traveler_t

We plan a foliage trip to New England with 5yo, 7yo. I have some questions:

1. Our dates are fixed (October 10-13). Should we schedule our trip now or wait until it is clear where the foliage will be then? Where is our best bet?

2. We prefer to minimize driving. What route is recommended such that we stay at 1-2 places and mostly drive near them?

3. Do kids enjoy viewing the foliage or is this an adult thing? what are some activities we can combine to maximize kids interest in the trip (guided jeep tour, guided boat ride, amusement park etc)

thanks!

Christina

That is a very popular thing to do and accommodations can be limited (and expensive) in popular areas). So yes, you had better figure things out now.

Here is one prediction, which means basically all of VT, NH, MA and southern ME will be fine. SO you need to decide where you want to go.
I don't think anyone can recommend a drive to minimize driving since you didn't say where you live. If you are implying that you are flying in for this trip (to where? Any preference, it varies by airline)), I'd suggest Burlington or Manchester NH or Hartford as good places to go to. SWA uses Hartford and Manchester. United goes to Burlington. Albany NY would be ok also, SWA flies there but I prefer to fly into the other two.

VT isn't that big a state, s you could easily minimize driving by staying in VT. I am not that familiar with NH for staying, I only stay in VT and sometimes fly into/out of NH. COuld be lots of areas of NH are fine, also, of course, for foliage. I know VT is a real magnet so maybe that isn't the best idea for that reason. Maybe others know how that compares to NH for cost and traffic. For example, I often stay in Fairfield INn and Suites in Waterbury for skiing, and they have no vacancies for those dates. Because it is very very popular. they do have a 1 KG bed studio room and that is $700 per night, for example. I checked another hotel I like near Brattleboro and they are totally sold out for your dates. Those are about the most popular dates in October due to the holiday. So that could affect your choice, just where you can find a place to stay.

Maybe some other areas like MA and CT are less popular with the tourists but they don't have as iconic drives, I guess.

Trongenius

Rt 100 and stop in Killington + Stowe. The kids will like the gondola rides and there should be other stuff to do. Ben & Jerry's factory is located in between and they give good factory tours.

suze

Are you driving (if so, from where)? Or are you flying in (if so, which airport)? Need to know that as far as the request to minimize driving time.

I really like Vermont, but if you stayed in the southern part you could easily combine a bit of southern NH (just across the river) and/or northern Western Massachusetts (like around Amherst, Northampton, Greenfield). In VT the drive between Brattleboro and Bennington is not much more than an hour and has fantastic views (stop at the Hog Back Mountain gift shop for a snack and souvenirs).

I have no idea if your kids would care about looking at nature. But assume you can fit in things for them. What do they like to do? You can find playgrounds, parks, streams. There's a few places to rent boats on rivers or lakes. Once you figure out which state(s) you will visit, people can help even more specifically. Like Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream factory tour in VT, for example

dfrostnh

Warner NH nw of Concord is having their Foliage festival that weekend. I haven't been avle to attend it for several years. It's a big deal since the town is a great mix of artsy, farmers and good neighbors. Google for link to weekend schedule.
if you stay in Concord do not take interstate I89 if it looks crowded. You can take Pleasant Street all the way thru Hopkinton and Contoocook and park in one of the lots in Warner set up with bus service.
you could also drive up Mt Kearsarge in Warner for easy hike to top.
onmthe way back to Concord stop at Gould Hill orchard to get apples. Not sure if they will still have PYO then but they have a huge variety of apples you may want to take home. And/or take slight detour to Beech Hill Farm for an ice cream treat. They hace a small corn maze, farm animals and a giant sand pile with toy trucks for kids. Let your kids unwind with some outdoor play before returning to hotel.

From Concord it would be about an hour drive to Squam Lake Science Center which is native animals in natural habitat. One of the best places for children to visit. I93 is actually a pretty drive but downtown Meredith will be congested. You might want to find an alternative route. You can take exit 24 instead. It misses the beautiful town on Lake Winnipesaukee but you could return to take exit 23.

Concord has several playgrounds and downtown Main Street is walkable. You might be able to find an air b&b in the area. The Merrimack River foes thru town. When our son was young he would be too tired for restaurant dinners at end of day. You can always get take out and if weather is warm there are outdoor parks, some with picnic tables.

please stay away from the overcrowded tourist areas foliage may be a bit past peak on the mountains anyway. It will be beautiful everywhere.

Christina

I meant to post this Fall Foliage Forecast

https://www.providencejournal.com/st...d/75099281007/