NWR: day trips

chelley599

I am posting this on a few boards.  but here goes:
My FI and I have decided to make Saturdays our exploration days to unwind.  This weekend we went to Portsmouth, NH...had breakfast at a little bakery and walked around the shops.  Next weekend, we were thinking of heading either to the cape, somewhere in NH or even Maine.  I love the small town feel like the little restaurants and shops.  But, I have no idea where to go.  Does anyone have any ideas?

Arez16

Keene, NH had a cute downtown area with some shops and lots of tasty restaurants. There is also the college right next to downtown that has an art gallery and maybe even a show or movie at the theater/arts center. About 20mins away from there is Brattleboro, VT also has a cute down town area with shops and restaurants. If you want some specific restaurant recommendations let me know!

chelley599

Thanks Arez.....some of the other recs have bene Ogunquit and kennybunkport in ME, Freeport, Newburyport (close to home but will save that for a day we don't feel like driving) and rockport....not sure about the parking there though

ctag416

How about the bershires or ipswich??

october010bride

I love Kennebunkport so much. Personally I like it more than Ogunquit. But the two are so close that you could do both on the same day.  

Going west- I went to school in Amherst so I might be partial but I adore Amherst and Northampton. In the spring they are both gorgeous with tons of little shops and outside dining options.

In the Berkshires there's Lee and Lenox which are both great for shopping and eating but that might be farther than you want to travel.

MeaghanandMichael

Falmouth is great for a 'closer' cape experience. Obviously I am going to say go to MV, you can not go wrong with that. It would be a long day, but definitely worth it.

Newport is great too.

jonchrissy

FI lives in Keene, so we hang out there quite often, but I don't feel like it's worth the day trip unless you like to hike. He lives in the center of town and we walk up and down the street in and out of shops in about 30 minutes.  Mt. Monadnock is very close and it's a great hike, you can see Boston when you're at the peak.
I second Ogunquit, it's so cute there!
Also the Amherst/Northampton area is great (FI and I went to UMass). There are sooo many cute little shops and restaurants.

vtbm

Newport, RI! Can't beat it.

LexiMS

Rockport parking won't be too bad until it gets to be beach season, so if you want to do that, I would do it sooner rather then later!

iwalktheline

portland, me is great.  we also love kittery.  i would def recommend plymouth too!  there's so much to do there.  and salem's pretty fun as well.

jquirke9881

Portland or Freeport Maine.  MH and I go to Freeport several times a year.  Lots of shops and easy to walk around.  I love the coast of Maine.

It takes us about 2 hours to get to Portland and Freeport is 15 minutes past Portland.

LoveAdopted

Newport is one of our favorite places to go. A lot of times, we just drive down there and spend the day walking along different points by the ocean- there's always the Cliff Walk, but we really like a park called Bretton Point- there is a rocky beach to look for shells and hang out by the water, and across the street by the parking lot is a park with nice grassy walking paths. There is also a great downtown area.

I've also liked the Quechee area and Quechee Gorge; Mystic, CT; Franconia Notch and really any of the towns in the White Mountains (especially if you're feeling touristy); towns in the Berkshires (I would just drive to the area and pick a secondary road that passes through a bunch of towns).

chelley599

We decided on Rockport before the insanity of summer.  Thanks all.

CCBelle

I was going to recommend Rockport, too!  They have a store that sells fantastic salt water taffy that is made right on premises.

An even closer drive is Concord.  You could have lunch at the Colonial Inn, stroll the streets and check out the shops, then drive over to the Old North Bridge.

Galaxy8227

Our go to place is Falmouth for when we need a day to unwind.  Also love Newport as well

snoangel79

Ogunquit!! my favorite destination!! Perkin's cove is really cute.We are going there next Sunday for our engagement shoot.

emilyinboston

I can't believe no one has said Chatham! It has such a cute downtown area and the lighthouse down the street is a great place to walk on the beach. I'm partial to Harwich because I've spent every summer there... but both are great!

jenwindy

Kennebunkport / Kennebunk, Maine has a lot of those old, downtown shops. It's right along the water. Hmm...there's also the Bush family summer home there. Who knows, maybe you'll be able to catch a glimpse of Georgie Sr in a speedo (ewww!

Newport, Rhode Island was a fun day trip. I would definitely go back. If you enjoy some history, there are a lot of old mansions you can tour through.

WalknByTheH2O

I second Chatham!  Main Street is just adorable, and there are lots of cute little side streets to explore.  And if you're looking for a place to eat, Chatham Cookware is a great place for lunch.

I also really like Wellfleet Center.  It's pretty small, but there are a few cute little shops and restaurants.