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New England suggestions

It's a bit early, but we are thinking of doing a honeymoon in New England and since neither of us has spent much time in that part of the country, we are clueless where to start! We are getting married in mid-September, so people have suggested that we visit a more northern state if we hope to get a look at any early fall foliage (like Maine, Vermont, or New Hampshire). My FH seems to be particularly interested in Maine, but any suggestions about where to go/what to do/where to stay would be much appreciated!

A little about us/what we like: we'd like to limit the trip to 2-3 different places so that we aren't staying at a new place every night. We'd ideally like to spend a couple of the days in a sort of cliche New England town...something small where we're able to walk around more than drive everywhere. We aren't super active (not into skiing or anything), and would also prefer to have a cabin/small secluded place for a couple nights just to relax, play board games, drink coffee in the morning with a good view, etc.

Thanks for your help!

Re: New England suggestions

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    Personally I'd suggest you go to Burlington VT.  It's a really cute new england college town.  There's a downtown area with lots of shopping, breweries, live music and art.  It's also right on Lake Champlain so you can take a tour on the lake which is beautiful.  The Ben and Jerry's factory is close by where you can go on a tour and get a free sample.  

    I'm not sure where you'd fly into, but if you're interested in seeing Boston at all on your trip, I'd suggest you fly into Logan airport.  Then stay in Boston a couple days.  There's a ton of history to see and other things to do as well.  Then you could rent a car and drive to Burlington (5 hours).  Just a thought.  
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    i dont believe any leaves will be changing in mid-september. they start early/mid october from what I recall.

    you could do a boston/cape cod/providence thing-they're not far apart and each have a lot to see/do. as for the cabin-i'm not sure about that. you might want to check tripadvisor.com for recommendations.

    how long do you have for this trip?

     

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    As pp's mentioned, the foliage won't really peak until mid-late October. We're originally from Connecticut, but moved to Florida a few years ago and I remember the foliage not really peaking until near the end of October. We flew up for SIL's wedding this past October and the foliage was just starting.

    Mystic, CT or Newport, RI fit your description. Plus, Mystic is super close to Mohegan Sun and MGM Grand/Foxwoods where you could get amazing spa treatments and dine at nice restaurants.

    http://mohegansun.com/gateway/index.html

    http://www.foxwoods.com/mgmgrandatfoxwoods.aspx

    The Connecticut Wine Trail is great in the fall, you could stay at a bed and breakfast and hit up several wineries.

    http://ctwine.com/

    Take the ferry to Block Island for the day or stay out there for a few days.

    http://www.blockisland.com/

    Cape Cod is also an excellent suggestion, love it there! The fall is their off season and their prices drop significantly.
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    http://www.maine.gov/doc/foliage/  Maine's foliage website
    http://www.yankeefoliage.com/  Yankee Magazine (check out their links to expos and fairs)
    http://www.boston.com/2012/10/03/new-england-best-fall-foliage-activities/MMDdFffUnSB5VtxzyvkqTP/pictures.html   Boston Globes best foliage tours

    South Portland ME, Conway NH, Mount Desert Island ME, Cape Cod MA, Newport, RI,  Mystic CT, Sturbridge MA all have beautiful scenery and fun activities.  Each has its own local tourist website to help you plan. 

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    I was up in Killington Vermont this September, the 2nd to last weekend. There was definitely some pretty foliage, but it was nowhere near peak. I agree with PP's if you want the full experience of that you should go in October. As we drove back down to our own state the foliage diminished to nothing. There's a large difference in what you will see the further up north you go at different times of the fall season. 

    Another pretty New England town not mentioned yet is in upstate New York, Lake Placid. The winter Olympics have been held there twice. When there is no snow on the ground, you can take a gondola ride up to the top of White Face Mountain. It's an amazing view of the surrounding mountains and fun ride up. If you're interested you can also go see many of the Olympic training facilities as well that are still in use, like the ski jump and the ice rinks. The town of Lake Placid is also very cute with lots of small shops and restaurants. The best hotel in the area is The Mirror Lake Inn. It does not have any cabins, but it offers many different styles of rooms. The food, service, and spa are also amazing. 
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    Boston
    The Cape/Islands
    Portland, ME
    Portsmouth NH
    Newport, RI
    The CT places a PP mentioned
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    If your hubby is stuck on Maine, it's a beautiful state, but I agree, foliage may not be in full bloom. But, a lot depends on the weather beforehand, foliage peak times can vary 2-3 weeks in either direction depending on the spring, summer and fall beforehand.

    Look into York Beach Maine, in mid-September they may still have a lot of things open. Not a very large downtown, but on the beach and lots of cute stores. It's just over the border from NH, and maybe only 2 hrs or less from Boston

    I'd recommend flying into Boston, staying there a couple of days at the beginning of your trip, or at the end. Most of the historical sites are within walking distance, the Old North Church, the Granary (cemetary right downtown), Faneiul Hall, see the JFK LIbrary, it's amazing.

    You could also go south to Newport Rhode Island, that's a fabulous thing to see.

    In "New England", if you have a week, you can see something in every state, from CT north to Maine is 5-7 hrs driving, tops. Also, consider a 3 city flight instead of round trip. For example, fly into Portland ME, rent a car, drive south to cities you want to see, then fly home out of say Hartford CT..........the difference in prices can often be only $20-$30 from a RT airfare, and you can return a rental car to any airport, not just the one you rented from.

    Sign up for emails from www.travelzoo.com. They send weekly emails of their "Top 20", which are deals in various parts of the US and world. I've often seen deals for restaurants and hotels in various areas.

    I'd also recommend signing up for www.budgettravel.com. It's free and you can access their website for various road trips that people have taken and written about, plus hotels.

    www.tripadvisor.com is a website with real customer ratings for restaurants, hotels and things to do in various areas. They have a lot of B&B recommendations as well. I used this website extensively for reviews before our honeymoon to CA last year.

    Good luck. I LOVE New England, lived there for 7 years and have been back several times, with my kids and took my hubby to Maine & Boston this summer.
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    I second Burlington, VT. You could stay a couple of nights in the Hilton on Lake Champlain, from which you can walk pretty much everywhere. Then you could go to a cabin or B and B for a couple of nights. You would miss the foliage, but the weather would be otherwise beautiful and foliage season brings big crowds and higher prices. If you'd prefer beachy I'd go with Newport, though it can be quite expensive, or Provincetown on Cape Cod. You'd get a great deal on a Cape rental in early fall.
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    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_new-england-suggestions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:eb41749b-2022-410b-8cff-6e1a0bbdd0b4Post:e700ac2b-ca2d-47af-a913-4728b34fdc65">Re: New England suggestions</a>:
    [QUOTE]I was up in Killington Vermont this September, the 2nd to last weekend. There was definitely some pretty foliage, but it was nowhere near peak. I agree with PP's if you want the full experience of that you should go in October. As we drove back down to our own state the foliage diminished to nothing. There's a large difference in what you will see the further up north you go at different times of the fall season.  Another pretty New England town not mentioned yet is in upstate New York, Lake Placid. The winter Olympics have been held there twice. When there is no snow on the ground, you can take a gondola ride up to the top of White Face Mountain. It's an amazing view of the surrounding mountains and fun ride up. If you're interested you can also go see many of the Olympic training facilities as well that are still in use, like the ski jump and the ice rinks. The town of Lake Placid is also very cute with lots of small shops and restaurants. The best hotel in the area is The Mirror Lake Inn. It does not have any cabins, but it offers many different styles of rooms. The food, service, and spa are also amazing.  <a href="http://www.mirrorlakeinn.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.mirrorlakeinn.com/</a>
    Posted by B2Z728[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>NY isn't part of new england.

    </div>
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    If you are at all interested in cruising, there's a cruise that leaves Boston and stops in places like Bar Harbor, ME; Halifax, NS; Prince Edward Island and Montreal. There are a few cruise lines that do that particular trip.
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    I've lived in Vermont, and it i BEAUTIFUL.  The leaves won't be at peak until October, but there are still breath-taking sights.  Burlington is great.  There's a lot to do.  Vermont hosts many B &B's, so I'd suggest looking into some of them.  Maine and New Hampshire are fantastic places as well.  I tend to favor Northern New England because, depending on where you go, you can feel very secluded and it's very peaceful.  If you want a more busy atmosphere but still have the NE charm, southern New England (Mass, CT, RI) will have that. 

    Montreal isn't too far over the border (about an hour), so if you're looking for another place with tons to do, I highly recommend it!  New York is NOT in New England, but Lake Placid is definitely worth the trip if you haven't been before.
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    there is no foliage anywhere in New England in mid_- September. the weather here in Rhode island at that time is usually pleasant. we are very close to Boston and CT. the beach towns aren't busy anymore and that can make for a nicer more private experience. Newport has a lot to do and see and providence has some charming spots as well. I also love Portland, me. depending on your stay you can . see Rhode island', Boston and portland. Rhode island only takes an hour to drive through and Boston is less than an hour from providence, Portland about 3 hours from providence. happy planning!
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