day and possibly 2. For more suggestions on things to do on a Boston vacation you can go here. And you’ll also find links to resources to help on where to stay.

Other places to visit depend on the things your family enjoys doing.

If visiting the coast is on your agenda then Cape Cod is a beautiful place as well but not somewhere I’d steer you towards to see great fall foliage. Cape Cod is a wonderful place to visit in the fall – not for colors – but it is peaceful and you can walk for miles on the white sand national seashore beaches. It is possible to be based in Boston, and take a day trip to Cape Cod. Given your time, I’d recommend you leave Martha’s Vineyard for a return visit and longer stay – it’s a day trip from Cape Cod on a ferry ride. For more details on Cape Cod and the Islands go here. Again you’ll find links on where to stay.

So there are at least two days out of your allocation that would give you a nice introduction to southern New England.

If you want to sample some fall foliage then either New Hampshire or Vermont should be added to the schedule. I would pick one or the other and not try to cram both.

In New Hampshire the White Mountains has some amazing drives as does the Lakes Region area. There are some nice easy hikes to see the fall foliage as well in the Lakes Region. Vermont also had outstanding drives in the Green Mountains and around the Lake Champlain areas. Here are two more resources that will help determine which to include Vermont or New Hampshire in your fall foliage agenda and where to stay:

Things to do and see in a New England Fall Vacation.
Insider’s Planning Guide to a New England Fall Foliage.

I hope this help you zero in on where to spend your precious 5-days.

Good luck,

Cliff

I was running out of space and wanted to add Newport, RI, and Litchfield, Connecticut, and of course Stowe or Lake Champlain in Vermont. I’m interested – if you had to pick one place in Vermont for a special romantic getaway, where would it be?

Cliff