Fall trip to New England - Need Ideas

We have two family events in late Fall which will take us to New England. The first event is in Maine, a wedding in the Portland area. The second is a birthday, 10 days later, about 30 minutes W of Boston.

Since we live in PA, and have the time, we would like to do something between the two events instead of driving home after the wedding then back north for the birthday. So we are looking for ideas for one or more places to go. Just two seniors who have never spent much time in NE. We aren't into cultural activities or fine food, but do like sightseeing, walking and other outdoors activities, and just relaxing and taking in the scenery. We have a unit we could trade (in II or RCI), or we could try for a getaway, or we would be willing to stay in nice-ish hotels. The timing would be late Oct/early Nov.

So, anyone have suggestions for areas to visit, places to stay, or things to do? All input will be appreciated!

I may have a ton of suggestions for you...but first, what do you consider late fall? I'm thinking November - but it could be October.

there was a sighting posted today for Marriott Custom House. just about all November. If you can grab it RUN and do it!

Late Oct, early Nov in Maine, especially the more north you go, can be very cold and raw. Some restaurants will be closed in tourist areas such as Boothbay Harbor and Bar Harbor. This is my favorite time of year to get out of town!

Hopefully others will chime in to say if the foliage might still be nice on Cape Cod or around Newport.

Peak foliage season ranges from around Oct 1 to Oct 14,.depending on your location in New England.

If you are looking at staying in a timeshare, Newport would be one good place to look. There is a lot to do in the area.

Tell us more about what you are looking for (mountains, culture, history, etc etc).

A few thoughts...

tiel said:

The timing would be late Oct/early Nov.

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This time period is too late for fall foliage anywhere in Maine (or anywhere else in northern New England, for that matter).

After your Portland obligation, you might want to consider a trip "downeast" to Acadia National Park if you have never been there. The crowds and tourists and traffic will (...mercifully) be long gone by then. If you go, don't neglect to also visit the smaller, separate Schoodic Peninsula part of the Park, located miles away from the much larger Mount Desert Island section. The Schoodic peninsula portion is accessed via U.S. 1 around Gouldsboro. A very nice scenic drive regardless of the season or weather (...the unpredictable arrival or presence of thick fog can be a show stopper, completely obliterating coastal visibility, but that can actually happen at any time of year).

For this low demand time period, you might very well be able to trade into (dual affiliated) Samoset Resort in Rockport (situated between Rockland and Camden and about 1.5 hours away from Acadia), for the week after your Portland commitment. Depending on the building (there are three separate buildings), Samoset weeks are either Friday to Friday (Buildings I and II) or Saturday to Saturday (Building III). Very nice place, oceanfront, with a fitness center and indoor pool on site. At that time of year, you can walk the paved oceanfront golf cart paths in evening or at night, when the golfers are all off the course (a number of the course's holes are situated directly between the three timeshare buildings and the ocean). Too late by several weeks for sailing charters out of Camden; those vessels have either already been hauled out, or have moved south or are being winterized and "wrapped" by then.

You can drive right to the top of Mount Battie via the auto road ($8.00 per vehicle IIRC to enter the Mt. Battie State Park) in nearby Camden for an impressive overview of nearby islands and of Camden Harbor below. There are lots of hiking trails within (and outside of) the state park, many of them very easy, but please bear in mind that in November you may overlap with a portion of some species' hunting season (deer, for example), so don't just casually saunter off into any unfamiliar woodlands!

There are also two other coastal timeshares further "downeast". Acadia Village Resort is directly off U.S. 1 in Ellsworth. You could likely "exchange" into this place with relative ease at that time of year, but I believe it may be affiliated only with II. In my personal opinion however, that facility lacks any charm, but is still quite suitable as "full condo, lodging and a base of operations for local travel and activities". There is also Harbor Ridge in Southwest Harbor, closer still to Acadia N.P. Harbor Ridge is affiliated with II and may now also be affiliated with RCI too; I'm not certain. I don't really know anything more about Harbor Ridge beyond its' physical location.

If you visit coastal ME at that time of year and plan to spend time outdoors, bring some warm clothing, cap and gloves and expect to see some "frost on the pumpkin".

In southern Connecticut there should still be some foliage at the end of Oct.

The Fall is my favorite season in Old Saybrook. The heat and humidity is gone as well as the summer residents. It's still comfortable because of the warm Long Island Sound water and the gulf stream.

There is a nice timeshare in the next town, Water's Edge, in Westbrook that might be available. Restaurants are open all year because there is a sizable year round population and folks up north come south for a get away.

Two large casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegian Sun, are about 30 miles away as well as Mystic Seaport.

Two inland areas of NE that we enjoy are Stockbridge MA and Ludlow, VT.
Both have hiking and scenic drives to small nearby towns. Both areas are easy trades with RCI.

Sightseeing in and around Boston is amazing.......it doesn't get much better than that.....after all, Boston is the most historic city in America. Too many things to name. Lots of great restaurants, as casual as you desire. The "North End" (Little Italy) is loaded with great Italian restaurants, surrounding the historic Freedom Trail walk which includes the Old North Church, Paul Revere's House, etc. .

A short drive away are Lexington and Concord, also very historic and just plain beautiful towns, especially in the Fall.....there will still be some color for you. Driving through the countryside to get there is wonderful, and you can stop along the way for apple cider and fresh bakery items. Those are only 3/4-day excursions.

Concord:
http://www.google.com/search?q=imag...eLYGtyATqsYLYDw&ved=0CBwQsAQ&biw=1019&bih=526

Lexington:
http://www.google.com/search?q=imag...oLMuzyAT14oGgAw&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1019&bih=526

Another great drive is up the coast to Ogunquit, Maine, a touristy but beautiful and fun little village. The scenery around Ogunquit, especially the walk from Perkins Cove along the cliffs of Marginal Way, will make your mouth drop open----it's not only beautiful, it's spectacular.....some of the most scenic views ever.

http://www.google.com/search?q=imag...uDoqKyAS2-YHwBg&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1019&bih=526

A trip to Newport, RI to see the "Mansions" is a fantastic day. It's a great town to begin with, but the mansions are fun tours. What a beautiful neighborhood to walk! And plenty of good seafood restaurants in town on every street corner, and lots of shops to browse.

http://www.google.com/search?q=imag...7iAGoizyATh6IBA&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1019&bih=526

jme said:

Sightseeing in and around Boston is amazing.......it doesn't get much better than that.....after all, Boston is the most historic city in America. Too many things to name. Lots of great restaurants, as casual as you desire. The "North End" (Little Italy) is loaded with great Italian restaurants, surrounding the historic Freedom Trail walk which includes the Old North Church, Paul Revere's House, etc. .

A short drive away are Lexington and Concord, also very historic and just plain beautiful towns, especially in the Fall.....there will still be some color for you. Driving through the countryside to get there is wonderful, and you can stop along the way for apple cider and fresh bakery items. Those are only 3/4-day excursions.

Concord:
http://www.google.com/search?q=imag...eLYGtyATqsYLYDw&ved=0CBwQsAQ&biw=1019&bih=526

Lexington:
http://www.google.com/search?q=imag...oLMuzyAT14oGgAw&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1019&bih=526

Another great drive is up the coast to Ogunquit, Maine, a touristy but beautiful and fun little village. The scenery around Ogunquit, especially the walk from Perkins Cove along the cliffs of Marginal Way, will make your mouth drop open----it's not only beautiful, it's spectacular.....some of the most scenic views ever.

http://www.google.com/search?q=imag...uDoqKyAS2-YHwBg&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1019&bih=526

A trip to Newport, RI to see the "Mansions" is a fantastic day. It's a great town to begin with, but the mansions are fun tours. What a beautiful neighborhood to walk! And plenty of good seafood restaurants in town on every street corner, and lots of shops to browse.

http://www.google.com/search?q=imag...7iAGoizyATh6IBA&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1019&bih=526

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Couldn't agree more. These are fantastic suggestions.

Wow! So many ideas! We will have to sit down and check all of them out. Since we have a little over a week to do whatever we want, we should be able to incorporate a few of them to make a fantastic vacation.

Many thanks to everyone for taking the time to share!

I would suggest taking a sightseeing boat ride on Lake George in NY in the fall.