Happy Wednesday, Lovelies!
One of Alex and my favorite fall traditions is taking a fall trip to see some great fall foliage, and spend some time alone! If you’ve been following along for a while now, you know that last year’s trip was to a few different stops in New England. After last year, we were hooked, and still feel like there are so many beautiful places left to visit in New England before we move on to other places.
From the coastline to the mountains, New England has something for everyone year round, but especially in the fall. Alex and I always try to spend half of our trip in the mountains and the other half by the shore because…fresh seafood!
Just driving through the states of New England in the fall is magical, and should be something everyone adds to their travel bucket list. I am always grateful for time alone with Alex and the beauty that surrounds us on our fall trips.
To make travel planning easy for you, I thought I would share the places in New England that we have visited (so far) and an in-depth travel guide for each place! I hope you find it helpful when planning a fall getaway!
New England Fall Travel Guide:
The places that I will be sharing about today are:
- Manchester, Vermont
- Woodstock, Vermont
- Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
- Mystic, Connecticut
- Portland, Maine
- Newport, Rhode Island
Manchester, VT:
We really enjoyed our time in Woodstock last year, and knew we wanted to explore the Green Mountains a bit more this trip. Manchester popped up as a great town with amazing hotels, restaurants, and mountain views. I could have stayed in Manchester forever. The hiking was incredible, there are so many lakes that are easily accessible that have the prettiest views.
In normal times, you can rent kayaks and canoes and explore the lakes. The beauty that surrounds this town is unreal. I thought fall foliage in PA was glorious until we stayed in Manchester.
Where to Stay:
Things To Do:
- Drive or hike to the top of Equinox Mountain
- Hike or canoe around Emerald Lake
- Visit Hildene-the Lincoln family summer home
- Visit Orvis or sign up for an Orvis fly fishing lesson
- Shaftsbury Alpaca Farm
- Mad Tom Orchard for apple picking
- Bardwell Farm for cheese
- Equinox Nursery and Pumpkin Patch
- Outlet Shopping (I love that the outlets are mixed in with the rest of the town and small-town shops).
Where to Eat:
- The Copper Grouse
- The Silver Fork
- The Reluctant Panther
- Al Ducci’s Italian Pantry
- Little Rooster Cafe
- Zoey’s Deli
Our Manchester Trip:
We stayed at The Equinox, which was one of the prettiest hotel rooms I have ever stayed in. They have amazing accommodations and the hotel is right in town making it a quick walk to anywhere you want to explore in the town center. I love the deck and patio of the Equinox. Alex and I had a few drinks on it around sunset our first night there and it was glorious. They have an outside fire pit and lots of Adirondack chairs to lounge on.
We hiked a ton in Manchester and found Equinox Pond and Emerald Lake. Both were gorgeous and surrounded by the prettiest fall foliage. We also adventured over to Shaftsbury Alpacas and learned so much about them. It was a lot of fun. We also visited Equinox Nursery and their cute pumpkin patch.
For meals, we had breakfast at the Little Rooster Cafe, grabbed a quick lunch at Zoey’s (one of the best sandwiches I have ever had), and dinner at The Reluctant Panther which was incredible.
The Drive from Manchester to Woodstock:
One of my favorite parts of our trip was the gorgeous drive from Manchester to Woodstock, VT along highway VT-100N. We went through so many pretty mountain towns, took in the most breathtaking views, and spent entirely too much time exploring the Vermont Country Store.
Like I’ve said before, the drives are even magical when it comes to fall in New England. Always be sure to take the scenic route if you have the time!
Woodstock, VT:
Where To Stay:
What To Do:
- Visit Sugarbush Farm for Cheese Sampling
- Quechee Gorge
- FH Gillingham & Sons Vermont Country Store
- Billings Farm– a working dairy farm
- Middle Covered Bridge
- Scenic Drive to Sleepy Hollow Farm
- Explore the town’s amazing shops
- Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Historical Park
Where to Eat:
Our Time in Woodstock:
Unfortunately this year, Woodstock was just a pitstop on our way from Manchester, VT to Bretton Woods, NH. We still spent a ton of time exploring. We visited the Woodstock Inn, Middle Covered Bridge, walked around town for a bit, and had an awesome lunch at Dr. Coburn’s Tonic. I had the lobster roll and it was seriously one of the best ever. Alex and I both loved our meals there-so if you are looking for a great lunch with tons of beverage options, be sure to stop in.
After lunch, we headed to the Quechee Gorge for a bit before heading to New Hampshire.
Last year we stopped at Sugarbush Farm and had a quick lunch at the Woodstock Farmer’s Market. If you have time to, be sure to check out all of the places I listed on the What to Do section because Woodstock is a true gem.
Woodstock, VT to Bretton Woods, NH:
Take the Kancamagus Highway. You won’t regret it. This route takes you through the prettiest fall foliage, small towns, and oftentimes, you feel like you have the whole road to yourself. We have seen wild turkeys, deer, and the most amazing views on this drive. I still have yet to see a moose-but I am determined to one of these days! There are also amazing markets and farm stands along the way you can stop at!
Bretton Woods, NH:
Where to Stay:
- The Omni Mount Washington Hotel
- The Lodge at Bretton Woods
- Mountain View Grand Resort (Whitfield)
What to Do:
- Bretton Woods Skyway Gondola– take a scenic Gondola ride up to the top. From there enjoy food and a beverage at the lodge restaurant, Switchback Grille, or hike the trails at the top.
- Franconia National State Park– hike one of the trails or just take a scenic drive through
- Mount Washington Auto Road
- Mount Washington Cog Railway
- The Flume Gorge
- Cardigan Mountain Orchard for apple picking
- The Basin
We stay at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel when we are in Bretton Woods. They have an amazing spa, horseback riding, kids activities, golf, and daily activities you can enjoy as well. We also LOVE their restaurants and The Cave (their historic bar).
Where to Eat:
- One of Omni Mount Washington Hotel’s restaurants. We personally love Stickney’s
- Harvest Tavern at Mountain View Grand Hotel
- The Italian Farmhouse
- Six Burner Bistro
- Red Fox Bar & Grille
Our Time in Bretton Woods:
Bretton Woods is one of our favorite spots to relax and unwind. The White Mountains foliage is so much brighter than any other foliage I’ve ever seen. We love staying at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel because of the amazing views from their historic patio/deck. We also love that once we check into the hotel we don’t have to leave (unless we want to). We love the restaurants at the Omni, the hiking trails right on the resort are amazing, it is nice not to have to think about navigating once we arrive. We do love to explore the surrounding area though, and the hiking, even driving on the scenic highways through Crawford and Franconia Notch are some of the most amazing views I have encountered.
Bretton Woods, NH to Portland, ME:
Our longest drive between locations is from Bretton Woods to Portland. It takes about 3.5 hours but we love it. We go through Franconia State Park and once we get closer to the coast, the small towns in Maine are so fun to drive through.
Portland, ME:
Where to Stay:
What to Do:
- Visit one of the five local lighthouses
- Visit a local brewery
- Casco Bay and Cape Elizabeth
- Visit Old Port
- Eat your way around town
Where to Eat:
- Luke’s Lobster-the best lobster rolls you will ever have
- Scales– the best calamari and fresh oysters and the best place in town for a whole lobster
- Holy Donut– potato donuts that are so incredible. I thought I wasn’t going to like them and I dream about them at night now! haha!
Where to Drink:
- Allagash Brewing Company– Try their white beer it’s amazing and was our favorite of all the beers we tried in Portland.
- Blythe & Burrows– sit at the front bar for a fancy martini or go through the secret bookcase to the basement bar for a fun speakeasy vibe.
Our Time in Portland:
We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn which we loved because it was centrally located to everything in the city. When we arrived in Portland and were very hungry so we stopped at Luke’s Lobster for lobster rolls and a beer. We then explored a few lighthouses and the city before eating at Scales! After we ventured out and had a drink at Blythe & Burrows and beer at Allagash Brewery!
Pitstop in Cape Elizabeth and Kennebunkport:
On our way to Newport, we stopped in Cape Elizabeth to explore the Portland lighthouse and ventured over to the cutest coastal town of Kennebunkport, and grabbed some great “clean” chowder and lobster rolls at the Cape Pier Chowder House.
Newport, RI:
Where to Stay:
What to Do:
- The Cliffwalk
- Drive along Ocean Avenue for views of the mansions along the coastline
- International Tennis Hall of Fame
- Shop along Bowen’s Warf or Thames Street
- Visit one of the lighthouses
- Gooseberry & Easton’s Beach
Where to Eat:
- The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar (we had the best raw oysters and Pumpkin Spice Mules here)
- Bouchard Inn & Restaurant
- Rooftop Bar at Hotel Viking
Our Time in Newport:
I thought the homes (mansions) in Palm Beach, Florida were unreal until I had the opportunity to drive on Ocean Avenue and see the lavish mansions that most owners deem as their “summer cottages” in Newport, Rhode Island.
We stayed at Hotel Viking and loved that we could bike around town. We were also welcomed with complimentary margaritas upon checking-in. They have a great rooftop bar with small bites and a closed-in patio with an outdoor fireplace.
We drove along Ocean Avenue exploring the cliffside mansions and walked around town to do some shopping. For dinner, we ate at The Mooring and had the best raw oysters and pumpkin spice mules! The next morning, we walked along the Cliffwalk to take in the views and explore the historic mansions from the outside.
Mystic, CT:
Where to Stay:
- Whaler’s Inn
- Steamboat Inn
- Ocean House (Watch Hill, RI- a 20 minute drive)
- Hilton Mystic
What to Do:
- Clyde’s Cider Mill
- Mystic Ghost Tour
- Holmberg Orchards
- Shopping in Historic Downtown Mystic
- Olde Mystick Village
- Mystic Aquarium
- Mystic Seaport
- Mystic River Cruises
Where to Eat:
- S&P Oyster Company
- Mystic Pizza (inspired by the Julia Roberts movie)
- Sift Bake Shop (for brunch)
- Engine Room
- Grass and Bone
Our Time in Mystic:
Sadly, we spent the smallest amount of time in Mystic, but Alex and I both LOVED the town. Last year, we made a pitstop on our way home to visit Clyde’s Cider Mill and fell in love with Mystic. We knew it was on our list to visit this year.
We arrived in Mystic in late afternoon, explored the town and all the sweet little shops before having the best dinner of our trip at S&P Oyster Company. I think Alex wants to go back to Mystic just to dine there again. I love when fall foliage meets the coastline, and you get the perfect amounts of both in Mystic. It’s definitely a place you can spend several days exploring without running out of things to do!
What I Wore:
What is a fall trip without some fun fall fashion!? If you are planning on taking a trip to New England in the fall be sure to pack for ALL THE ELEMENTS we went from 45 degree days to 75 and sunny depending on our location!
Click On an Item for Shopping Details:
New England in the Fall:
I think Alex and I both wish our fall trips could last longer. From the Green Mountains of Vermont to the vibrant colors of the White Mountains in New Hampshire to the beautiful coastlines of Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, New England will always be one of our very favorite areas to visit. Especially in the fall!
xoxo,
Kalyn
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