Fall Road Trips in New England
For a short period each year New England is aflame with colors of red, gold and yellow. The summer warmth is suddenly being replaced by crisp cool air, active school children are back in school and stores are bringing out their brown, gold and yellow decorations ready to usher in the fall season.
Nowhere else in the country can beat the fall beauty that awaits us each year during fall season like New England. Fall road trips in New England are the best ways to enjoy the scenery of Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Come along as we plan out two routes in New England for your fall road trips.
If you are traveling by air and need to find out more about closest airports to your destination, use Travelmath’s closest airport calculator. For example:
If you want to be close to
Boston you have five airports to choose from:
1. Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
2. Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT)
3. New Bedford Regional Airport (EWB)
4. Theodore Francis Green Memorial State Airport (PVD)
5. Provincetown Municipal Airport (PVC)
Route One
Head southeast of New Hampshire and begin your fall road trip in Portsmouth (I-95). Portsmouth is
58 miles from Boston. Make sure you take time to stop by local farms with their fall harvest as you make your way to Portsmouth and beyond. Take some time to tour Portsmouth’s historical sites, antiques and boutiques while enjoying the fall weather and walking on brick sidewalks.
Continue your road trip to Dover, a town located on the Piscataqua River at the border of New Hampshire and Maine. It takes
21 minutes to drive from Portsmouth to Dover. Dover offers waterfront historical buildings, authentic New England food, museums and galleries.
If you are there on October 5, enjoy the
Apple Harvest Day in downtown Dover, where there will be food, fun and entertainment New England style for the whole family.
Your next stop is Durham, a typical college town in New England about a
16 minute drive from Dover. This region is also popular for wine tasting tours and antique shopping. You will have a chance to relax with a cup of fresh-pressed apple cider, purchase apples and pumpkins along this route.
Finally you will arrive in the town of Concord, the capital city of New Hampshire, which is only a
51 minute drive from Durham.
For more information on traveling in New Hampshire and on the towns we listed please visit the
New Hampshire Official Visitors site. We planned this route with the suggestions found on the website.
Route Two
Take a coastal route in Maine to enjoy the fall foliage. Start by flying into Portland International Jetport (PWM) and drive
five miles from the airport to the city center. Portland is the largest city in Maine and Forbes called it America’s “most-livable city”. It is filled with artists, skilled craftsmen and fall foliage. The city has many outdoor and indoor attractions for adults and children. Portland is also the place for whale watching from May to October.
You may want to take some time and drive to Cape Elizabeth to visit
Portland Headlight lighthouse.
From Portland take a short drive to Kennebunkport. It is only
29 miles away. Enjoy the fall foliage and great lobster dinner in one of the best lobster restaurants in the United States.
Nunan’s Lobster Hut is located in the charming fishing village of Cape Porpoise, Maine. They have been serving freshly caught local lobsters since 1953.
During the fall season, communities including Kennebunkport have special fall festivals. After Portland, drive
28 miles to Kittery. Kittery is popular with bargain hunters looking for top American brand names like Polo Ralph Lauren, North Face, J. Crew and a few hundreds more.
There are many fall festivals happening throughout the fall season. Check out
VisitMaine’s website before you leave on your fall road trips to Maine.
These are just two sample routes for fall road trips to New England. Do you have any suggestions? Please share below.
